Skimming and scanning are two reading techniques that help readers process information quickly.

1. Skimming:

Skimming is reading a text quickly to get the general idea or the gist of it. It involves glancing over the main headings, subheadings, and any highlighted or bold text to understand the overall theme.

Example:

• When flipping through a magazine, you skim through the headlines of articles to decide which one seems interesting to read in detail.
• While studying for an exam, you skim over the textbook’s chapters to get a sense of the main topics without reading every word.

2. Scanning:

Scanning involves looking for specific information within a text without reading everything. It’s more focused and goal-oriented than skimming. The reader quickly moves through the text to find key terms, dates, or pieces of information.

Example:

• When looking for a specific name or number in a telephone directory, you scan through the list of entries to locate it.
• If you're reading a research paper to find specific data or a statistic, you scan through the document for relevant figures or tables.