Methods of Reading and Researching

Like so many this time of the year, papers are being drafted and late night researching is being sustained by the dreaded deadline coupled with a little caffeine of your choice. I had a conversion with my Greek professor (Jason Meyer) today about his research and reading strategy, given that he just completed his doctoral dissertation. That conversation led us to scheduling a breakfast next week to discuss this matter and others as they come to our mind. I say this with curiosity as to how you read and research. One of the great benefits of blogging is that you find many folks who love reading and are disciplined at it. Others of you having written many papers, even books. So here are some of my questions stroking my curiosity: 1. Do you have a particular reading plan/strategy (scheduling reads)? 2. How do you read through a book? 3. What is your method of research and/or putting a paper together? 4. Between researching, reading, and writing, what percentage of time do you spend on each aspect? I would like to briefly answer those questions as a starter: 1. I have a really basic reading plan. I consider myself a slow reader (averaging 15-20 pages an hour). Therefore, I plan my reads according to the time I have during the week, which is usually about 15-20 hours (which amounts to about 300-400 pages if you do the math). That's ideal of course, as often things come up which take away from that time. Outside my required textbooks, I try to have a missions biography, Puritan Paperback, Valley of Vision, and theological work before me continuously. Often I make it back to the Church Fathers and other historical works to spare me from chronological snobbery. Two particular topics at this juncture in my life are religious pluralism and Reformed theology, so there would be of course the casual readings pertaining to each topic. Finally, each semester I try to have a specific topic/theme to research and study. For instance, Fall 2004 was "anti-intellectualism" and Open Theism, Spring 2005 was General Revelation and Inclusivism, Summer 2005 was Pluralism and Ecumenism, Fall 2005 was Emerging Church, Decisional Regeneration, and Missiology, and this semester is the Puritans, the providence of God, and the Incarnation of Christ. 2. I usually go through three stages of reading: Preview (cursory look), Read (careful look), and Review (critical look). The Preview consists of reading (in order) Back Matter, Front Matter, and macro-outline of the book; the Read consists of studying the thesis and content of the book with highlighter, pen, and flags in hand; and the Review consists of my interaction with the work, usually having been marked during the read. It is here I find quotes, mark key texts, or point strengths and weaknesses of the book. Typically that's my style. I like highlighters - a lot. Rarely do I make it in public without the question, "Why do many highlighters and pens?" Answer: "I keep them stocked." 3. Although I need considerable work in every area, my research style needs much improvement. My most recent strategy is to have my paper template set up, and as I read a work I know I am going to cite, I type the footnote as I read the book. By the time I get through with my researching, I will have a long list of footnotes pertaining to the topic or thesis. From there I weed out the footnotes which are either weak or extraneous. I took this style because I wanted my papers to be research driven more than my ramblings. When I think I have something to say, I say it, but prefer to point to others who either prove or reject my point. For instance, my last paper I turned in was 18 pages and I had 40 pages of footnotes alone. This was meaningful but probably a lot of wasted time. I ended up having to crop my paper over 2/3 of its original length to meet prof's requirements, which stripped my argument to a weak skeleton. This was especially frustrating. Much work needed here. 4. Oh my demise! I spend 35% researching, 60% reading, and 15% writing. This ought not be! Ideally, I would like it to be 25% researching, 40% reading, and 35% writing. By the time I write the paper or book review, I am way short on time and often rush through it. Arrrggh. So much of what I benefited from in research and reading never makes it to print, and I find myself wondering how I got there. That's my initial thoughts. What's your method or strategy to reading, writing, and researching? I know I have much to learn here and could greatly benefit from your input!