Scanning and skim reading enable you to get a quick overview of the text and decide if it is relevant.
Scan the text for particular information or for key words to confirm that the content is relevant. Use the contents page and index page or use the search function to locate key words.
Skim read the text to ‘get the gist’ of what it is about and how it is arranged.
Read the abstract, the introduction, and the conclusion as these will give you an idea if the article is relevant. If you decide not to use an article, you might wish to make a note of the reference in case it is useful for a future project or piece of work. Use headings and subheadings to navigate around the text. Pay particular attention to the first sentence of each paragraph as this usually indicates the topic of the paragraph. Illustrations and tables can be useful as these summarise information.