there are many ways for how to approach a paper. we can use different strategies that might reveal distinct aspects of the work. the context in which we read also vastly biases how we respond to it. we usually respond more positively and generously to work from a friend, or more critically to a paper that falls in our academic niche. Sometimes these are unconscious choices.
Joe Dumit has put together a list of a couple of approaches to reading styles, coined “Dumit styles of reading”. I learned how to read papers from a more critical perspective, which gets exhausting. intentionally practicing reading papers through these perspectives has opened up a lot of space for me to find more joy in reading.
here is a list of those styles:
- Close
- General
- Constructive
- Deconstructive
- Positive
- Negative
- Generous
- Critical
- Situating
- Hermeneutic
- Methodological
- Explicative
- Ethical
Go to dumit’s website or this summarized spreadsheet for descriptions of each of these styles.
references
- Joe Dumit’s [how I read]((https://dumit.net/how-i-read/)