Skimming and Scanning: What’s the Difference?
Two fast reading strategies, when to use each one, and what research says they can and can't do.
Updated by the SpeedReadTest team
Skimming is reading quickly for the main ideas. Scanning is searching for one specific fact. Both are much faster than normal reading, and both skip most of the words, so they work best when you don't need every detail.
Test your reading speed →Skimming vs Scanning
| Skimming | Scanning | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Get the main ideas | Find one specific fact |
| You look for | Headings, first sentences, key terms | A name, date, number or keyword |
| Typical speed | About 450 WPM | About 600 WPM |
| Example | Previewing an article or chapter | Finding a phone number or a date |
Speeds are Ronald Carver's figures for college students. Normal reading in the same scheme is about 300 WPM. Compare these with the average adult reading speed.
How To Skim
- Read the title, headings and any summary first.
- Read the first sentence or two of each paragraph.
- Move on when a paragraph stops telling you anything new.
- Read the conclusion, then decide what deserves a closer look.
This is close to what good skimmers do naturally. Eye-tracking research suggests that they spend more time early in paragraphs and near the top of the page, and move on once the information starts to dry up (Duggan & Payne, 2009).
How To Scan
- Decide exactly what you are looking for, and what it will look like.
- Use the structure: headings, indexes, lists and tables.
- Let your eyes move quickly down the page without reading.
- Stop and read normally when you reach it.
What Research Says About Skimming
Duggan and Payne gave readers only enough time to read half of each text. Readers who skimmed remembered the important ideas better than readers who read half of the text normally. They did no better on minor details, or on inferences that depended on connecting information. In a second experiment, skimming was no better than reading the first or second half of every paragraph.
A wider review reached a similar view: skimming can work well if you only need the gist, and it works best when you already know the topic (Rayner et al., 2016). Skimming is a good way to choose what to read, but not a replacement for reading it.
When To Use Each One
- Skim to preview a chapter, sort a pile of articles, or review something you have already read.
- Scan to find a quote, check a date, or look up a term.
- Read normally for anything you need to understand, remember or be tested on.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between skimming and scanning?
Skimming means reading quickly to get the main ideas of a text. Scanning means searching a text for one specific piece of information, such as a name or date. You skim to find out what a text says, and scan to find something you already know you need.
What is an example of skimming?
Reading the headings, first sentences and conclusion of an article to decide whether it is worth reading in full. Students do the same with a textbook chapter before a lecture, and many people skim the news by reading each headline and first paragraph. In each case you want the gist, not the details.
What is an example of scanning?
Running your eyes down a timetable for your train, or looking through an index for a particular topic. You ignore everything else and stop as soon as you find the word or number you need, such as a date in a history article or a name in a list.
Does skimming hurt comprehension?
It lowers your understanding of details, but it can be a good use of limited time. In one set of experiments, readers who skimmed under time pressure remembered important ideas better than readers who read only half the text, but not details or inferences (Duggan & Payne, 2009).
Related
Sources
- Duggan, G. B., & Payne, S. J. (2009). Text skimming: The process and effectiveness of foraging through text under time pressure. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 15(3), 228–242. Link
- Carver, R. P. (1997). Reading for one second, one minute, or one year from the perspective of rauding theory. Scientific Studies of Reading, 1(1), 3–43. The five reading gears were first set out in Carver (1992), Journal of Reading, 36(2), 84–95. Link
- Rayner, K., Schotter, E. R., Masson, M. E. J., Potter, M. C., & Treiman, R. (2016). So much to read, so little time: How do we read, and can speed reading help? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 17(1), 4–34. Link