Why a Reading Strategy?

It feels very empowering: the biggest writing project, after my PhD.
I can now deliberately implement learning from the writing process, and cull all the things that didn’t work.

During my PhD I was a reading-glutton and urgently gobbled anything and everything that was related to my topic. There is a reason that I have three research diaries, each between 200 and 300 pages long, next to my 80.000 word dissertation. This time around I am putting structures in place such as a deliberate reading strategy.

My Plan so far

1. 1st: Competition Publications
2. 2nd: Publications about and from my profession
3. 3rd: Literature and research on the different topics I want to discuss
4. 4th: Further reading
5. 5th: Non-academic resources
6. Pre-Reading

1st: Competition Publications

• This will show me how I want and don’t want to frame my own writing
• It enables me to understand the different voices
• and not to forget is also an interesting source for further reading

2nd: Publications about and from my profession

• to compare and evidence my lived experience as academic (faculty) developer with others
• to explore if there is research or scholarship that has evidenced patterns I am aware off from practice
• consolidate where the profession is moving towards

3rd: Literature and research on the different topics I want to discuss

• to evidence my arguments
• and engage with existing critique
• to engage with newer publications–this is my one excuse to spend time reading!

4th: Further reading

• I usually identify several sources in each paper or book I read for further reading:
• this is often strategic reading:
  • follow up a direct quote for context
  • and more intellectual treasures
  • finding out if it is worth my while

5th: Non-academic resources

To use a quote from my PhD “Delamont (2002) advises; an ethnographer should learn, even be
passionate about, all types of reading.” (Sheridan, p.287)

• for inspiration
• current in-time debates
• widening my perspective
• and curiosity

Yes! I have already read things out of order. These were papers that helped me consider the ethics for my symbiotic autoethnography. There is host of topics related to these considerations.

Hm … maybe there needs to be one more sub-category:

Pre-Reading

Any literature that relates to:

• Project planning
  • data management
  • research plan
• Preparing ethics
• Positionality reflections