Study Skills

OpenLearn hosts free courses provided by the Open University, a world leader in distance learning.

You can explore the full course catalogue, or use the below links to access courses on a specific topic:

• Essay and report writing skills
• Developing good academic practice (including how to avoid plagiarism)
• Extending and developing your thinking skills
• Succeed with learning
   

LearnHigher shares free, high quality resources for learning development in the higher education sector (free sign up required)

You can explore the full range of teaching and learning resources, or use the below links to access resources on a specific topic:

• Academic writing
• Critical thinking and reflection
• Note taking
• Time management

Academic writing style is different to everyday written communication. It needs to have a formal tone, and present clear arguments in a logical way. It does not need to be overly complicated, but does need to be well planned, accurate, focussed and proofread.

Below, you will find links to academic writing guides from local universities:

• University of Leeds: Writing 
• Leeds Beckett University: Essay Writing
• University of Huddesrfield Dissertation Survival Guide: Writing up

You may find tools such as Alex Essay Writing Tool helpful.This supports you through the process of planning and structuring your writing. 

Our library collection includes lots of books to support you with academic and reflective writing skills. Explore our curated study skills book list, search for a book on our catalogue, or contact your library to request books that aren't available. 

 

Although our librarians cannot do literature searches for academic assignments, we can support you to develop your skills in literature searching.

Need more evidence to support your academic argument? Check out our Knowledge and Library Hub to track down the latest research.

Want to sharpen your searching skills? Struggling to find the right sources to support your essay? Take a look at our information skills guide for further resources, book onto one of our training sessions or arrange a 1-1 session with a librarian.

To ensure you are using the correct referencing style for your assignment, check with your course tutor. Below, you will find links to referencing guidelines for a number of local universities:

• University of Leeds 
• Leeds Trinity University
• Leeds Beckett University
• Huddersfield University

Universities provide a range of study skills resources and support. Whilst these services are primarily aimed at their own students, the resources are often freely available online for anyone to access. These range from information on note taking, to time management, and referencing. Use the links below to explore the academic skills resources available online via our local universities:

• University of Leeds
• Leeds Beckett University
• Leeds Trinity University