1. Keywords: They scan for words or phrases that relate to the information they are seeking. These keywords can be:
* Names: People, places, organizations
* Dates: Years, months, specific days
* Numbers: Statistics, quantities, prices
* Concepts: Key ideas, topics, themes
* Action verbs: What is being done, accomplished, or changed
2. Formatting Cues: They use visual elements to quickly identify relevant information. These cues include:
* Headings and subheadings: Help locate sections of interest.
* Boldface and italics: Highlight important terms or phrases.
* Bullet points and lists: Organize information and make it easy to skim.
* Tables and figures: Present data in a concise way.
* Images and diagrams: Offer visual clues to the topic.
3. Text Structure: They understand the common organizational patterns of text and use them to navigate.
* Chronological order: Information is presented in order of time.
* Cause and effect: Information explains a cause and its consequences.
* Problem and solution: Information presents a problem and its solution.
* Compare and contrast: Information presents similarities and differences between topics.
4. Previous Knowledge: They use their existing knowledge to make educated guesses and predict what information they are likely to find.
Overall, scanning involves quickly searching for specific pieces of information and using visual cues and text structure to find them efficiently.