FYS 1010

Most academic books, including textbooks, are not designed to read straight through.

Academic Books

"Academic" books are usually published by a university press or specialized publishing companies who focus on scholarly or educational content.

Key Characteristics:

• May include research, analysis, or criticism (similar to scholarly journals)
• Citations are included, often in footnotes, endnotes, or a bibliography
• Usually not written with a general audience in mind (written BY scholars FOR scholars)
• Can be written by one or more authors, OR each chapter is written by different authors then compiled by editor(s)

Textbooks

Textbooks are also academic or educational, but usually follow a different format and are designed to be used for a class.

Key Characteristics:

• Often include sections such as a table of contents, glossary, appendices, index, and references
• Usually have a specific format or set up for each chapter

Step 1: Set Up

Flip through the textbook to get a general feel for how the book is set up. Here are a few ideas of things you may look for:

• Are chapters organized into broader sections?
• How long are most chapters?
• In your average chapter, consider how much of the chapter is text versus images, diagrams, charts, or other supplementary material.

This step can be helpful in figuring out how much time it might take to do your assigned reading.

Step 2: Preface and About the Authors

The "Preface" is an introduction to the book by its author(s). It often includes information about why the book was written, who helped create the book, and what readers can expect to learn.

"About the Authors" offers short biographies about each author, usually outlining their credentials (what qualifies them to write the book on this topic) and other books they have published.

Step 3: Sections

Flip through the textbook and keep an eye out for these sections:

• Table of Contents
• Glossary
• Appendices
• Index
• References or Bibliography (Citations)

Step 4: Sample Chapter

Flip through one chapter to see how they are generally set up. Read or make note of these sections or types of content:

• Chapter Overview - this is a brief summary of what the chapter will include
• Learning Objectives - these may be concrete statements about what you should expect to understand by the end of the chapter
• Glossary (if it is included in each chapter) or any lists of key terms
• Bold headings and subheadings
• Visual aids such as diagrams, charts, graphs, tables, and images
• First two sentences in the first paragraph for each new heading or subheading
• End of chapter summary

Step 5: Reading Chapters

You're ready to start reading! As you read your chapter, don't forget to make annotations in the margins or take notes on separate paper.