Whether you’re writing an assignment or revising for exams, getting started can be hard. Fortunately, there’s lots you can do to turn procrastination into action. Procrastination – unnecessarily delaying tasks that we need to do – is a complex issue. It isn’t necessarily a sign of laziness or poor time management skills. Neither does it mean that we don’t care about our work. Quite the opposite, in fact. Procrastination often stems from fear of failure, which is why we can end up putting off the very tasks that matter to us most. Sound familiar? Because the causes of procrastination are many a ..read more

If you’re in your dissertation writing stage or your course includes writing a lot of scientific reports, but you don’t quite know where and how to start, the Skills Centre can help you get started. I recently attended their ‘How to write a scientific report’ skills enrichment session and here’s what I learnt.  What is a scientific report?   A scientific report is a crucial piece of scientific research which shows that you understand the point of your experiment. You present and discuss the data collected and the results from your experiment.   You will most likely be ..read more

The thought of carrying out a research project and writing a dissertation may seem quite daunting at first. You'll find it an easier (and hopefully more rewarding!) experience if you tackle the process in logical steps. These blogs by Academic Skills Course Leader Tom Reid give you lots of useful guidance for each step of the way. Writing your dissertation - choosing your topic Writing your dissertation - making an action plan Writing your dissertation - working with your supervisor Developing your literature review - getting started and top tips Writing your dissertation - developing a resea ..read more

You’ve got a great research question, but how do you turn it into a quantitative investigation? Andrew Chapman from the Statistics Advisory Service in the Mathematics Resources Centre (MASH) explains how to get your thesis or project work stats-ready. It can be daunting to know where to start when planning a quantitative investigation, especially if school mathematics is a distant (and perhaps happily fading) memory. Here are three things you can do to help dispel any anxiety and get started.  Clarify your research questions so they involve measurements - you’re going to need numbers ..read more

In this blog, two student ambassadors, Mackyla and Ciara, share their personal experiences of writing tutorials. A writing tutorial is a 50-minute session with a tutor from the Skills Centre, where you get one-to-one feedback and advice on a specific piece of writing. The piece of writing does not need to be fully complete, and you can book a writing tutorial at any stage in your university journey.  Mackyla (Fourth-year Social Sciences student)  Why I booked a writing tutorial? In the first year of univ ..read more

In this blog, student ambassador Amber busts five myths about writing tutorials from the Skills Centre.   A writing tutorial is a 50-minute session, one to one, with a Skills Centre writing tutor who will give you personalised and constructive feedback about your writing. They’re available most of the calendar year (not just near exams!) for students at all levels and you can book up to three a year.  In a writing tutorial, you normally present (or for virtual sessions ..read more

By Dr Justin Alam, Teaching Fellow, Skills Centre The aim of a literature review Usually, a literature review follows an introduction. In an introduction you explain the question or issue that you are dealing with. Then, in the literature review, you explain what we know about the answer to this question and crucially what gap in our knowledge still needs to be filled. The aim is to convince your reader that there is a need for your study. Avoid just summarising A literature review needs to be more than just a series of summaries of the relevant literature. You need to tell a research story ex ..read more

If you graduated this summer and are looking to continue your academic studies this autumn, you may have lots of questions about what postgraduate study is like. Academic Skills course leader Dave Busby sets out what to expect if you make the move from undergraduate to postgraduate study. If you’ve just finished your undergraduate studies, there could be a variety of reasons why continuing your studies at postgraduate level seems like the right thing to do in the current circumstances. But how does postgraduate study differ from undergraduate study? Is it much of a leap to study for a master’s ..read more

A well-structured dissertation should be enjoyable to read. It should be logical and coherent, and your argument or line of reasoning should be convincing and easy to follow. Of course, this is easier said than done, so it is vital you spend time planning your structure to ensure success. A well-built house It can be difficult to work out where to start designing the structure of your dissertation, with so many elements, sections and ideas to consider. The starting point for sorting out the tangle of wires is your research question(s). Think of this as the glue that sticks all the various ..read more

The abstract is a vital part of any research paper. It is the shop front for your work, and the first stop for your reader. It should provide a clear and succinct summary of your study, and encourage your readers to read more. An effective abstract, therefore should answer the following questions: Why did you do this study or project? What did you do and how? What did you find? What do your findings mean? So here's our run down of the key elements of a well-written abstract. Size - A succinct and well written abstract should be between approximately 100- 250 words. Background - An effe ..read more