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- As you read this article, think back on Working Through Confusion
- Open up the excerpt from a research article available from the calendar and at this link.
- Go into the article with a purpose. Suppose your purpose is understanding how DNA replicates.
- Read the article quickly, not skipping anything but also not dwelling on anything you don't understand. If you encounter something that doesn't immediately burst with meaning, highlight it.
- Reconsider everything you highlighted. In light of what you have read, if you think that understanding the highlighted word or phrase would not significantly help you reach your goal (see #2), then unhighlight it and put it out of your mind.
- Reconsider everything that remains highlighted. Translate your puzzlement into a full length question.
- Prioritize the highlighted words or phrases. Which ones do you think are central to your understanding of what you read and important in reaching your goal?
- Take those with the highest priority and develop a strategy to attain understanding. Your strategy may include:
- A quick trip to Google or Wikipedia
- Looking for an appropriate article, via something like PubMed
- Finding an appropriate textbook or similar
- Asking your mentor, if this is in his/her field
- Asking someone else who might be knowledgable
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