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SQ4R: TEXTBOOK READING
SQ4R is considered a classic because students have fo u nd it useful since the early 60's. It's probably w orth your tim e to try all the steps at
first, then choose and apply only those th a t w ork effectively for each of your course texts. A lthough using the SQ4R m ethod may seem tim e
consum ing at first, once you know the steps, the process takes only a few m inutes. Use this as a useful g uide to get started o rto rem em ber its
steps - b u t fo r best results we recom m end a tte n d in g one of our reading strategies w orkshops (check our w ebsite!) or com ing in to m eet w ith
one of our learnin g specialists one on one. Send us an em ail to s e t up a m eeting!
S = SURVEY
Before you crack open your book to page one and dive In, take a few m inutes to read the preface and in trod u ctio n to the text, and
browse throu g h the table of contents and the in de x. This w ill tell you the m ain topics th a i the book w ill cover, the author's
particular approach to the subject (i.e., w hy he/she w rote another text on the subject w hen there are probably tw enty on the
m arket), and w hat the basic organizational structure w ill be.
A s im ila r process Is repeated before each chapter. Read all the titles and subtitles, study any pictures, charts, or graphs, and if
there are any, read the sum m ary at the end o f the chapter and any study questions. Surveying a chapter in this way gives you the
"b ig picture;" a fram ew ork o f the m ain ideas w hich w ill help to hold the details tog e th er later.
Q = QUESTION
Before b eg inn in g to read, take the su b title of the section (or the first sentence of a paragraph) and turn it into a question. For
exam ple, if you're reading part o f a chapter called "Functions of the Spinal Cord", askyourself, "W hat are the functions of the
spinal cord?"
R #1 = READ
Y o u th e n read, not passively slidin g your eyes over the words, but actively engaging the text, tryin g to find the answer to your
question. Be cautious, however, tha t you d o n 't end up skim m in g for the answer to your question and m issing other im p ortan t
in fo rm atio n.
R #2 = RESPOND
Once you've read the section, close the textbook and answer your question, e ither orally or on paper, in your own words. If you
can't answer the question, you should reread tha t section u ntil you can. If, after several tries, you still can't answer your question,
go on to the next few sections and see if things become clearer. You may fin d tha t you need to change your question.
R#3 = RECORD
Once you've understood the m aterial and can sum m arize it in your own words, the next step is to record the in fo rm atio n in som e
way. Some com m on m ethods are to h ig h lig h t and/or m ark the text, or take notes, or som e com bination o f both. W hichever
m ethod or com bination o f m ethods you choose (some pros and cons are sum m arized next), it's critical to rem em ber to read and
understand the m aterial first, and then go back and record.
C ited a nd a da p te d fro m : Francis P. R obinson, Effective Study. 4 th ed. New York: H a rp er & Row, 1 9 7 0 ; M cG raw C enter fo r Teaching & L earning, P rinceton U niversity.
H A V E R F O R D COL L EGE | W W W . H A V E R F 0 R D . E D U / 0 A R | H C - 0 A R @ H A V E R F 0 R D . E D U
HIGHLIGHTING
NOTE-TAKING
The Pros:
The Pros:
• Takes less tim e than note taking
• Because it's tim e consum ing, encourages you to be
• Charts and graphs from text readily available
concise and m ore selective of im p o rta n t in form ation
• Inform ation is in p o in tfo rm b u ts till gram m atically
The Cons:
• Very easy to do badly; can fool you into th in k in g you're
learning m aterial w hen w hat you're really doing is coloring
•T e n d e n c y to m a rk to o much to avoid m issing som ething
im p ortan t; experts say h ig h lig h t 10-15% , but students
usually h ig h lig h t 70-80%
com plete
• Provides a portable, easy to m anage study tool - text not
often needed for studying
• Condensed study notes can be made in m argins as you
go, saving tim e w hen preparing for exams
• Easy to integrate text and lecture notes if done on loose-
• Because fragm ents of sentences are h ig h lig h te d ,
leaf paper
tendency is to read w hole sentence for com plete m eaning
The Cons:
and so m ost of the book ends up being re-read
• Necessary to study for tests from heavy, clum sy textbook
•T im e -co n su m in g
• D ifficu lt to integrate w ith lecture notes
• Tendency to copy text rather than take notes in your own
•T e x tb o o k e n d s up looking very used and reduces resale
words
value
R #4 = REVIEW
In courses w here there isa lot of factual m aterial to rem em ber, a regular review period (usually oncea week) can be a very
effective strategy for retaining in fo rm atio n. Integrating a w eekly review period into your study routine w ill help you rem em ber
more of the in fo rm atio n longer, thereby changing the nature of the studying done at exam tim e . Rather than relearning m aterial
tha t has been forgotten because you haven't looked at it since reading it or w ritin g it dow n, preparing for an exam can include a
review of fa m ilia r m aterial and rehearsal strategies like trying old exams.
The secret to m aking regular review periods effective is to start from the b eg inn in g of the course in each review session. The
volum e of m aterial to review increases as the sem ester progresses, but the a m ou n t of tim e needed to review older m aterial
decreases. After you've reviewed the first week's m aterial a few tim es, it w ill take only a few m inutes to skim over it and recall the
key points.
Cited and adapted fro m : Francis P. R obinson, Effective Study. 4 th ed. New York: H arper & Row, 1 9 7 0 ; M cG raw C enter fo r Teach ing & Learning, P rinceton U niversity.
H A V E R F O R D COL L EGE | W W W . H A V E R F 0 R D . E D U / 0 A R | H C - 0 A R @ H A V E R F 0 R D . E D U