The visitors started the brighter of the two teams, but they were held at bay by a solid QPR defence in a game of few chances.
Their recent form will be a worry to their fans and could see them slip down the table and end their play-off hopes.
Les Ferdinand was given a warm welcome from the QPR fans as he made his return to Loftus road as requested by Ian Holloway in his programme notes.
And the former Bolton, Newcastle and Tottenham man signalled his intent in the opening minute when his 30-yard shot sailed wide of the post, but he lasted only half an hour before limping off.
A minute later Paul Brooker darted in from the left wing with the ball at his feet only to fire his shot at the legs of the advancing Simon Royce in the QPR goal.
The home side soon played their way back into the game with their neat style of football and looked the better side for most of the first half.
Paul Furlong was a constant threat to the Reading defence with his movement and strength.
And he should have opened the scoring after just 15 minutes when Kevin Gallen flicked Lee Cook's cross into his path from the edge of the box.
But Furlong, despite being unmarked, volleyed the ball wide of the far post from all of 12 yards.
It proved to be his best chance of the game as both sides failed to create many clear-cut openings in this evenly contested game.
Cook impressed as he scampered down the wing and was at the heart of most of QPR's good work, but all too often his final ball into the box was poor.
Gallen had a couple of long-range chances in either half, but both were tame efforts and never really troubled Marcus Hahnemann.
The visiting fans thought they had taken the lead against the run of play through Dave Kitson after 67 minutes only for the assistant-referee to rule him offside.
A late rally from QPR almost saw them steal all three points but both Furlong and second-half substitute Tony Thorpe should have done better.