Close reading: Close reading is something that takes a lot of practice before it is mastered. I compare it with note-taking because you have to pick out the important parts of a literary text as you do when you take notes. I learned to read in an academic manner while in my college prepatory class in high school. The whole semester was geared toward that type of reading as it prepared me for college. I usually read important parts of a text and try to get the main points. I don't want to say I skim but I suppose it is correlated with that.
Research: Research is something I do all the time and am familiar with. Especially in regards to essays, I research thoroughly. Not just for sources to use, but for pertaining information on my topic or its evolution. Research provides you with the opportunity to not make an inference, but to make an argument that is well thought out, backed, and methodical. It is just as important as revising because without the necessarry research to create a context or position, there really is no point to whatever it is you are involving yourself in.
Both close reading and research are something I emphasize. I apply them to many things I involve myself in rather than just academics. In my opinion, close reading is a characteristic of research. It allows you to find and document crucial segments of text that add to the paper or assignment. In itself, that is a form of research. It is giving you a better understanding, and preparing you for the task ahead.
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