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Effective Study Skills, Essay Example

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Students must know themselves and adapt effective study skills to be effective learners. The attitude and approach towards learning determines the success of a student. Most of the successful students have learned how to prioritize stuff while working smarter, and not harder. Study skills helps one understand more about how learning tailor to an individual’s thinking styles (Lengefeld 69). Effective studying skills revolve around the knowledge of one’s learning style, time management, and self-organization among many other factors that this paper discusses.

Learning styles are the different approaches to retaining knowledge. It would be best to find one’s learning style whether visual, kinesthetic, or auditory. To process information learners must rely on their senses and it is essential to learn the style that applies to every individual. If, for example, a person learns by listening, he /she should not adopt a visual learning style. It would be more effective for him /her to use techniques that focus on auditory styles. Such students should attend lectures, take notes and consult peers to ascertain that they have the correct details. They should involve them selves in discussion groups, dialogues and debates to achieve their goal of obtaining knowledge.  A kinesthetic learner retains information best through experience (Lengefeld 15). In the kinesthetic tactile, students learn by being involved in physical activities like movements and demonstrations.  A kinesthetic learner could gain nothing or rather remarkably little  knowledge in learning activities that involve  purely involve  listening and viewing, as they would lose interest unusually fast. Such learners should involve themselves in drama, games, and learn to memorize their studies using body language and gestures. A visual learner is one who learns through observation. They are proficient in recalling what they saw especially in diagrams, charts, graphs, and videos. They use written notes to learn and draw instructions. Such students advised to use handouts for studying, and make sure they watch subject related films gain knowledge. They should try as much as possible to make diagrams from notes to gain a better understanding. The other learning styles include tactile learning where learners learn best by touching and manipulating objects. Such students perform well in practical studies. There are the active learners who gain knowledge through discussion groups, and the reflective learners who learn by thinking.

The other trick behind learning is time management. Time is as precious as the money spent on education (Martens MJC et al. 189). For best results in managing time, one ought to develop a schedule.  A schedule assigns time for every activity of the day. It allocates class time, lab time, social work time, study time, recreation time, and some free time for any emergencies, that may arise. Study time planned strategically to be at a time when one is rested, relaxed, and alert. Weekly schedule works well with minimum time wastage.

Self-organization marks a particularly crucial strategy to developing effective study skills. Self-organization is all about being able to manage all the workload entailed in every subject. The questions behind self-organization in learning include:

1)        When should one study lecture courses?

2)        How and when, should one-study recitation courses?

3)        How should one plan a schedule?

4)        How should one use time?

5)        Where and when should one study?

6)        When should one start revising for exams?

With these above questions in mind, one can organize him/herself perfectly. A study schedule will allocate the daily activities and the lecture notes read after or before lectures. If before lectures, one should read all assignments and make notes of what not understood. It is wise to review lecture notes after lectures when the information is still fresh. Recitation courses as learning of foreign languages studied before the lecture. A schedule planned in a manner that can accommodate revision (Martens MJC et al. 190). One ought to start revision right from the begging of the semester and studies should take place in the library, or in a cool, comfortable environment.

In conclusion, effective study skills differ from one person to another depending on the learning style and the IQ level. The grasping ability differs in different people. While some people may take a short while to learn and grasp something, others will take ages. Therefore, to make a successful student, one should understand his/herself to adapt effective learning skills (Lengefeld 56).

Martens MJC, Duvivier RJ, van Dalen J, Verwijnen GM, Scherpbier AJJ, van der Vleuten CPM,. “Student views on the effective teaching of physical examination skills: a qualitative study”. Medical Education. 2009: 184-91.

Lengefeld, Uelaine A., Study Skills Strategies: Get the Most from Every Minute of Learning . Axzo Press. 2009.

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Learning Styles and Study Skills Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Learning is a challenging task to do because it requires all of the individual’s concentration, dedication, and persistence to succeed. The course proposes learning techniques which help to study, memorize information, and apply it. There are several teaching and learning strategies, which are universal; however, there are also useful techniques for an individual approach. The course helped me to understand the methodology of learning, what is necessary, how to use new knowledge and preserve it. Hence, it is a critical module that sets the basic understanding of how teaching and learning work together, instead of focusing on studying only.

Before the course, I had a stereotype that education utilizes reading as a primary method. In fact, all a student has to do is read, reread, and memorize information. However, this habit was proven to be ineffective, according to the course’s methodology. The active learning consists of writing and modeling a situation which uses the studied material. Hence, I changed my attitude to memorizing and manipulating with the learned information. The priority for me is to repeat the content by writing about it and trying to teach someone else, as these are practical techniques to increase comprehension and fill the gaps I might have. Nonetheless, overall I have become more of an active learner, more involved in learning, instead of only reading and seeing examples.

The understanding of how learning works and how it influences the overall academic success helps to prioritize the core aspects of education. For instance, instead of concentrating on an ineffective approach, it is more natural and more beneficial to take some practical tasks and test a real level of knowledge one has. By having a list of priorities, it is possible to manage time better as useless techniques should not take as much time as the effective ones. Typically, the student learns and reads everything without any system or time management, which decreases academic success. I believe prioritizing methods and subjects will improve my grades significantly as I would not spend limited resources on something irrelevant.

The module clearly states that writing is a vital component of any successful learning experience. It is a primary tool to memorize and use the knowledge in the future. However, nowadays, writing is underestimated, but it is one of the most effective techniques to learn anything. I would try to use writing as much as possible during lectures and labs as it positively influences memorizing and comprehending new information. As the course suggests, it is a universal method for everyone, despite one’s preferences. However, it is necessary to consider carefully what kind of information is important and what is useless for the course and oneself. A lack of a plan could create an unhealthy environment for education while prioritizing the tasks prevents it.

Overall, the course provides valuable and applicable information which helps to understand the methodology behind teaching and learning. It is a difficult job to study and be open to new information. However, it improves one’s understanding of the academic courses and experience from learning. Therefore, the course is useful and could be applied to different disciplines in the future. Without these concepts, new information would be much more ineffective and forgettable. New information needs time and effort to stay inside one’s head and be used as a helpful tool in the future. My personal, academic success and the level of understanding would only benefit from the strategies I have learned.

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"Learning Styles and Study Skills." IvyPanda , 20 Jan. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/learning-styles-and-study-skills/.

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1.2 Developing Study Skills

Learning objectives.

• Use strategies for managing time effectively as a college student.
• Understand and apply strategies for taking notes efficiently.
• Determine the specific time-management, study, and note-taking strategies that work best for you individually.

By now, you have a general idea of what to expect from your college courses. You have probably received course syllabi, started on your first few assignments, and begun applying the strategies you learned about in Section 1.1 “Reading and Writing in College” .

At the beginning of the semester, your work load is relatively light. This is the perfect time to brush up on your study skills and establish good habits. When the demands on your time and energy become more intense, you will have a system in place for handling them.

This section covers specific strategies for managing your time effectively. You will also learn about different note-taking systems that you can use to organize and record information efficiently.

As you work through this section, remember that every student is different. The strategies presented here are tried and true techniques that work well for many people. However, you may need to adapt them slightly to develop a system that works well for you personally. If your friend swears by her smartphone, but you hate having to carry extra electronic gadgets around, then using a smartphone will not be the best organizational strategy for you.

Read with an open mind, and consider what techniques have been effective (or ineffective) for you in the past. Which habits from your high school years or your work life could help you succeed in college? Which habits might get in your way? What changes might you need to make?

Understanding Yourself as a Learner

To succeed in college—or any situation where you must master new concepts and skills—it helps to know what makes you tick. For decades, educational researchers and organizational psychologists have examined how people take in and assimilate new information, how some people learn differently than others, and what conditions make students and workers most productive. Here are just a few questions to think about:

• What is your learning style? For the purposes of this chapter, learning style refers to the way you prefer to take in new information, by seeing, by listening, or through some other channel. For more information, see the section on learning styles.
• What times of day are you most productive? If your energy peaks early, you might benefit from blocking out early morning time for studying or writing. If you are a night owl, set aside a few evenings a week for schoolwork.
• How much clutter can you handle in your work space? Some people work fine at a messy desk and know exactly where to find what they need in their stack of papers; however, most people benefit from maintaining a neat, organized space.
• How well do you juggle potential distractions in your environment? If you can study at home without being tempted to turn on the television, check your e-mail, fix yourself a snack, and so on, you may make home your work space. However, if you need a less distracting environment to stay focused, you may be able to find one on your college’s campus or in your community.
• Does a little background noise help or hinder your productivity? Some people work better when listening to background music or the low hum of conversation in a coffee shop. Others need total silence.
• When you work with a partner or group, do you stay on task? A study partner or group can sometimes be invaluable. However, working this way takes extra planning and effort, so be sure to use the time productively. If you find that group study sessions turn into social occasions, you may study better on your own.
• How do you manage stress? Accept that at certain points in the semester, you will feel stressed out. In your day-to-day routine, make time for activities that help you reduce stress, such as exercising, spending time with friends, or just scheduling downtime to relax.

Learning Styles

Most people have one channel that works best for them when it comes to taking in new information. Knowing yours can help you develop strategies for studying, time management, and note taking that work especially well for you.

To begin identifying your learning style, think about how you would go about the process of assembling a piece of furniture. Which of these options sounds most like you?

• You would carefully look over the diagrams in the assembly manual first so you could picture each step in the process.
• You would silently read the directions through, step by step, and then look at the diagrams afterward.
• You would read the directions aloud under your breath. Having someone explain the steps to you would also help.
• You would start putting the pieces together and figure out the process through trial and error, consulting the directions as you worked.

Now read the following explanations. Again, think about whether each description sounds like you.

• If you chose (a), you may be a visual learner . You understand ideas best when they are presented in a visual format, such as a flowchart, a diagram, or text with clear headings and many photos or illustrations.
• If you chose (b), you may be a verbal learner . You understand ideas best through reading and writing about them and taking detailed notes.
• If you chose (c), you may be an auditory learner . You understand ideas best through listening. You learn well from spoken lectures or books on tape.
• If you chose (d), you may be a kinesthetic learner . You learn best through doing and prefer hands-on activities. In long lectures, fidgeting may help you focus.

Your learning style does not completely define you as a student. Auditory learners can comprehend a flow chart, and kinesthetic learners can sit still long enough to read a book. However, if you do have one dominant learning style, you can work with it to get the most out of your classes and study time. Table 1.3 “Learning Style Strategies” lists some tips for maximizing your learning style.

Table 1.3 Learning Style Strategies

The material presented here about learning styles is just the tip of the iceberg. There are numerous other variations in how people learn. Some people like to act on information right away while others reflect on it first. Some people excel at mastering details and understanding concrete, tried and true ideas while others enjoy exploring abstract theories and innovative, even impractical ideas. For more information about how you learn, visit your school’s academic resource center.

Time Management

In college you have increased freedom to structure your time as you please. With that freedom comes increased responsibility. High school teachers often take it upon themselves to track down students who miss class or forget assignments. College instructors, however, expect you to take full responsibility for managing yourself and getting your work done on time.

Getting Started: Short- and Long-Term Planning

At the beginning of the semester, establish a weekly routine for when you will study and write. A general guideline is that for every hour spent in class, students should expect to spend another two to three hours on reading, writing, and studying for tests. Therefore, if you are taking a biology course that meets three times a week for an hour at a time, you can expect to spend six to nine hours per week on it outside of class. You will need to budget time for each class just like an employer schedules shifts at work, and you must make that study time a priority.

That may sound like a lot when taking multiple classes, but if you plan your time carefully, it is manageable. A typical full-time schedule of fifteen credit hours translates into thirty to forty-five hours per week spent on schoolwork outside of class. All in all, a full-time student would spend about as much time on school each week as an employee spends on work. Balancing school and a job can be more challenging, but still doable.

In addition to setting aside regular work periods, you will need to plan ahead to handle more intense demands, such as studying for exams and writing major papers. At the beginning of the semester, go through your course syllabi and mark all major due dates and exam dates on a calendar. Use a format that you check regularly, such as your smartphone or the calendar feature in your e-mail. (In Section 1.3 “Becoming a Successful College Writer” you will learn strategies for planning out major writing assignments so you can complete them on time.)

The two- to three-hour rule may sound intimidating. However, keep in mind that this is only a rule of thumb. Realistically, some courses will be more challenging than others, and the demands will ebb and flow throughout the semester. You may have trouble-free weeks and stressful weeks. When you schedule your classes, try to balance introductory-level classes with more advanced classes so that your work load stays manageable.

Crystal knew that to balance a job, college classes, and a family, it was crucial for her to get organized. For the month of September, she drew up a week-by-week calendar that listed not only her own class and work schedules but also the days her son attended preschool and the days her husband had off from work. She and her husband discussed how to share their day-to-day household responsibilities so she would be able to get her schoolwork done. Crystal also made a note to talk to her supervisor at work about reducing her hours during finals week in December.

Now that you have learned some time-management basics, it is time to apply those skills. For this exercise, you will develop a weekly schedule and a semester calendar.

• Working with your class schedule, map out a week-long schedule of study time. Try to apply the “two- to three-hour” rule. Be sure to include any other nonnegotiable responsibilities, such as a job or child care duties.
• Use your course syllabi to record exam dates and due dates for major assignments in a calendar (paper or electronic). Use a star, highlighting, or other special marking to set off any days or weeks that look especially demanding.

Staying Consistent: Time Management Dos and Don’ts

Setting up a schedule is easy. Sticking with it, however, may create challenges. A schedule that looked great on paper may prove to be unrealistic. Sometimes, despite students’ best intentions, they end up procrastinating or pulling all-nighters to finish a paper or study for an exam.

Keep in mind, however, that your weekly schedule and semester calendar are time-management tools. Like any tools, their effectiveness depends on the user: you. If you leave a tool sitting in the box unused (e.g., if you set up your schedule and then forget about it), it will not help you complete the task. And if, for some reason, a particular tool or strategy is not getting the job done, you need to figure out why and maybe try using something else.

With that in mind, read the list of time-management dos and don’ts. Keep this list handy as a reference you can use throughout the semester to “troubleshoot” if you feel like your schoolwork is getting off track.

• Set aside time to review your schedule or calendar regularly and update or adjust them as needed.
• Be realistic when you schedule study time. Do not plan to write your paper on Friday night when everyone else is out socializing. When Friday comes, you might end up abandoning your plans and hanging out with your friends instead.
• Be honest with yourself about where your time goes. Do not fritter away your study time on distractions like e-mail and social networking sites.
• Accept that occasionally your work may get a little off track. No one is perfect.
• Accept that sometimes you may not have time for all the fun things you would like to do.
• Recognize times when you feel overextended. Sometimes you may just need to get through an especially demanding week. However, if you feel exhausted and overworked all the time, you may need to scale back on some of your commitments.
• Have a plan for handling high-stress periods, such as final exam week. Try to reduce your other commitments during those periods—for instance, by scheduling time off from your job. Build in some time for relaxing activities, too.
• Do not procrastinate on challenging assignments. Instead, break them into smaller, manageable tasks that can be accomplished one at a time.
• Do not fall into the trap of “all-or-nothing” thinking: “There is no way I can fit in a three-hour study session today, so I will just wait until the weekend.” Extended periods of free time are hard to come by, so find ways to use small blocks of time productively. For instance, if you have a free half hour between classes, use it to preview a chapter or brainstorm ideas for an essay.
• Do not fall into the trap of letting things slide and promising yourself, “I will do better next week.” When next week comes, the accumulated undone tasks will seem even more intimidating, and you will find it harder to get them done.
• Do not rely on caffeine and sugar to compensate for lack of sleep. These stimulants may temporarily perk you up, but your brain functions best when you are rested.

The key to managing your time effectively is consistency. Completing the following tasks will help you stay on track throughout the semester.

• Establish regular times to “check in” with yourself to identify and prioritize tasks and plan how to accomplish them. Many people find it is best to set aside a few minutes for this each day and to take some time to plan at the beginning of each week.
• For the next two weeks, focus on consistently using whatever time-management system you have set up. Check in with yourself daily and weekly, stick to your schedule, and take note of anything that interferes. At the end of the two weeks, review your schedule and determine whether you need to adjust it.
• Review the preceeding list of dos and don’ts.

Writing at Work

If you are part of the workforce, you have probably established strategies for accomplishing job-related tasks efficiently. How could you adapt these strategies to help you be a successful student? For instance, you might sync up your school and work schedules on an electronic calendar. Instead of checking in with your boss about upcoming work deadlines, establish a buddy system where you check in with a friend about school projects. Give school the same priority you give to work.

Note-Taking Methods

One final valuable tool to have in your arsenal as a student is a good note-taking system. Just the act of converting a spoken lecture to notes helps you organize and retain information, and of course, good notes also help you review important concepts later. Although taking good notes is an essential study skill, many students enter college without having received much guidance about note taking.

These sections discuss different strategies you can use to take notes efficiently. No matter which system you choose, keep the note-taking guidelines in mind.

General Note-Taking Guidelines

• Before class, quickly review your notes from the previous class and the assigned reading. Fixing key terms and concepts in your mind will help you stay focused and pick out the important points during the lecture.
• Come prepared with paper, pens, highlighters, textbooks, and any important handouts.
• Come to class with a positive attitude and a readiness to learn. During class, make a point of concentrating. Ask questions if you need to. Be an active participant.
• During class, capture important ideas as concisely as you can. Use words or phrases instead of full sentences and abbreviate when possible.
• Visually organize your notes into main topics, subtopics, and supporting points, and show the relationships between ideas. Leave space if necessary so you can add more details under important topics or subtopics.
• Record the following:
• Review your notes regularly throughout the semester, not just before exams.

Organizing Ideas in Your Notes

A good note-taking system needs to help you differentiate among major points, related subtopics, and supporting details. It visually represents the connections between ideas. Finally, to be effective, your note-taking system must allow you to record and organize information fairly quickly. Although some students like to create detailed, formal outlines or concept maps when they read, these may not be good strategies for class notes, because spoken lectures may not allow time for elaborate notes.

Instead, focus on recording content simply and quickly to create organized, legible notes. Try one of the following techniques.

Modified Outline Format

A modified outline format uses indented spacing to show the hierarchy of ideas without including roman numerals, lettering, and so forth. Just use a dash or bullet to signify each new point unless your instructor specifically presents a numbered list of items.

The first example shows Crystal’s notes from a developmental psychology class about an important theorist in this field. Notice how the line for the main topic is all the way to the left. Subtopics are indented, and supporting details are indented one level further. Crystal also used abbreviations for terms like development and example .

Idea Mapping

If you discovered in this section that you learn best with visual presentations, you may prefer to use a more graphic format for notes, such as an idea map. The next example shows how Crystal’s lecture notes could be set up differently. Although the format is different, the content and organization are the same.

If the content of a lecture falls into a predictable, well-organized pattern, you might choose to use a chart or table to record your notes. This system works best when you already know, either before class or at the beginning of class, which categories you should include. The next figure shows how this system might be used.

The Cornell Note-Taking System

In addition to the general techniques already described, you might find it useful to practice a specific strategy known as the Cornell note-taking system. This popular format makes it easy not only to organize information clearly but also to note key terms and summarize content.

To use the Cornell system, begin by setting up the page with these components:

• The course name and lecture date at the top of the page
• A narrow column (about two inches) at the left side of the page
• A wide column (about five to six inches) on the right side of the page
• A space of a few lines marked off at the bottom of the page

During the lecture, you record notes in the wide column. You can do so using the traditional modified outline format or a more visual format if you prefer.

Then, as soon as possible after the lecture, review your notes and identify key terms. Jot these down in the narrow left-hand column. You can use this column as a study aid by covering the notes on the right-hand side, reviewing the key terms, and trying to recall as much as you can about them so that you can mentally restate the main points of the lecture. Uncover the notes on the right to check your understanding. Finally, use the space at the bottom of the page to summarize each page of notes in a few sentences.

Using the Cornell system, Crystal’s notes would look like the following:

Often, at school or in the workplace, a speaker will provide you with pregenerated notes summarizing electronic presentation slides. You may be tempted not to take notes at all because much of the content is already summarized for you. However, it is a good idea to jot down at least a few notes. Doing so keeps you focused during the presentation, allows you to record details you might otherwise forget, and gives you the opportunity to jot down questions or reflections to personalize the content.

Over the next few weeks, establish a note-taking system that works for you.

• If you are not already doing so, try using one of the aforementioned techniques. (Remember that the Cornell system can be combined with other note-taking formats.)
• It can take some trial and error to find a note-taking system that works for you. If you find that you are struggling to keep up with lectures, consider whether you need to switch to a different format or be more careful about distinguishing key concepts from unimportant details.
• If you find that you are having trouble taking notes effectively, set up an appointment with your school’s academic resource center.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding your individual learning style and preferences can help you identify the study and time-management strategies that will work best for you.
• To manage your time effectively, it is important to look at the short term (daily and weekly schedules) and the long term (major semester deadlines).
• To manage your time effectively, be consistent about maintaining your schedule. If your schedule is not working for you, make adjustments.
• A good note-taking system must differentiate among major points, related subtopics, and supporting details, and it must allow you to record and organize information fairly quickly. Choose the format that is most effective for you.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Read a text summary on how to write introductions and conclusions.

• Newcastle University
• Academic Skills Kit
• Academic Writing

Introductions and conclusions can be tricky to write. They do not contain the main substance of your assignment, but they do play a key role in helping the reader navigate your writing. The usual advice is

• Introduction: say what you're going to say
• Main body: say it
• Conclusion: say that you've said it

However, this approach can feel repetitive and is not very rewarding to write or read.

A more engaging approach is to think about the perspective of the reader and what they need to know in order to make sense of your writing. In academic writing, it is the writer’s job to make their meaning clear (unlike in literature and fiction, where it is the reader’s job to interpret the meaning) so that the reader can concentrate on deciding what they think of your work and marking it. Introductions and conclusions play an important role in explaining your aims and approach, so to help you write them well, you could think about what questions the reader has for you as they pick up your work for the first time, and when they have finished reading it.

Introductions

The introductions are the first part of your assignment that the reader encounters, so it needs to make a good impression and set the scene for what follows. Your introduction is about 10% of the total word count. It can be difficult to think what that first opening sentence should be, or what an introduction should include. 

From your reader’s perspective, they have three questions when they first pick up your assignment.

You could approach this question in a number of ways:

• Although your lecturer knows the assignment questions they’ve set, they don’t know how you have understood and interpreted it. To demonstrate that you’ve read it accurately, you can echo back the question to your reader, paraphrased in your own words so they know you have really understood it rather than just copying and pasting it.
• There might also be different ways to interpret the assignment, and clarifying for the reader how you’ve interpreted it would be helpful. Perhaps different angles on it are possible, there is more than one definition you could be working to, or you have been given a range of options within the assessment brief, and you need to tell the reader which approach you are taking.
• It’s also common to give a brief overview of a topic in the introduction, providing the reader with some context so they can understand what is to follow. Of course, your lecturer is already likely to know this basic information, so you could think of it as giving the reader confidence that you also share that foundational knowledge and have got your facts right. This aspect needs to be as brief as possible, as it can be very descriptive (which will not get you higher marks) and if it extends too far, can take up too much space in your essay which would be better used for analysis, interpretation or argumentation. A rough guide is to ask yourself which information is built on later in your assignment and cut anything that doesn’t get ‘used’ later on.

The obvious answer to this question is "because you told me to write this assignment”! A more interesting response, though, is to show that you've really understood why your lecturer has set that question and why it’s worth asking. None of the questions you are set at University will be simple or straightforward, but will be complex and problematic, and many have no single clear answer or approach. In responding thoughtfully to the question “why are you doing this”, you are reflecting on why it is significant, complex and worth doing, that you've understood the complexity of the assignment you’ve been set and recognise the lecturer’s aims in setting it.

Every student who answers a particular assignment will produce a different answer, with a different structure, making different points and drawing on different information. Your reader wants to know what your own particular approach to the assignment will be.

• You might answer this question in terms of what your structure is going to be, signalling how many sections you use and what order they appear in, signposting how you have broken the assignment down and organised it, so the reader knows what to expect.
• You might also explain to the reader which choices and decisions you have made to narrow it down to a manageable, focussed assignment. You might have chosen to set yourself particular limits on the scope of your assignment (for example, a focussing on a particular context, timespan, or type), or which examples and case studies you’ve chosen to illustrate your answer with, and why they are appropriate for this assignment.
• If relevant, you might also tell the reader about your methodology, the theories, models, definitions or approaches you have applied in order to answer the assignment question.

Your introduction may not include all these elements, or include them in the same balance or in this order, but if you address the reader’s three questions, your introduction will fulfil its purpose. Make sure you’re not jumping into your argument too early. Your introduction should introduce your argument but not actually do the work of making it yet; that is the job of the main body of the assignment.

Conclusions

Conclusions can feel a bit repetitive, as you need to revisit the points you’ve already made, but not include any new material. Again, the conclusion is usually about 10% of your total word count. The challenge is to make them engaging to read for your marker, but also interesting for you to write, so they feel purposeful. You cannot include any new material as conclusions should close a discussion down, not open up new avenues or leave points unresolved. If a point is important, it should be dealt with in the main body rather than as an afterthought.

As they read, your marker is focussing on each paragraph in detail, identifying the point you’re making, analysing and evaluating the evidence you’re using, and the way you explain, interpret and argue, to see if it makes sense. They’re also thinking about the quality of your work and what mark they’re going to give it, looking to see that you’ve met the marking criteria. University assignments are long enough that the reader will find it hard to give each point this kind of detailed scrutiny and keep the whole assignment in their mind at the same time. The job of the conclusion is to help them move from that close-up reading and zoom out to give them a sense of the whole.  

Again, a good approach is to think of the questions that your reader has when they reach the end of your assignment.

Your conclusion is the overall answer to the original assignment question you were set. See if you can summarise your overall answer in one sentence. This might be the first line of your conclusion. Make sure that your concluding answer does match the question you were set in the assessment.  

Having told the reader where they've got to, you will need to remind them of how you got there. To strengthen their confidence in your overall answer, you can remind them of the points you made and how together they build your conclusion.  

Although you cannot include new information in your conclusion, you can show your thinking in a new light. One question your reader may have is “where does that leave me’?  or “so what?”. You could therefore briefly discuss the significance of your conclusion. Now that you’ve demonstrated your answer to the question, how does that add to our overall understanding of this topic? What do we know, what can we do now, that we couldn’t before? If we hadn’t explored this topic, where would we be? Why is this conclusion important? This might resolve the issues you raised in the introduction when you answered the question ‘why am I doing this?’

A possible follow-on to this question is to examine what work might come next, if you didn’t have time constraints or word limits. This is particularly relevant in second and third year and masters level assignments, especially dissertations. This is a good way to show awareness of how your own thinking fits in the wider context of scholarship and research and how it might be developed. It might be a way to touch on aspects you had to cut out, or areas you couldn’t cover.

When to write the introduction and conclusion

You don’t have to write your assignment in order. If you find that the introduction is hard to start, then you could write it at the end of the process, which will ensure that it matches the assignment you’ve actually written. However, it might be a useful approach to at least begin by thinking about the introduction questions above, as it will help you in the planning process. Likewise, you could start with writing the conclusion if you have done extensive thinking and planning, as formulating your end goal might help to keep you on track (although be open to your overall answer changing a little in the process). Again, thinking about the conclusion questions above at the start of the process is a useful planning tool to clarify your thinking, even if you don’t write it until the end.

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Writing introductions and conclusions.

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Study skills- essay structure.

• Introduction to your Essay
• Main Body of your Essay

Essay Conclusion

• Essay Reference List

Your conclusion states how you have answered your question.

• It is important to mention the question or multiple parts of the question so you can clearly demonstrate how you have met all the specific assessment criteria.
• Summarise the main argument in more detail than in the introduction.
• Do not bring any new information into your conclusion as you do not have the space to analyse it. You may not have any references in your conclusion due to the fact you have mentioned the new points earlier in your essay. 
• Indicate how each of the points you mentioned support your argument. Why do they matter?  You are telling the reader what you have already told them. 
• Indicate how your essay topics fit in the wider subject area, what could this mean and could you suggest any recommendations based on your findings? 

For example, ' the evidence may suggest that... ' or ' the findings may support future research in... '

By discussing your recommendations you may be able to demonstrate to your marker that you can understand and apply your knowledge of the topic.

Below is a short video, summarising some of the key elements of structuring an essay. 

Please get in touch during our online study skills drop in which takes place every weekday and attend the in person drop in on Thursdays between 3:30-4:30 in the drop in space at Murray Health if you have any questions. 

• Last Updated: Sep 4, 2024 4:47 PM
• URL: https://libraryguides.sunderland.ac.uk/essay-structure

13 Ways to Quickly Improve Your Academic Essay Writing Skills

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Written by  Scribendi

Anyone can learn to produce an academic essay if they begin with a few basic essay-writing rules. 

An academic essay must be based upon a solid but debatable thesis, supported by relevant and credible evidence, and closed with a succinct and thorough conclusion.

By adhering to the best way to write an essay, you can create valuable, persuasive papers even when you're under a time crunch!

What Makes a Good Essay?

As previously noted, the foundation of any good academic essay is its thesis statement. 

Do not confuse your thesis with your opening sentence. There are many good ways to start an essay , but few essays immediately present their main ideas.

After you draft your thesis, you can begin to develop your essay around it. This development will include the main supporting points of your essay, which will scaffold its main body. 

Essays also typically include a relevant and compelling introduction and conclusion.

Learn How to Write a Great Thesis Statement .

Understanding How to Write a Good Essay

When writing an academic essay, you must take a number of qualities and characteristics into careful consideration. Focus, development, unity, coherence, and correctness all play critical roles when it comes to distinguishing an exceptional essay from one that is less than perfect.

The following essay-writing tips can help writers organize, format, and support their essays in ways that fit their intended purpose and optimize their overall persuasiveness. Here are 13 essay tips for developing and writing your next academic paper.

1. Know What You Are Going to Write About Before You Start Writing

While untrained writers might just sit down and start typing, educated and experienced writers know that there are many steps to writing an essay.

In short, you should know what you want to say before you type a single word. The easiest way to narrow down a thesis and create a proper argument is to make a basic outline before you begin composing your essay.

Your outline should consist of rough notes that sketch out your introduction (including your thesis), the body of your essay (which should include separate paragraphs that present your main supporting points with plenty of evidence and examples), and your conclusion (which ties everything together and connects the argument back to your thesis).

2. Acquire a Solid Understanding of Basic Grammar, Punctuation, and Style

Before getting into more refined essay-writing techniques, you must have a solid grasp of grammar, punctuation, and style. Without these writing fundamentals, it will be difficult to communicate your ideas effectively and ensure that they are taken seriously.

Grammar basics include subject and verb agreement, correct article and pronoun use, and well-formed sentence structures. Make sure you know the proper uses for the most common forms of punctuation. Be mindful of your comma usage and know when a period is needed.

Finally, voice is tremendously important in academic essay writing. Employ language that is as concise as possible. Avoid transition words that don't add anything to the sentence and unnecessary wordiness that detracts from your argument.

Furthermore, use the active voice instead of the passive whenever possible (e.g., "this study found" instead of "it was found by this study"). This will make your essay's tone clear and direct.

3. Use the Right Vocabulary and Know What the Words You Are Using Actually Mean

How you use language is important, especially in academic essay writing. When writing an academic essay, remember that you are persuading others that you are an expert who argues intelligently about your topic.

Using big words just to sound smart often results in the opposite effect—it is easy to detect when someone is overcompensating in their writing.

If you aren't sure of the exact meaning of a word, you risk using it incorrectly. There's no shame in checking, and it might save you from an embarrassing word misuse later!

Using obscure language can also detract from the clarity of your argument—you should consider this before pulling out a thesaurus to change a perfectly appropriate word to something completely different.

4. Understand the Argument and Critically Analyze the Evidence

While writing a good essay, your main argument should always be at the front of your mind. While it's tempting to go off on a tangent about an interesting side note, doing so makes your writing less concise.

Always question the evidence you include in your essay; ask yourself, "Does this directly support my thesis?" If the answer is "no," then that evidence should probably be excluded. 

When you are evaluating evidence, be critical and thorough. You want to use the strongest research to back up your thesis. It is not enough to simply present evidence in support of an argument. A good writer must also explain why the evidence is relevant and supportive.

Everything you include should clearly connect to your topic and argument.   

5. Know How to Write a Conclusion That Supports Your Research

One of the most overlooked steps to writing an essay is the conclusion. Your conclusion ties all your research together and proves your thesis. It should not be a restatement of your introduction or a copy-and-paste of your thesis.

A strong conclusion briefly outlines the key evidence discussed in the body of an essay and directly ties it to the thesis to show how the evidence proves or disproves the main argument of your research.

Countless great essays have been written only to be derailed by vague, weakly worded conclusions. Don't let your next essay become one of those.     

6. Build a Solid Thesis to Support Your Arguments

A thesis is the main pillar of an essay. By selecting a specific thesis, you'll be able to develop arguments to support your central opinion. Consider writing about a unique experience or your own particular view of a topic .

Your thesis should be clear and logical, but it should also be debatable. Otherwise, it might be difficult to support it with compelling arguments.

7. Develop an Interesting Opening Paragraph to Hook In Readers from the Get-Go

No matter how you begin your essay, you must strive to capture the reader's interest immediately. If your opening paragraph doesn't catch the eye and engage the brain, any attempt at persuasion may end before the essay even starts. 

The beginning of your essay is crucial for setting the stage for your thesis.

8. Always Remember to Edit and Proofread Your Essay

Any decent writer will tell you that writing is really rewriting. A good academic essay will inevitably go through multiple drafts as it slowly takes shape. When you arrive at a final draft, you must make sure that it is as close to perfect as possible.

This means subjecting your essay to close and comprehensive editing and proofreading processes. In other words, you must read your paper as many times as necessary to eliminate all grammar/punctuation mistakes and typos.

It is helpful to have a third party review your work. Consider consulting a peer or professional editing service. Keep in mind that professional editors are able to help you identify underdeveloped arguments and unnecessarily wordy language, and provide other feedback.

Get Critical Feedback on Your Writing

Hire an expert academic editor , or get a free sample, 9. when developing your essay's main body, build strong and relevant arguments.

Every sentence in the main body of your paper should explain and support your thesis. When deciding how much evidence to include in an academic essay, a good guideline is to include at least three main supporting arguments.

Those main supporting arguments, in turn, require support in the form of relevant facts, figures, examples, analogies, and observations. 

You will need to engage in appropriate research to accomplish this. To organize your research efforts, you may want to develop a list of good research questions . 

10. Choose the Format of Your Essay before Writing It

The final shape that your essay takes depends a great deal on what kind of format you use. Popular college essay format types include the Modern Language Association of America ( MLA ), American Psychological Association ( APA ), and Chicago Manual of Style ( Chicago style).

These formats govern everything from capitalization rules to source citation. Often, professors dictate a specific format for your essay. If they do not, you should choose the format that best suits your field.

11. Create Clear Transitions between Your Ideas

Although unnecessary transition words are the enemy of clarity and concision, they can be invaluable tools when it comes to separating and connecting the different sections of your essay. 

Not only do they help you express your ideas but they also bring a cohesive structure to your sentences and a pleasant flow to your writing. Just be sure that you are using the right transition words for the right purpose and to the proper effect.

12. Always Include an Organized Reference Page at the End of Your Essay

As a key component of MLA, APA, and Chicago Style formatting, the reference or Works Cited page is an essential part of any academic essay.

Regardless of the format used, the reference page must be well organized and easy to read so that your audience can see exactly where your outside information came from. 

To produce a properly formatted reference page, you may have to familiarize yourself with specialized phrases and abbreviations, such as " et al ." 

13. Use Inclusive Language

Incorporating inclusive language in your academic writing ensures that your work is respectful and accessible to all readers. Use gender-neutral pronouns like "they/them" and replace gender-specific terms with inclusive alternatives, such as "firefighter" instead of "fireman." 

You can also respect cultural diversity by avoiding stereotypes and generalizations, specifying details like "Japanese, Thai, and Indian cuisine" rather than "Asian cuisine." Engaging with diverse audiences for feedback and staying updated on inclusive language practices will help you continuously improve your writing.

How to Write a Good Hook for an Essay

The key to a good hook is to introduce an unexplored or absorbing line of inquiry in your introduction that addresses the main point of your thesis. 

By carefully choosing your language and slowly revealing details, you can build reader anticipation for what follows. 

Much like an actual worm-baited fishing hook, a successful hook will lure and capture readers, allowing the writer to "reel them in."

How to Get Better at Writing Essays

You can get better at writing essays the same way that you improve at anything else: practice, practice, practice! However, there are a few ways that you can improve your writing quickly so you can turn in a quality academic essay on time.

In addition to following the 13 essay tips and guidelines above, you can familiarize yourself with a few common practices and structures for essay development. 

Great writing techniques for essays include brainstorming and tree diagrams, especially when coming up with a topic for your thesis statement. Becoming familiar with different structures for organizing your essay (order of importance, chronological, etc.) is also extremely helpful.

How to Write a Good Introduction for an Essay

To learn how to write a good essay, you must also learn how to write a good introduction. 

Most effective essay introductions begin with relatively broad and general subject matter and then gradually narrow in focus and scope until they arrive at something extremely specific: the thesis. This is why writers tend to place their thesis statements at the very end of their introductory paragraph(s).

Because they are generally broad and often relate only tangentially to an essay's main point, there is virtually no limit on what the beginning of a good introduction can look like. However, writers still tend to rely on somewhat cliché opening sentences, such as quotations and rhetorical questions.

How to Write a Good Conclusion for an Essay

Briefly put, a good conclusion does two things. It wraps up any loose ends and drives home the main point of your essay. 

To learn how to write a good conclusion, you will want to ensure that no unanswered questions remain in the reader's mind. A good conclusion will restate the thesis and reinforce the essay's main supporting points.

Take Your Essay from Good to Great

About the author.

Scribendi's in-house editors work with writers from all over the globe to perfect their writing. They know that no piece of writing is complete without a professional edit, and they love to see a good piece of writing turn into a great one after the editing process. Scribendi's in-house editors are unrivaled in both experience and education, having collectively edited millions of words and obtained nearly 20 degrees collectively. They love consuming caffeinated beverages, reading books of various genres, and relaxing in quiet, dimly lit spaces.

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Essay structure and planning

Information on how to structure and plan your essay.

What is an essay?

An essay is a focused, academic discussion of a particular question, problem or issue.

Many of you have been writing essays for years, and are probably good at it. That's great, and everything you look at here will build on and develop those skills.

But it's worth asking: are there different things expected of a university essay from those for school, college, or other contexts?

The obvious answer is yes, and it takes time and effort to learn the range of writing skills needed to produce university essays effectively.

There are all sorts of reasons why essays are common forms of assessment. They allow you to explore a problem in-depth, express yourself concisely and precisely, and debate other people's published opinions on a topic.

They're also a good warm-up for traditional forms of academic publication, such as a journal article.

Academic essays usually follow an established organisational structure that helps the writer to express their ideas clearly and the reader to follow the thread of their argument.

An essay's structure is guided by its content and argument so every essay question will pose unique structural challenges.

301 Recommends: Glossary of Instruction Words

Our Essay Structure and Planning workshop will outline how to analyse your essay question, discuss approaches logically structure all your ideas, help you make your introductions and conclusions more effective, and teach how to link your ideas and ensure all essay content flows logically from the introduction. The Putting it into Practise workshop  

Have a look at our  Glossary of Essay Instruction Words (PDF, 100KB) , or watch this short  Study Skills Hacks video  on identifying the tasks in a question to help you identify what is required.

Planning stages

Essay writing is a process with many stages, from topic selection, planning and reading around, through to drafting, revising and proofreading.

Breaking the task down and creating a clear plan with milestones and intermediate deadlines will allow you to focus attention more fully on the writing process itself when you put your plan into action either as part of an assignment or an exam.

1. Understand the question

• Is the question open-ended or closed? If it is open-ended you will need to narrow it down. Explain how and why you have decided to limit it in the introduction to your essay, so the reader knows you appreciate the wider issues, but that you can also be selective.
• If it is a closed question, your answer must refer to and stay within the limits of the question (ie specific dates, texts, or countries).
• What can you infer from the title about the structure of the essay?

2. Brainstorm for ideas

• What you know about the topic – from lectures, reading etc
• What you don't know about the topic, but need to find out to answer the question
• Possible responses or answers to the question – any ideas about your conclusion.
• Consider using a mind map to organise your thoughts…

3. Make a plan

• Planning your essay makes it more likely that you have a coherent argument
• It enables you to work out a logical structure and an endpoint for your argument before you start writing
• It means you don't have to do this type of complex thinking at the same time as trying to find the right words to express your ideas
• It helps you to commit yourself to sticking to the point!

The Hourglass essay

If you're stuck on an overall structure for your essay, try this simple model for organising a typical academic essay. An hourglass essay introduces a broad area, before narrowing the focus towards the specific question that you are answering. It finishes by placing that narrow area back into a wider context. 

Introduction: the funnel of the hourglass

Set the scene and lead your reader into your essay by introducing the broad area of interest and then narrowing towards your specific focus:

• Start broad with a hook to catch the reader's attention
• Provide some context for the hook. What does your project add to it?
• Focus on the narrow area of your essay: can you summarise it in a single sentence mission statement?

Body: the stem of the hourglass

The body of your essay should be as narrow and focused as possible. Body paragraphs will take one sub-topic at a time and provide a logical flow of ideas for your reader:

• Start each paragraph with a topic sentence to tell your reader what it will cover
• Fill your paragraph with a range of supporting evidence and examples
• Finish your paragraph with a final wrapping-up sentence to summarise and/or link ahead

Conclusion: the base of the hourglass

Your chance to reinforce your key messages and go out with a bang:

• Revisit your mission statement: how have you addressed it?
• Summarise the main points of your argument or findings
• Finish with a broader scope, explaining how your topic might inform future research or practice, or where gaps remain

301 Recommends: Essay Planning Template

Use this template (google doc) to plan a structure for your essay, paying particular attention to the ways in which you have broken down the topic into sub-themes for your body paragraphs. 

Top tips and resources

• Start planning early, leave your plan for a couple of days, and then come back to it. This may give you a fresh perspective.
• It is often easiest to write the introduction last, but when you are planning your essay structure make sure you have your mission statement.
• A good plan will make it much easier to write a good essay. Invest the time in making a plan that works.
• Check what your tutor wants, but it is often best to focus on one element in great detail, rather than discuss several aspects superficially.
• Make sure you allow time to proofread your work before submission!

Internal resources

• Library Research and Critical Thinking - Referencing
• English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC)– Language Resources  

External resources

• Royal Literary Fund–  Writing Essays
• University of Reading–  Planning and structuring your essay
• Cottrell, S (2008) The Study Skills Handbook. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan
• Bailey, S (2003) Academic Writing: A Practical Guide for Students. Routledge
• Reading University–  Study Resources
• University of Manchester–  Academic Phrasebank

Related information

Academic Skills Certificate

Scientific writing and lab reports

Proofreading

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Take advantage of our curated Level Up Your Skills packages and start working through resources for your upcoming level of study, or use study skills online to find specific topics you want to work on.

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Essay writing

When writing an essay, don't be tempted to simply summarise other writers' ideas. It is your discussion of the topic and your analysis of their ideas that should form the backbone of your essay.

What is an essay?

Expectations, linking ideas, the writing process.

An essay is a type of assignment in which you present your point of view on a single topic through the analysis and discussion of academic sources. Usually, an essay has the format of an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.

Critical analysis is essential to essay writing. One way you can demonstrate this is by  summarising and paraphrasing other writers and by comparing, contrasting and evaluating their ideas. You can use this analysis to construct your own opinions, questions or conclusions.

When writing an essay, you need to have a clear position on a topic (sometimes called a thesis statement) in the introduction. You then support your thesis statement in the body of the essay, using relevant ideas and evidence from  appropriate sources . It is important that you present  your own ideas, opinions and analyses throughout your essay. When you use someone else’s ideas, you must correctly acknowledge it through  referencing .

Essay writing is different to:

• reflective writing , which is based primarily on your personal experiences
• report writing , which focuses primarily on reporting facts and making recommendations.

What will my marker be looking for in my essay?

If in doubt, ask early! Your lecturer and tutor are there to help – and you can always ask for further advice from a Writing Mentor or a Language and Learning Adviser . In general, your marker will be looking for evidence that you have:

• Answered the essay question directly.
• Met the assignment criteria.
• Drawn on discussions from weekly seminars and classes (your unit’s weekly topics should be your guide for all of your assessments).
• Provided a position on, and shown understanding of, the topic.
• Completed the set and recommended readings.
• Discussed and analysed sources and formatted them in the required referencing style.
• Planned your essay so that is readable, clear and logically sequenced and with a distinct introduction, body and conclusion.
• Kept within the set word limit.

How much should I write?

Again,  always consult your unit guide and assessment instructions for exact details of your assignment. These should clearly state the required word count for your assignment. Do not go dramatically under or over this amount. Usually about 10% over or under is acceptable – but always check with your lecturer first.

Planning your essay well before the due date will result in less stress and also less time writing, as you will know exactly how many words you need for each section. If you use the introduction, body and conclusion model, it is recommended to have  one main idea per body paragraph . For example, if you have to write a 1000-word essay you might have three body paragraphs of approximately 250 words each, leaving 125 words for both the introduction and the conclusion.

A reference list or bibliography – formatted according to your referencing style – on a separate page at the end of your essay is also usually required. Normally this is not included in the word count but check with your lecturer or tutor to be sure.

Below are some ideas for structuring your essay. You should always check the assignment criteria and other information in your unit site for specific requirements. If you are not sure, you should ask your lecturer or tutor. You can also get further advice from a writing mentor or a Language and Learning Adviser .

Try to begin and end each paragraph with your own thoughts rather than quoting or paraphrasing someone else’s words. Remember that your marker will be looking for your opinion, your discussion and your analysis of ideas.

The introduction

Remember that these are the first words your marker will read so always try to make a great first impression to ensure that you provide your marker with a clear and accurate outline of what is to follow in your essay. Don’t go into too much detail in the introduction. Save the detail for the body of your essay. You should try to include the following:

• Provide background information about the topic. Introduce and define some of the key concepts discussed in the essay.
• Respond directly to the essay question and clearly state what your essay intends to achieve.
• Provide an overview of some of the main points, or direction, of the essay.
• Be sure to revise the introduction in your final draft so that it accurately reflects any changes you may have made to the body and conclusion of your essay.

Body paragraphs

• Start each paragraph with a topic sentence. This is the main point of your paragraph and everything within this paragraph should relate back to it.
• Each main point should be relevant to your essay question or thesis statement.
• Integrate evidence and examples  into your paragraph from your readings to support your point. Do not simply present evidence but analyse it at each stage, always relating it back to your assignment question.
• Be  formal, objective and cautious in your writing.
• All sources must be cited in text in the referencing style required by your unit (citations are also listed in a bibliography or reference list at the end of the essay).
• Consider how you conclude your paragraph and how you might link it to the following paragraph.

The conclusion

Conclusions are primarily for summing up what you have presented in the body of your essay. No new information is presented in the conclusion. Use synonyms and paraphrasing so that you do not repeat all your main points word for word.

• Summarise your argument and draw on some of the main points discussed in the body of the essay but not in too much detail.
• Tell your reader how your essay has successfully responded to the essay question.
• You may return to discuss the background/context of the topic, if relevant.
• Where you see a gap in knowledge, you might provide suggestions for further research (optional).

Reference list or bibliography

• Create a  reference list or bibliography – with full bibliographic details – according to the  referencing style required by your unit.

Linking words clarify for the reader how one point relates to another. An essay flows cohesively when ideas and information relate to each other smoothly and logically.

Here are some common linking words used to:

• Introduce and add ideas firstly, secondly, finally, also, another, too, moreover, furthermore, as well as
• Illustrate ideas for example, to demonstrate this
• Show a result or effect accordingly, therefore, as a result, thus, in order for this to occur
• Compare ideas similarly, likewise
• Contrast ideas in contrast, however, but, in comparison, despite, on one hand ... on the other hand ...
• Restate and clarify in other words, to put this another way, this could also be defined as
• Sum up or conclude therefore, so, to summarise, to conclude, in conclusion, finally

You should also avoid repeating key names and words too many times. Instead, use pronouns that refer back to earlier key words. For example:  it, they, their, this, these, that, those

Further examples of linking words in academic writing:

Common linking words , University of Wisconsin Academic phrasebank , Manchester University

Planning and researching

• Use the Deakin Assignment Planner to get a better idea of the time required to complete your essay.
• Watch video - Analyse the assignment question .
• Stuck? Ask your tutor or Study Support.
• Gather relevant information and supporting evidence from class notes and readings.
• Make further notes about any questions you have.
• Researching involves sourcing texts appropriate to your task.
• Use a variety of reading strategies .
• Take notes always with the assignment question in mind.

Initial writing

• It is important to begin writing as soon as soon as possible – think of writing as a process rather than a goal.
• Write an answer to the question in just one or two sentences – this can form the basis your thesis statement or argument.
• Plan and structure the body paragraphs of your essay into topic sentences with bullet points for each paragraph.
• Expand on each bullet point to build paragraphs based on evidence, - this will also require citations .
• Be formal, objective and cautious in your writing.
• Integrate your sources with your own analysis.
• After reviewing the plan and draft of body paragraphs, write the introduction and conclusion.

Drafting, reviewing and proofreading

• Take a break for at least a day and come back with a fresh pair of eyes.
• Review the marking criteria and assignment instructions again. Ask yourself: Have I done everything required?
• Draft and re-draft your essay.
• Read the paper aloud to find errors in sentence structure and word choice and refine it so there is a more natural flow.
• Save a back-up copy of each draft – and in more than one place!
• Get help with writing and referencing from Study Support .
• Don’t leave adding citations and references until the final draft – it can be very time consuming.
• Proofread your essay and make sure it follows any formatting requirements required by the unit.
• Ensure your referencing is correct and consistent.
• Save a back-up copy of your final essay before submitting your assignment!
• Submit your assignment according to your unit’s instructions.

Guide to essay paragraph structure

Access the guide here

You might also like:

• Evaluating sources
• Critical thinking, reading and note taking
• Academic style
• Drafting your assignment

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• LEARNING SKILLS

Study Skills

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• How to Write an Essay
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• 6 Skills You Learn in School That You Use in Real Life
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What are Study Skills?

Study skills are the skills you need to enable you to study and learn efficiently – they are an important set of transferable life skills.

Our pages provide generic study skills advice – appropriate to learners across all disciplines and in different life circumstances: full and part-time students, those returning to education later in life, those engaged in professional development and anybody who wants to learn how to learn effectively. 

Key points about study skills:

You will develop your own personal approach to study and learning in a way that meets your own individual needs. As you develop your study skills you will discover what works for you, and what doesn’t.

Study skills are not subject specific - they are generic and can be used when studying any area. You will, of course, need to understand the concepts, theories and ideas surrounding your specific subject area. To get the most out of your studies, however, you’ll want to develop your study skills.

You need to practise and develop your study skills.   This will increase your awareness of how you study and you’ll become more confident.  Once mastered, study skills will be beneficial throughout your life.

Study skills are not just for students.   Study skills are transferable - you will take them with you beyond your education into new contexts. For example, organisational skills, time management, prioritising, learning how to analyse, problem solving, and the self-discipline that is required to remain motivated.  Study skills relate closely to the type of skills that employers look for.  (See Transferable Skills and Employability Skills for more.)

At SkillsYouNeed we provide quality content on many life skills – and many of these are relevant to studying.

You’ll find two types of study skills pages – pages that directly relate to skills you need for study (such as How to Write an Essay ) and pages that are more general life skills but which are also important to studying (like Active Listening ).

Our Study Skills Pages Include:

Getting Organised to Study

Getting organised is an important first step to effective study.  Our page covers the basic organisation skills you need to consider – fundamentals such as where and when to study and the importance of developing a network of contacts who can help you when you need it.

This page covers some of the basic principles of time management – with reference to study. If you manage your time badly then you will be less productive, which can lead to stress and anxiety. This page will help you by outlining the importance of a personal study timetable and how to set goals and prioritise your time.

Sources of Information for Study

Learn what is meant by, and the importance of, primary, secondary and tertiary documents and how you may source such information in a library or online.

By understanding different writing styles you can put what you read into perspective. This page covers the main writing styles that you are likely to come across, including academic, journal, and journalistic styles.

When studying, it is likely that you will need to read a lot of information – and you will wish to use this time effectively as possible by developing your reading skills. Discover ways that you can engage with your reading, form links, understand opinions and put ideas and research into perspective. In short, develop your reading skills.

Critical Reading and Reading Strategies

This page explains what is meant by critical reading and critical thinking – skills which are fundamental to true learning, personal development and advancement. The page also covers how to develop a personal reading strategy and use SQ3R to help you manage your reading.

Note-Taking

Learning to take notes effectively is not only important to study but also in many other situations, at work and in your personal life.  Develop your note-taking skills with our pages: Note-Taking for Verbal Exchanges and Note-Taking for Reading .

It pays to carefully think about and plan an essay or other piece of written work before you start writing.  This page provides you with a framework for planning which will help ensure your work is relevant, well-constructed and produced efficiently.

Essay Writing

Learn about the processes involved in writing an essay, or other piece of assessed work.  Avoid common mistakes and follow best practice to help ensure that the work you produce is of a high quality.

How to Write a Dissertation or Thesis

Working on a dissertation, thesis or other research project can be the most challenging part of study. Our guide offers practical advice and explains how to work on each part of a research document, including:

• How to Write a Research Proposal
• Ethical Issues in Research
• Researching and Writing a Literature Review
• Writing your Methodology
• Writing up your Results and Discussion

Learning how to reference correctly is vital if you are a student. This page not only covers why you should reference, and what may happen if you don’t, but also includes some detailed guidelines on how to reference different types of materials.

As a learner you will be required to engage with theory, but exactly what is a theory?  A theory is an attempt to provide understanding - theories attempt to answer the question, 'why?' and therefore satisfy our curiosity.  Learn more about theories and how they are usually developed.

Before you submit your assignment for school, university or work, run through a series of final checks.  Avoid potentially embarrassing or costly mistakes and increase the credibility of your work.

Reflecting On Marked Work

This page, for students, encourages you to engage in the feedback you receive from a marker when your work is returned.  Don’t just look at the bottom line, the mark, but understand the comments and feedback and learn from any mistakes.

Revision Skills

Revising for examinations can be a real challenge for many people. Learn and practice some key skills to make your revision time as productive and effective as possible, leaving you better prepared for exams and tests.

Further Reading from Skills You Need

The Skills You Need Guide for Students

Develop the skills you need to make the most of your time as a student.

Our eBooks are ideal for students at all stages of education, school, college and university. They are full of easy-to-follow practical information that will help you to learn more effectively and get better grades.

Other Areas Related to Study

Writing Skills

The writing skills section of SkillsYouNeed includes many other pages that we hope you’ll find useful.

Our pages: Spelling , Grammar and Punctuation for example can help with assignment writing.  You may also find information on our pages: Gender Neutral Writing and Clichés to Avoid useful.

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are the skills we use every day to interact with others and many are relevant to effective study.

For example see:  Listening Skills , Problem Solving and Decision Making , Questioning and Types of Questions , Verbal Communication and Effective Speaking .

Personal Skills

Our Personal Skills section covers areas of personal development . 

Useful pages for study include:  Building Confidence and Self-Esteem , Tips for Dealing with Stress , Relaxation Techniques , and Self-Motivation .

Start with: Getting Organised to Study

See also: Employability Skills for Graduates How to Systemize Your Study Develop Your Online Learning Skills and Get More from Your Online Classes

Essay and dissertation writing skills

Planning your essay

Writing your introduction

Structuring your essay

• Writing essays in science subjects
• Brief video guides to support essay planning and writing
• Writing extended essays and dissertations
• Planning your dissertation writing time

Structuring your dissertation

• Top tips for writing longer pieces of work

Advice on planning and writing essays and dissertations

University essays differ from school essays in that they are less concerned with what you know and more concerned with how you construct an argument to answer the question. This means that the starting point for writing a strong essay is to first unpick the question and to then use this to plan your essay before you start putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).

A really good starting point for you are these short, downloadable Tips for Successful Essay Writing and Answering the Question resources. Both resources will help you to plan your essay, as well as giving you guidance on how to distinguish between different sorts of essay questions. 

You may find it helpful to watch this seven-minute video on six tips for essay writing which outlines how to interpret essay questions, as well as giving advice on planning and structuring your writing:

Different disciplines will have different expectations for essay structure and you should always refer to your Faculty or Department student handbook or course Canvas site for more specific guidance.

However, broadly speaking, all essays share the following features:

Essays need an introduction to establish and focus the parameters of the discussion that will follow. You may find it helpful to divide the introduction into areas to demonstrate your breadth and engagement with the essay question. You might define specific terms in the introduction to show your engagement with the essay question; for example, ‘This is a large topic which has been variously discussed by many scientists and commentators. The principal tension is between the views of X and Y who define the main issues as…’ Breadth might be demonstrated by showing the range of viewpoints from which the essay question could be considered; for example, ‘A variety of factors including economic, social and political, influence A and B. This essay will focus on the social and economic aspects, with particular emphasis on…..’

Watch this two-minute video to learn more about how to plan and structure an introduction:

The main body of the essay should elaborate on the issues raised in the introduction and develop an argument(s) that answers the question. It should consist of a number of self-contained paragraphs each of which makes a specific point and provides some form of evidence to support the argument being made. Remember that a clear argument requires that each paragraph explicitly relates back to the essay question or the developing argument.

• Conclusion: An essay should end with a conclusion that reiterates the argument in light of the evidence you have provided; you shouldn’t use the conclusion to introduce new information.
• References: You need to include references to the materials you’ve used to write your essay. These might be in the form of footnotes, in-text citations, or a bibliography at the end. Different systems exist for citing references and different disciplines will use various approaches to citation. Ask your tutor which method(s) you should be using for your essay and also consult your Department or Faculty webpages for specific guidance in your discipline. 

Essay writing in science subjects

If you are writing an essay for a science subject you may need to consider additional areas, such as how to present data or diagrams. This five-minute video gives you some advice on how to approach your reading list, planning which information to include in your answer and how to write for your scientific audience – the video is available here:

A PDF providing further guidance on writing science essays for tutorials is available to download.

Short videos to support your essay writing skills

There are many other resources at Oxford that can help support your essay writing skills and if you are short on time, the Oxford Study Skills Centre has produced a number of short (2-minute) videos covering different aspects of essay writing, including:

• Approaching different types of essay questions  
• Structuring your essay  
• Writing an introduction  
• Making use of evidence in your essay writing  
• Writing your conclusion

Extended essays and dissertations

Longer pieces of writing like extended essays and dissertations may seem like quite a challenge from your regular essay writing. The important point is to start with a plan and to focus on what the question is asking. A PDF providing further guidance on planning Humanities and Social Science dissertations is available to download.

Planning your time effectively

Try not to leave the writing until close to your deadline, instead start as soon as you have some ideas to put down onto paper. Your early drafts may never end up in the final work, but the work of committing your ideas to paper helps to formulate not only your ideas, but the method of structuring your writing to read well and conclude firmly.

Although many students and tutors will say that the introduction is often written last, it is a good idea to begin to think about what will go into it early on. For example, the first draft of your introduction should set out your argument, the information you have, and your methods, and it should give a structure to the chapters and sections you will write. Your introduction will probably change as time goes on but it will stand as a guide to your entire extended essay or dissertation and it will help you to keep focused.

The structure of  extended essays or dissertations will vary depending on the question and discipline, but may include some or all of the following:

• The background information to - and context for - your research. This often takes the form of a literature review.
• Explanation of the focus of your work.
• Explanation of the value of this work to scholarship on the topic.
• List of the aims and objectives of the work and also the issues which will not be covered because they are outside its scope.

The main body of your extended essay or dissertation will probably include your methodology, the results of research, and your argument(s) based on your findings.

The conclusion is to summarise the value your research has added to the topic, and any further lines of research you would undertake given more time or resources. 

Tips on writing longer pieces of work

Approaching each chapter of a dissertation as a shorter essay can make the task of writing a dissertation seem less overwhelming. Each chapter will have an introduction, a main body where the argument is developed and substantiated with evidence, and a conclusion to tie things together. Unlike in a regular essay, chapter conclusions may also introduce the chapter that will follow, indicating how the chapters are connected to one another and how the argument will develop through your dissertation.

For further guidance, watch this two-minute video on writing longer pieces of work . 

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Home — Essay Samples — Education — Studying Process — Study Skills

Essays on Study Skills

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How to Write an Academic Essay With CIPD

Our guide to helping you write effective academic essays.

An academic essay is a piece of writing in a formal style which answers the question or statement posed in the essay title. The essay will be based on your research and, possibly, your own experience. You’ll need to reflect on your findings and present your ideas in an analytical or critical style.

The essay marker will be looking for your ability to read around a topic, evaluate what you’ve read, and present a coherent argument. You’ll be expected to be make connections between the different ideas and practices relevant to the subject, and to add your own views and conclusions within the context of the question. For example, if the question relates to recruitment and asks you to evaluate current methods of recruitment practice and the methods used by your own organisation, it would be expected that you had read a number of articles, texts, journals and course materials, as well as considering discussions during your face-to-face course sessions, and be able to compare and contrast the views and practices you discover.

The key differences between an academic essay and a business report are:

• An essay may be more free-flowing than a structured report, although it will still be broken into relevant sections to explore the topic and lead the reader through the ‘story’ you’re building.
• As an academic piece of writing, you’ll be expected to ‘cite’ all the sources you’ve used to support your ideas and list them at the end as a reference list or bibliography.
• An essay is usually written solely as an assignment as part of a course, not for a wider audience.

On this page

Planning your essay, writing your essay, presenting your essay, useful contacts and books.

Read the question carefully  – what are the outcomes required? What supporting evidence will be needed? What are the action words? Are you being asked to describe something, evaluate several different approaches, or compare and contrast a couple of concepts or practices, or a range? Refer to the question on the assignment brief, but also to the criteria for the unit which often give more clues on what is required in terms of detail. Lastly, review any student guidance provided either written, or from your notes from the Unit session. If you’re unsure what the question is requiring you to do, ask your personal tutor.

It’s important that you know what the expectations are for word count, and whether this is exact, or within a range (this should be stated clearly on the assignment brief). There may also be particular requirements on layout and formatting of your essay.  

Specific requirements for a r eferences list (which lists sources you have used or quoted from directly) and/or a b ibliography (which lists other material you have found useful but not drawn on specifically) will be highlighted on the assignment brief.

In our guide: How to study effectively , it’s suggested that you have a system in place to gather your notes, your references, and the materials, textbooks and various website resources to hand when you sit down to plan. You’ll also need the assignment brief and any guidance sheets provided. Make sure you have a good hour at least for this ’thinking‘ work, as it will form the basis for your research and initial writing. 

Note the deadline, and work backwards, planning for an initial draft, a second draft, and then time to tidy up your final draft. Leave plenty of time if you’re working in a busy environment, as unexpected work pressures may overturn your plan. 

Taking into account the question and the requirements for evidence or examples, start to consider your current knowledge, your latest learning, your knowledge of your organisation’s approach to the topic (or where you may get this from if you’re not employed or you can’t use information from your organisation), and any comparative views you heard, read or are aware of from wider research. What practices does your organisation have, and what do competitors or relevant third parties do? What is the context in which you are responding to the question – internal and external factors? Start with broad considerations, then narrow down to the precise issues and approach to be discussed. 

What other sources (journals, texts, internal documents) will you need to refer to, and how might your appendix (if permitted) support your essay? It’s essential that you make a full record of anything you read when researching your topic, or you can waste valuable time looking for that perfect quote you found, but didn’t write down the page number or source document! While researching for your essay, you’re likely to do a lot of reading and note-taking – our guide on How to study effectively has more on reading and note-taking skills. 

The introduction will start with a brief summary of the context of the question, with an outline of the topic, and a statement of how you intend to address the question; whether you’ll be using primary or secondary research or both, and referring to other sources of key information which you’ll rely on. 

The main body of the essay will be your findings, your personal views, and the views of others (from your reading or quotes from individuals if you’re using primary research). You may break this into relevant sub sections, and you may decide to use some subheadings to guide the reader through your ideas. Any sources you refer to and any quotes you use should be given in the appropriate format in your essay text – see more on citing sources in the paragraph below on references. 

Finally, the conclusion will contain a summary of the outcomes and the reasons why you’ve reached your viewpoint. If recommendations are required, they would usually be given after the conclusion – there is often guidance on whether recommendations are part of your essay requirements. 

The way you refer to your sources in your essay text (known as ‘citing’ your sources) and your list of references and/or bibliography needs to done in a specific way. The majority of CIPD courses use the Harvard referencing style – see our guide on How to set out references . The guidance in  Cite them Right!  also follows the Harvard style and is used by many colleges and universities. Marks are often awarded for good referencing as they show how widely you have read as well as allowing others to check your sources. They are also important to avoid claims of plagiarism (presenting other people’s work as your own). 

Where your essay refers to a particular report, or key document, you may choose to include a small amount, often in diagrammatic form, in an appendix to your essay, if this will provide relevant information which cannot be contained in the word count. You should refer to the appendix at a relevant point in the main body of the essay, and make sure you state the source clearly in the appendix and include the source in your references list. 

A poorly presented piece of work may distract the marker from the points you are making, or indeed make it difficult for them to follow your thinking. 

Some key tips:

• Always get someone else to read your work. Can they follow it? If no, why not? 
• Check your spelling and grammar – this is important when writing business documents as well. 
• Check consistency of headings and text layout. 
• Have you referred to anything in the essay which needs to be numbered, or put into a matching appendix? 
• Where you have used quotes, tables or diagrams from elsewhere, have you quoted your source and put it into the Reference list? 
• Using a front page for your essay is usually recommended as it allows you to state your essay title, course, name or candidate number, date of submission as well as word count and any other information required. 
• Last but not least; don’t leave it to the last minute, as this final preparation all takes time. Keep the submission date in mind, and plan to finish several days beforehand. Submitting late can carry penalties, and may lead to your work only being marked once, with no opportunity for improvement.

Open University – skills for study

Palgrave Macmillan Study Skills

COTTRELL, S. (2013) The study skills handbook. 4th ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 

HORN, R. (2009) The business skills handbook. London: Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development. 

HORN, R. (2012) Researching and writing dissertations: a complete guide for business and management students. 2nd ed. London: Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development. 

MCMILLAN, K. and WEYERS, J. (2007) How to write essays and assignments. Harlow: Pearson Education. 

SOLES, D. (2005) The academic essay. Bishops Lydeard: Studymates Ltd. 

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Studying - Free Essay Examples and Topic Ideas

Studying is the process of acquiring knowledge, skills and information through reading, researching, and learning. It involves a range of activities, including reading books and articles, watching videos, listening to lectures, attending classes, and discussions. Studying is essential for academic success and personal growth, as it helps to expand one’s understanding of the world and develop critical thinking abilities. It also requires discipline, focus, and motivation, as well as effective study strategies and time management skills. Overall, studying is a critical part of learning and self-improvement, and it opens doors to a wide range of professional opportunities.

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Studying for Essay Exams

• Can you study for an essay exam? 
• The challenge of essay exams
• Study Strategy 1: Create a study guide
• Study Strategy 2: Try to guess the questions
• Study Strategy 3: Study from old exams
• Study Strategy 4: Outline or write possible answers
• Study Strategy 5: Study in a group

Can you study for an essay exam?

Yes, you can! Many students mistakenly think that, because essay exams focus on analysis rather than memorization, they cannot really “study” for an essay exam. However, essay exams generally require you to pull together information from different parts of the course to create a coherent answer and to support an interpretation with specific examples. That is pretty hard to do well if you haven’t studied the course material! Indeed, there are a number of study strategies that are well-suited to preparing for an essay exam.

The Challenge of Essay Exams

Essay exams require you to interpret a complex and often lengthy question, develop a coherent thesis statement that addresses this question, and write an essay that provides specific evidence to develop and support this thesis. And, it requires you to do all of this under time pressure.

Meeting these challenges will require that you study in ways that will allow you to recognize both the major themes and ideas of the course as well as the specific facts, events, authors, or examples that are associated with those themes.

Study Strategy 1: Create a Study Guide

Essay exams require you to show connections between details, to gather up the specifics and tie them together with the major themes of the course. One of the best ways to prepare for this is to create a study guide.

A study guide is a document that attempts to identify the major themes and synthesize information from different units or weeks of the course. In a study guide, you list information from different units together under thematic categories. Here are some tips on creating a good study guide.

Step 1 : Read through lecture notes and reading notes and list the main themes of the class. This is not a list of facts, dates, events or authors, but of themes and ideas.  For example, in your History 1500, this would NOT be a list of events or dates. It would be themes: terror and the state, religion and terror, technology and terror. In English 1000, your list would NOT be a list of authors or books that you have read. Instead, it would be a list of themes that are common to them: literary techniques, self and society, gender etc.

Step 2 : Now go back and read through your notes again. This time, you are looking for details such as authors, key terms, events, and examples. Use these details to flesh out your study guide and to show how the details build your understanding of the themes.

Sample Study Guide for History 1500

Theme: Religion and Terror

Module: Witch Craze

• Catholicism and beliefs in white and dark magic
• The Reformation/Wars of Religion brought social, cultural, and economic disruption, which bred anxiety.
• Most intense hunting = 1550-1650 (religious wars = c.1540-1648)
• Proximity to religious tension increases tendency to burn witches

Module: Crusades – List relevant examples

Study Strategy 2: Try to Guess the Questions

When professors write essay questions, they usually review the material they have covered and try to choose topics that will require students to bring together the major themes of the course. By guessing the questions that will be on the exam, you will engage in the same process. Look through your syllabus, lecture and reading notes, and study guide. What concepts or themes have been developed throughout the term? What questions would you ask if you were the professor?

Study Strategy 3: Study from Old Exams

While you are guessing the questions and preparing for an essay exam, it can be very helpful to consult previous exams in the course. While it is unlikely that a professor would use exactly the same questions again on your exam, it can be helpful to get a sense of the types of questions that have been asked in the past. Some professors share old exams with their classes. However, in classes where this is not the case, you can seek out sample questions from your textbook, syllabus, or assignment instructions. There are great online sources of sample questions from textbook publishers, but take caution when searching online. Some sites that crowdsource student work encourage acts of academic dishonesty; students should  never share old exam questions or answers. 

Study Strategy 4: Outline or Write Possible Answers

Trying to identify what questions might be on the exam is, of course, only one part of studying for the exam. You also need to try to create answers to these questions. You can do this by outlining answers. Begin with a clear thesis that addresses the question, and then create a section of the outline that develops each part of your thesis. Finally, add in specific examples that you would use to support your ideas in the appropriate section.

You can also write full answers to the essay questions you devise as you study. The act of writing will help you to remember the material, and although the identical question may not appear on the exam, you will usually be able to employ the connections and supporting details in a response that addresses similar issues.

Study Strategy 5: Study in a Group

One of the best ways to learn material is to talk about it with others. As you do, you deepen your understanding not only by having to explain concepts or themes to others but also by hearing their perspective on the central issues of the course.

While you will ultimately take an exam, and thus need to know course information, on your own, study groups can be a great supplement to independent study activities. Each group member could come prepared with one or two potential exam questions, and then other group members could try to answer them. Or, the entire group could review the course syllabus together and identify central themes or particularly challenging material. Through the process of discussing the information with others, you will increase your understanding and thus be studying for your essay exam.