Peer-reviewed research
So Much to Read, So Little Time: How Do We Read, and Can Speed Reading Help?
Keith Rayner et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2016
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A review article that examines how people read and whether speed-reading programs can raise reading rates without losing comprehension. It concludes that large gains with full comprehension are not supported by research on reading and language processing.
- How much weight it carries
- Peer-reviewed review by leading reading researchers, published with commentaries. It reviews the research rather than running a new test, and the page we read is the society's summary of the article with its key passages.
Facts taken from this source
- Rayner and colleagues conclude that claims of reading at super speed with good comprehension are overstated and not in line with research on language processing.
“overstated and not in line with what we know about the way language is visually and cognitively processed.” (Summary of the review)