A practical reading method
Build a Glossary Only for Recurring Book Terms
Save unfamiliar terms as temporary page cues during the first encounter. Promote a term only when it recurs, appears in a heading, or changes an argument you need to follow. Store the book's working definition, your plain-language paraphrase, and pages where the meaning changes.
Use this when a dense book contains more specialist terms than a useful reading aid can hold. A selective glossary reduces maintenance and keeps attention on concepts that actually shape later pages.
Use case
When this method helps
Use this when a dense book contains more specialist terms than a useful reading aid can hold.
A selective glossary reduces maintenance and keeps attention on concepts that actually shape later pages.
Method
Build the note
1. Save unfamiliar terms as temporary page cues during the first encounter.
2. Promote a term only when it recurs, appears in a heading, or changes an argument you need to follow.
3. Store the book's working definition, your plain-language paraphrase, and pages where the meaning changes.
Example
See the boundary in practice
‘Path dependence’ enters the glossary after its third use and receives pages 28, 61, and 104 where the author narrows it.
Quality check
Before you trust the note
Every glossary entry should justify its future value with recurrence or structural importance.