The phrase "a cursory scan" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a quick or superficial examination of something, often to get a general idea without going into detail.
Example: "After a cursory scan of the report, I realized there were several key points that needed further investigation."
Alternatives: "a brief overview" or "a quick glance".
Even a cursory scan of 20th-century American life makes this clear.
I had the wrong idea about Trollope for years, based on a cursory scan of his work in my 20s.
I had only intended to give it a cursory scan, but three hours later I was still there, unable to consign anything to the bin.
Although it is difficult to define accurately this area, a cursory scan of the activities already in progress has revealed a few common attributes: multi-phased (structured), multi-scaled, multi-disciplined, nonlinear, needs for resolution to reductionism-solvable subsystems, and pervasive in the process industry.
The report itself (from a cursory scan) looks quite interesting if you're looking for some piping hot science.
Like, the entire games press, for starters, judging by a cursory scan of Google right now.
From my cursory scan, there was a lot of WTFing, an impressive number of people criticising Harry for lifting the quote straight from Wikipedia, and a brilliantly succinct retort by someone who wrote: "I like you guys to get AWAY from knowledge – don't put more in my head".
But the most cursory scan of those films by a knowledgeable film buff will produce 50 or more recognizable titles.
Why launch a tool like this before performing the most basic cursory scan for the kind of low-quality sources that already have your company in hot water?
The ship survived, but Budington never seriously tried to rescue his people: as Parry puts it, "One day's cursory scan of the horizon marked the sum total of all attempts to locate the men separated from the ship during the storm".
MSNBC: "What Took Trump's Republican Critics So Long?" If you only have time for a cursory read, scanning the headlines and dipping in here and there offers a decent fix.
