How to Write a Reading Log
Review your assignment., Create a reading log template with appropriate categories., Store your log safely., Read your assigned texts., Record the full bibliographic citation information., Enter all your reading assignments., Read slowly and...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Review your assignment.
If you are keeping a reading log for school, be sure you are clear about your assignment's expectations.
Depending on your class and your individual teacher, you might include very different kinds of information in your reading log.
Read your assignment sheet carefully and discuss it with your teacher if you have any questions.
Some items you will likely have to include in your log are:
The title and author of the book The dates you read which page The amount of time you spent reading each day Key themes of the book Major characters and plot developments Questions you have as you read -
Step 2: Create a reading log template with appropriate categories.
You can create your reading log in a school notebook or in a computer document.Create a template that has spaces for you to write about all the necessary categories you need to address in your log.
Some pre-made templates also exist online.
Just search for "reading log template" in your favorite search engine., Be careful when you store your reading log, especially if you have to turn the log in for a grade.
Keep your reading log in a safe place that won't have drinks spilled on it.
If your log is electronic, be sure that you save your work and have it backed up on an external hard drive or a cloud drive. , If you have to do a reading log for school, chances are that you have specific reading assignments to include on your log.
Sometimes you might have some flexibility in your assignment, such as if you have to read 5 novels in a semester.
Other times you might have a specific assignment, such as if you have to read 20 Emily Dickinson poems in a given week.
Give yourself a lot of time to complete your reading assignment.
Remember that keeping a reading log will take a little more time than simply reading a text. , Most reading log assignments will ask you to maintain a careful bibliographic citation.
This will allow you to cite your sources properly and return to your texts at a later point.Be sure that you note down:
The book's title The author The publication date The publisher and city where the publisher is located Any other identifying information (such as the edition used, translators, co-authors, etc.) , Books, poems, academic reading, and other materials (even movies or TV shows) can all be included in your journal, depending on the parameters of your assignment.Never put off entering a reading assignment until later! You might lose track of your work and forget important details. , Don't try to rush through your reading assignments: take your time and think carefully while you read.
Pay attention to key details while you read so that you don't have to reread portions.
It will save you time in the long run if you aim to retain information while you read.Take down a few notes as you read, especially if you have questions.
Jotting out the main theme of a passage or your question about a chapter while you're reading will help you fill in the information in your log later. , Many reading logs will ask you to keep track of the nuts and bolts of a text.
These are details that are purely factual and do not require any extra interpretation or analysis.Such details include:
Plot elements Character names Setting Key argument (if the text is nonfiction or academic), Most reading logs will ask you to identify quotations and passages that strike you as significant or worthy of further analysis.
Look for quotations that you find intriguing, mysterious, confusing, or nuanced.These quotations might be used as evidence for your analytical papers later on.
Don't forget to note the page number and speaker whenever you copy a passage. , Whenever you think of a question as you read, you should note it in your reading log.
These can be abstract questions (such as "Why is it important that the characters speak in riddles?") or content-based questions (such as "Who is the mysterious man in the cloak?").These questions can be used in future journal entries. , Think about connections between the book and your own life.
Is there anything in the book that reminds you of your own thoughts, feelings, or activities? Is there anything that you particularly love or hate? Think about your feelings, not just your thoughts, as you journal., Some instructors might ask you to begin making analytical claims as you read.
You can use your informal reading log as a tool to help guide other formal assignments such as papers, response essays, or annotated passages.Think about how passages relate to one another, and consider the historical or social significance of the work you are reading.
Begin to form hypotheses about how the text operates and why it is important. , If you are in a literature class, think about how your assigned texts relate to one another.
If you are keeping a reading log about scientific journals, look for patterns that can help you organize your readings into categories.How would you classify each of the texts that you read? Are there any texts that substantiate one another? Are there any texts that disagree with one another? Do your texts help you think about your other classes or homework assignments differently? Note these observations in your reading journal. , Some reading logs might involve the writing of formal journal entries.
Rather than simply listing bullet points or noting passages, you must write a journal entry in full sentences and paragraphs.
Ideally, your journal entry should explore a single theme in some kind of depth.
This will allow you to build connections between passages and formulate a mini-argument about the text's significance.An excellent first step to writing a formal journal entry is finding 3 or more passages that explore a common theme, such as justice, love, or despair.
Use your journal entry to explore how this common theme is treated in these different passages. , As you continue keeping a reading log, you should be building your reading, writing, and analytical skills.
Eventually, you should consider yourself to be an expert on the books you read.
Put yourself in a teacher's frame of mind when you write your journal, and use your entries as a way to "teach" a text to others.Rather than simply asking questions, begin to formulate answers to your questions. , Look at your reading log not only as a way to track what you read but also as a way to track how you improve over time.
Ideally you should be writing down gradually richer questions, comments, and journal entries over the course of the semester.Try to get a little more sophisticated with each reading log entry you write.
Try to write fewer content questions (such as what happened in the story) and more interpretive questions (such as why the book is significant). -
Step 3: Store your log safely.
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Step 4: Read your assigned texts.
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Step 5: Record the full bibliographic citation information.
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Step 6: Enter all your reading assignments.
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Step 7: Read slowly and attentively.
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Step 8: Write down important factual details of the book.
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Step 9: Copy important passages.
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Step 10: Write down your questions.
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Step 11: Note your personal observations.
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Step 12: Use your observations to make analytical claims.
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Step 13: Think about how your reading relates to your other academic work.
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Step 14: Write a formal journal entry.
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Step 15: Act like a teacher.
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Step 16: Focus on your long-term development.
Detailed Guide
If you are keeping a reading log for school, be sure you are clear about your assignment's expectations.
Depending on your class and your individual teacher, you might include very different kinds of information in your reading log.
Read your assignment sheet carefully and discuss it with your teacher if you have any questions.
Some items you will likely have to include in your log are:
The title and author of the book The dates you read which page The amount of time you spent reading each day Key themes of the book Major characters and plot developments Questions you have as you read
You can create your reading log in a school notebook or in a computer document.Create a template that has spaces for you to write about all the necessary categories you need to address in your log.
Some pre-made templates also exist online.
Just search for "reading log template" in your favorite search engine., Be careful when you store your reading log, especially if you have to turn the log in for a grade.
Keep your reading log in a safe place that won't have drinks spilled on it.
If your log is electronic, be sure that you save your work and have it backed up on an external hard drive or a cloud drive. , If you have to do a reading log for school, chances are that you have specific reading assignments to include on your log.
Sometimes you might have some flexibility in your assignment, such as if you have to read 5 novels in a semester.
Other times you might have a specific assignment, such as if you have to read 20 Emily Dickinson poems in a given week.
Give yourself a lot of time to complete your reading assignment.
Remember that keeping a reading log will take a little more time than simply reading a text. , Most reading log assignments will ask you to maintain a careful bibliographic citation.
This will allow you to cite your sources properly and return to your texts at a later point.Be sure that you note down:
The book's title The author The publication date The publisher and city where the publisher is located Any other identifying information (such as the edition used, translators, co-authors, etc.) , Books, poems, academic reading, and other materials (even movies or TV shows) can all be included in your journal, depending on the parameters of your assignment.Never put off entering a reading assignment until later! You might lose track of your work and forget important details. , Don't try to rush through your reading assignments: take your time and think carefully while you read.
Pay attention to key details while you read so that you don't have to reread portions.
It will save you time in the long run if you aim to retain information while you read.Take down a few notes as you read, especially if you have questions.
Jotting out the main theme of a passage or your question about a chapter while you're reading will help you fill in the information in your log later. , Many reading logs will ask you to keep track of the nuts and bolts of a text.
These are details that are purely factual and do not require any extra interpretation or analysis.Such details include:
Plot elements Character names Setting Key argument (if the text is nonfiction or academic), Most reading logs will ask you to identify quotations and passages that strike you as significant or worthy of further analysis.
Look for quotations that you find intriguing, mysterious, confusing, or nuanced.These quotations might be used as evidence for your analytical papers later on.
Don't forget to note the page number and speaker whenever you copy a passage. , Whenever you think of a question as you read, you should note it in your reading log.
These can be abstract questions (such as "Why is it important that the characters speak in riddles?") or content-based questions (such as "Who is the mysterious man in the cloak?").These questions can be used in future journal entries. , Think about connections between the book and your own life.
Is there anything in the book that reminds you of your own thoughts, feelings, or activities? Is there anything that you particularly love or hate? Think about your feelings, not just your thoughts, as you journal., Some instructors might ask you to begin making analytical claims as you read.
You can use your informal reading log as a tool to help guide other formal assignments such as papers, response essays, or annotated passages.Think about how passages relate to one another, and consider the historical or social significance of the work you are reading.
Begin to form hypotheses about how the text operates and why it is important. , If you are in a literature class, think about how your assigned texts relate to one another.
If you are keeping a reading log about scientific journals, look for patterns that can help you organize your readings into categories.How would you classify each of the texts that you read? Are there any texts that substantiate one another? Are there any texts that disagree with one another? Do your texts help you think about your other classes or homework assignments differently? Note these observations in your reading journal. , Some reading logs might involve the writing of formal journal entries.
Rather than simply listing bullet points or noting passages, you must write a journal entry in full sentences and paragraphs.
Ideally, your journal entry should explore a single theme in some kind of depth.
This will allow you to build connections between passages and formulate a mini-argument about the text's significance.An excellent first step to writing a formal journal entry is finding 3 or more passages that explore a common theme, such as justice, love, or despair.
Use your journal entry to explore how this common theme is treated in these different passages. , As you continue keeping a reading log, you should be building your reading, writing, and analytical skills.
Eventually, you should consider yourself to be an expert on the books you read.
Put yourself in a teacher's frame of mind when you write your journal, and use your entries as a way to "teach" a text to others.Rather than simply asking questions, begin to formulate answers to your questions. , Look at your reading log not only as a way to track what you read but also as a way to track how you improve over time.
Ideally you should be writing down gradually richer questions, comments, and journal entries over the course of the semester.Try to get a little more sophisticated with each reading log entry you write.
Try to write fewer content questions (such as what happened in the story) and more interpretive questions (such as why the book is significant).
About the Author
Pamela Harvey
Specializes in breaking down complex practical skills topics into simple steps.
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