Skimming and Scanning

Skimming and scanning are two specific speed-reading techniques, which enable you to cover a vast amount of material very rapidly. These techniques are similar in process but different in purpose. Quickly "looking over" an article is neither skimming nor scanning. Both require specific steps to be followed.

I. SKIMMING is a method of rapidly moving the eyes over text with the purpose of getting only the main ideas and a general overview of the content.

A. Skimming is useful in three different situations.

• Pre-reading--Skimming is more thorough than simple previewing and can give a more accurate picture of text to be read later.

• Reviewing--Skimming is useful for reviewing text already read.

• Reading--Skimming is most often used for quickly reading material that, for any number of reasons, does not need more detailed attention.

B. Steps in skimming an article

• Read the title--it is the shortest possible summary of the content.
• Read the introduction or lead-in paragraph.

• Read the first paragraph completely.

• If there are subheadings, read each one, looking for relationships among them.

• Read the first sentence of each remaining paragraph.

a. The main idea of most paragraphs appears in the first sentence.

b. If the author's pattern is to begin with a question or anecdote, you may find the last sentence more valuable.

• Dip into the text looking for:

a. Clue words that answer who, what, when, why, how

b. Proper nouns

c. Unusual words, especially if capitalized

d. Enumerations.              

e. Qualifying adjectives (best, worst, most, etc.)

f. Typographical cues--italics, boldface underlining, asterisks, etc.

• Read the final paragraph completely.

C. Mastering the art of skimming effectively requires that you use it as frequently as possible.

D. Skimming can usually be accomplished at about 1000 words per minute.

II. SCANNING rapidly covers a great deal of material in order to locate a specific fact or piece of information.

A. Scanning is very useful for finding a specific name, date, statistic, or fact without reading the entire article.

B. Steps in scanning an article.

• Keep in mind at all times what it is you are searching for. If you hold the image of the word or idea clearly in mind, it is likely to appear more clearly than the surrounding words.
• Anticipate in what form the information is likely to appear-- numbers, proper nouns, etc.

• Analyze the organization of the content before starting to scan.

a. If material is familiar or fairly brief, you may be able to scan the entire article in a single search.

b. If the material is lengthy or difficult,a preliminary skimming may be necessary to determine which part of the article to scan.

• Let your eyes run rapidly over several lines of print at a time.

• When you find the sentence that has the information you seek, read the entire sentence.

C. In scanning, you must be willing to skip over large sections of text without reading or understanding them.

D. Scanning can be done at 1500 or more words per minute.

All these informations are from this link :

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=q9ObVbDJFdKTuASsxKvQDA&url=https://www.aacc.edu/tutoring/file/skimming.pdf&ved=0CCMQFjAC&usg=AFQjCNFBfzoJVy2z7u96tQB2JAuO7zSiJQ&sig2=NP3trsUM5ByrBvob4S_68w

Applied Science

What Does a Person with a Diploma in Applied Science Do ?

According to Wikipedia applied science is a discipline of science that applies existing scientific knowledge to develop more practical applications, like technology or inventions.

Within natural science, disciplines that are basic science, also called pure science, develop information to predict and perhaps explain—thus somehow understand—phenomena in the natural world. Applied science applies science to real world practice. This includes a broad range of science fields from Engineering to Child Care.

Engineering sciences include for example: thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, kinematics, electromagnetism, materials science, earth sciences, engineering physics, and many others.

Medical sciences, for instance medical microbiology and its clinical virology, are applied sciences that apply biology toward medical knowledge and inventions, but not necessarily medical technology, whose development is more specifically biomedicine or biomedical engineering.

Applied science can also apply formal science, such as statistics and probability theory, as in epidemiology. Genetic epidemiology is an applied science applying both biological and statistical methods. 

Fields of Applied Science :

Agronomy – science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation.

Animal husbandry – agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.

Forensic science – application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action.


Health science – application of science, technology, engineering or mathematics to the delivery of healthcare

Environmental science – multidisciplinary academic field that integrates physical, biological and information sciences to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems.

Applied physics – physics intended for a particular technological or practical use. It is usually considered as a bridge between "pure" physics and engineering.

Applied mathematics – branch of mathematics concerned with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge.

Microtechnology – technology with features near one micrometre (one millionth of a metre, or 10−6 metre, or 1μm).


Military science – study of the technique, psychology, practice and other phenomena which constitute war and armed conflict.

Applied linguistics – interdisciplinary field of study that identifies, investigates, and offers solutions to language-related real-life problems.


Management – getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively.

Archaeology – study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes.


Architecture – process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art.

These are just some of fields in applied science that we can work in. You can find more informations about all the fields in Wikipedia. I would definitely want to find a job in forensic science field. So basically, a person with a diploma in applied science will work in science fields that involving technology and inventions.