“How can I read it and understand what’s going on in complex texts? I have a two-step process for making this understandable.
First, I read through the article, searching for terms and concepts that I don’t understand. I look up these terms, usually by opening new tabs with the searches, both so I won’t lose my place in the original article and have several pages open for reference. My friend and colleague at Stanford, Sam Wineburg, calls this method “lateral reading,” which emphasizes understanding the gestalt by pursuing multiple searches in parallel.
Second, it often helps to simplify the text into a form that I understand. That is, I go sentence by sentence (or paragraph by paragraph) rewriting the article in language that I can comprehend. This is a bit slow, but it frequently really helps reduce complicated language into something you can understand. Don’t be intimidated by complex language. Be a bold reader!”