Your assignment grade will depend on the quality of information that you use. Reading is an essential part of learning at the university. With appropriate methods and strategies, you will find academic reading more managable.

Reading for an assignment

What to read?

If you are reading for an assignment, you will need to read widely. Depending on your research topic, you will need to read books that cover specialized subject matters, research articles, conference proceedings, reports, theses, or more. Use ISU library online catalog and EBSCO EDS to identify your needed books, journal titles and articles.

How to read?

Some academic concepts and terms may be difficult to understand. Yet understanding is not enough to read for an assignment. You also need to read critically. To grasp the main ideas of an academic work, taking notes is also a must. Below are some techniques to help you read more effectively.

Evaluate your sources

Before deciding whether or not to incorporate what you have found into your assignment, you need to evaluate the resources to make sure that they contain information which is valuable and pertinent. This is especially true when the resources you retrieved are not collected by an academic library, but conveniently accessible through Internet search. Web resources need more careful thought to ensure their quality.
Thus it is always a good practice to begin your search using our Library and databases for more authoritative and reliable resources.

Questions to ask

Accuracy
Is the information reliable?
Is the information error-free?
Is the information based on proven facts?
Can the information be verified against other reliable sources?

Authority
Who is the author? 
Does he or she have the qualifications to speak/write on that topic?
Is the author affiliated with a reputable university or organization in this subject field?

Objectivity
What is the intended purpose of the information?
Is the information facts or opinions?
Is the information biased?

Currency
When was the information published?
Is the information current or out-dated?
Does currency matter in this topic?

Coverage
Does the information covered meet your information needs?
Does it provide basic or in depth coverage?