Reading Tip No. 1: Pre-read the material. 
Depending on what you are reading, this can be as simple as skimming the table of contents, reading the first page of the introduction, skimming chapter titles, scanning the entire article for subheadings, jumping ahead and reading the last paragraph to grasp where the article will be taking you. The point is to give yourself a mental “map” of what you’ll be reading.

Reading Tip No. 2: Review the questions you want your reading experience to answer. 
These might be formal questions that have been provided to you (for example, questions on a take-home quiz, questions at the end of a chapter, or questions you need to answer to create the outline for a term paper), or questions you need to determine for yourself. Are you looking for information regarding the demographics of a city for marketing purposes? Are you looking for the steps for building a planter box? Practical financial advice related to IRAs?

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the content of a chapter or book (and even easier to get lost in the sea of information available online). Reminding yourself ahead of time of the answers you are seeking can help you stay focused and recognize the information you want when you come across it.

Reading Tip No. 3: Interact with the material as you read. 
As you read, interact with what you are reading. Take written notes. Take audio notes. Highlight the text online. Use computer apps that work as sticky notes. Draw stick figures or diagrams that illustrate an insight you just got. Read an important paragraph aloud. The point is that the more ways you can reinforce ideas you want to remember through your own actions—note taking, drawing, speaking—the easier these ideas will be to remember.

Reading Tip No. 4: Review your answers to Tip No. 2. 
Remember the questions you considered in Tip No. 2? Looking back at those questions, ask yourself if you got everything you needed from the material you just read. If not, go back and find the answer. Not sure where to look? The mental map you created in Tip No. 1 may help.