While Reading, Do You Feel Compelled to Look into References Therein!?
By kamran12
@kamran12 (5526)
Pakistan
March 2, 2008 3:58pm CST
When I read a book, I usually feel drawn to the reference works especially when I can’t fully grasp the idea. And so, it happens that instead of completing the book in hand, I first try to go through referenced work to come back to original book later with full understanding. Still, I can continue reading the original book and take on the referenced works after.
But, when I am reading a research paper, where references are succinct, I usually end up in a cascade of reading where I get the primary work read actually long after I started!
Does it happen to you too? What’s your reading strategy when you see a reference that you feel compelled to follow? Do you continue with the original work or do you delve into everything before you finally finish it?
What are your thoughts!? Thanks!
5 people like this
3 responses
@cdparazo (5765)
• Philippines
4 Mar 08
I don't read research papers and all I read are newspapers, magazines, novels and self-help books. I can't remember following references since I don't have difficulty reading those things since they are certainly not heavy reading. However, I find that when I try to read or become intrigue about some things, I always find myself checking other things that is related to them either in encyclopedias or online or other sources that I could find.
4 people like this
@kamran12 (5526)
• Pakistan
4 Mar 08
Hello cdparazo!:-)
I can relate to your checking related things in encyclopedias or other online and offline references. In fact, as I read a lot of discussions here for filing my gaps and for knowledge, I usually find something for which I consult further references! Thanks for sharing!:-)
4 people like this
@drknlvly6781 (6246)
• United States
3 Mar 08
If I come across a reference in a reading, I first determine if I understood the material the reference is referring to. If so, I save the reference material until a later time after I finish the reading I've started.
If I do come across a reference where I haven't understood the preceeding material, I will stop and read the reference. But I only read the part that is referenced, not the entire work. If I find that the entire work is of interest, I return to it for a full reading once I finish the original material I started with.
3 people like this
@kamran12 (5526)
• Pakistan
3 Mar 08
Hello drknlvly6781,
You appear to be very methodical! Indeed, if something is understood right away, it reduces the probability of following a referenced material. Though, it also happens that even if I have understood, I need to see if that conclusion was rightly established, it is especially required when that conclusions is an important ingredient of your own work because you would be knowing that like all fields of human endeavors, science isn’t free of corruption or weakness either! Similarly, the assumptions or conditions on which the conclusion of referenced material was established aren’t quite the same! I hope you see what I am saying here! Otherwise, you are right and I do the same that I can wait until I finish what I started.
You seem to be very wise and you manage your time very well by limiting yourself to the pertinent part of the referenced material. I, on the other hand, appear to try to absorb it all before I move forward!
Thank you very much for sharing, I really appreciate!:-)
3 people like this
@drknlvly6781 (6246)
• United States
16 Mar 08
Thank you for giving me best response in this discussion. I really didn't think that I was doing that much, I just felt that this is the best way to understand reading material. But I really do appreciate you thinking that I have the best method in reading particular works.
3 people like this
@izathewzia (5134)
• Philippines
4 Mar 08
Yes, sometimes I look at the reference area or page to look where a certain information came from. And i even sometimes look for that reference in a liblary or bokk store if it really got my interest.
