Use skimming to decide if you need to read something at all, for example during the preliminary research for a paper. Use skimming to overview your textbook chapters or to review for a test. But when you skim, you may miss important points or overlook the finer shadings of meaning, for which rapid reading or perhaps even study reading may be necessary. It is very useful as a preview to a more detailed reading or when reviewing a selection heavy in content. However, it is not always the most appropriate way to read. Skimming can save you hours of laborious reading.

Use scanning in research to find particular facts, to study fact-heavy topics, and to answer questions requiring factual support. Use skimming in previewing (reading before you read), reviewing (reading after you read), determining the main idea from a long selection you don't wish to read, or when trying to find source material for a research paper. Skimming is like snorkeling, and scanning is more like pearl diving. While skimming tells you what general information is within a section, scanning helps you locate a particular fact. Scanning is reading rapidly in order to find specific facts. Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material. Skimming and scanning are reading techniques that use rapid eye movement and keywords to move quickly through text for slightly different purposes.

Skim and scan