Active reading means being engaged with what you're reading. Being engaged allows you to ask questions and to be critical while you read. This also has the added benefit of helping you retain what you read.
Tips to make your reading active:
- Underline or highlight key words and phrases as you read
- Make annotations in the margin to summarize points, ask questions or any other thoughts you have
- Look for words and phrases that imply importance. For example, most importantly, in contrast, on the other hand, etc.