sapphicalienn:

thehighladyelf:

askalecturer:

theartofangirling:

some memes I made to express my current frustrations with academia feel free to add your own

This is very true. Some tips for coping with crappy writing (because unfortunately you still have to read it) :

• Read in stages – first skim for gist and argument; then read more carefully to see how they are building their case; then do a final read to think critically about it.
• Understand what you are reading and what its purpose is. Is it a journal article? Book chapter? Textbook chapter? Each of these is written for a different audience with a different aim in mind.
• Learn the structure of different types of readings. Journals especially follow a very formulaic structure and knowing what usually appears in each section can help you navigate more effectively.
• Be selective. What do you need to get out of this? Will you be quizzed on details? Is it going to be a starting point for a discussion in a seminar? Is it intended to help prepare you for a lecture? Depending on your answer, you may be able to skip certain sections or focus on particular aspects.

If you’re a dyslexic student the best tip with reading academic journals is to place strips of plain paper (or your preferred colour) around the paragraph you’re reading, to help your brain focus and block out the other word noise.