Skimming

Skimming is a way to quickly search and identify main ideas of a text. You skim a book, article or essay when you have a lot of material to cover in a short space of time. You can do this in several ways: 

• read the first and last chapters – grasp the goal and conclusion of the text 
• read the first sentence of each paragraph – understand the main point 
• locate clues to the layout of material – build a mental structure of the content 
• identify new, unfamiliar terms – create your own glossary
  

Scanning

Scanning is a way to quickly locate specific facts, key words and phrases. You use this technique when you look up a name in the telephone book or dictionary. You move your eyes down the page searching for:

• key words and phrases 
• organisational clues such as numbers, letters, steps or the words such as: first, second, next 
• headings in a different colour, bold, italics or fonts that stand out from the main body of text