COMM331 Effective Reading: Unpacking the text for better understanding Dr. Celeste Rossetto: Learning Development 2013

Impact Stats from the Library Used with permission

Reading broadly develop understanding of issues involved in a topic identify the important writers in a field overview of theories related to a topic seek information relating to an essay question work out which issues/books/journals to read in more detail

Evaluating your sources authority: is the source published in a reputable book or journal? Is the writer an expert, or often quoted by other writers? originality: are there new ideas in the text or is a repetition or summary of what others have said before? objectivity: is there a bias in the writer’s approach (e.g., the writer is American commenting positively on America’s foreign policy)

Evaluating your sources currency: is the information recent or is it outdated (when was it written? what cases, examples and sources is it referring to?) balance: does it cover the relevant issues evenly, or are some only given a cursory treatment? purpose: of the source material that you are reading. This is closely tied to what kind of text it is (a government report, a scholarly article, a text book) and relates to what the author is trying to do (describe, report, argue)

Reading and Note taking Read texts with the question in mind. Read material that is relevant to the question and its sub-topics. Remain focused on the question. Read efficiently and critically. Take notes as you read, being careful to record all bibliographic details.

Note-taking should … assist in concentrating on and understanding the information being read by helping to summarise the ideas and arguments in the text keep a focus on the points that are relevant to the assignment project (rather than just underlining everything) help organise and start to evaluate the research provide the necessary evidence to inform and develop a critical argument in the response

Organising your reading Keep relevant articles together (themes) Number your journal articles / photocopies Cross reference immediately when you see a connection Make sure if your journal articles are in a pdf format that you write in the access date and the database name – keep track of bibliographic details

How to read a journal article Journal articles are divided into discrete sections. To assist in the reading and understanding of journal articles, students should look at the structure of journal: Abstract Introduction Methods Results Discussion Conclusion or recommendations

Textbooks Check the divisions of a book chapters sections subsections

Textbooks Gaffikin’s text comes from his textbook. This genre has particular features that help the reader identify it as such, for instance: it highlights key terms and definitions its structure offers a clear road map for the reader to navigate through the information it uses discipline-specific language it engages the reader by using personal pronouns, e.g., ‘we’, and ‘our’ each paragraph has a topic sentence that contains the idea and the rest of the paragraph expands that idea it relies on evidence to support its ideas it is more descriptive than analytical

Stating the problem Elaboration of the point by explaining the reasons for this Evidence Analysis - ‘so what does this mean’ Concluding sentence and segue to the next paragraph

TS.1 Many students of accounting eschew theory TS.2 Generally speaking, theories provide the reasoned basis for actions—for practice. TS.3 No precise definition exists for theory. TS.4 There is no one view of a theory that would permit a single definition acceptable to all. TS.5 In developing theory, a theorist will undertake research. TS.6 In fact, research will be undertaken also to improve practice. TS.7 A prerequisite for a full understanding of accounting theory is an awareness of the processes involved in developing a theory and the implications of these for practice. TS.8 If this aim is to be met, it is necessary to determine and understand the elements of theories and theory construction. Topic Sentences

Heading Subheading Important terms

Philosophical foundations The development of Western knowledge ModernityScientific revolutionsThe discipline of accounting Headings