The key component of Inspectional Reading, Systematic Skimming is about quickly surveying a text in order to get a feel for its contents and structure.
The steps to systematic skimming are as follows:
- Examine the title page and Preface(s)
- Study the Table of Contents
- Explore the Index
- Read the Publisher’s blurb
- Examine the chapters pivotal to the argument.
- Skim the book, dipping in for a paragraph or two, but now more.
Upon deciding whether or not the book is worth engaging with at a deeper level, you can proceed to the stage of Superficial Reading in preparation for Analytical Reading.
How to read a book by Mortimer Jerome Adler, Charles Van Doren