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The Academic Skills Handbook
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The Academic Skills Handbook
Your Guide to Success in Writing, Thinking and Communicating at University

First Edition
  • Diana Hopkins - Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) & Freelance Consultant, Freelance Consultant
  • Tom Reid - Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) & Freelance Consultant, Freelance Consultant
Additional resources:


October 2018 | 344 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
This is your complete guide to acing your assignments and getting the most out of your time at university. Packed with tips, tools and a digital companion loaded with real-life examples, this book will help you:
  • communicate your ideas with confidence and clarity
  • watch your skills grow with diagnostic tools
  • create your own study plan tailored to the skills you need
  • know what your tutor is looking for and how to deliver
  • turn your skills into success after university.

This book is specially designed to show you where your strengths are and what you need to work on, so you get a practice plan that is perfect for your needs. It then arms you with the principles and practice to get ahead in your academic writing, presentations and group work.

Student Success is a series of essential guides for students of all levels. From how to think critically and write great essays to boosting your employability and managing your wellbeing, the Student Success series helps you study smarter and get the best from your time at university. 


 
Introduction
 
PART 1 WRITING SKILLS
 
Chapter 1 Getting Started on Your Essay
 
Chapter 2 Getting Started on Your Lab Report
 
Chapter 3 Writing Exams, Reflective Essays, Dissertations and Posters
 
Chapter 4 Writing with Clarity
 
Chapter 5 Writing with Accuracy
 
Chapter 6 Being Concise
 
Chapter 7 Writing in Academic Style
 
Chapter 8 Referencing with Accuracy
 
PART 2 READING AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS SKILLS
 
Chapter 9 Reading Skills
 
Chapter 10 Critical Thinking and Analysis
 
PART 3 PRESENTATIONS, SPEAKING AND LISTENING SKILLS
 
Chapter 11 Giving Effective Presentations
 
Chapter 12 Communicating in Seminars
 
Chapter 13 Working in Groups
 
Chapter 14 Getting the Most out of Your Lectures

Supplements

Click for Online Resources

Visit the Online Resources for a range of handy diagnostic tools and sample banks to build a tailored study plan.  

Diagnostic tools

  • Includes downloadable exercises, scored activities and reflective questions you can use to self-test and identify key skills to develop

Sample banks

  • Includes video examples and tutorials, downloadable examples and worksheets, and annotated samples from real students’ assignments, providing strategies and best practice examples to help improve your own work.
 
Sage Study Skills Hub

Visit the SAGE Study Skills hub for tips, resources and videos on study success!

Critical Writing Webinar
Watch the recording of Academic Writing and Taking a Critical Approach with Diana Hopkins and Tom Reid. This webinar, hosted by JS Group, offers top tips to help you write critically and achieve higher grades.

For those students who follow the Post graduate pathway this is a useful text for supporting their academic writing.

Mrs Adele sewell
Teacher education, Bishop Burton College
July 16, 2019

Great resource text for students who are starting to write to an academic standard for the first time.

Mr Richard Francis Thompson King
Vocational Education, St. Helens College
October 3, 2018

This is an indispensable text that covers the aspects of engaging with academic practice in the most comprehensive way. It anticipates the angst-filled moments that all students encounter at the different stages of their undergraduate (and post-graduate) careers, and provides a range of strategies to cope with these moments. The use of this text could potentially facilitate a common ground between tertiary educators and students, through shared learning styles, supported in the multi-faceted resources the text provides. Should be well worth taking the time to explore the complementary online content once this becomes available.

Mr Philip Bright
Research Department, European School of Osteopathy
September 24, 2018

This is a thorough but accessible guide which will assist those at any level of HE study.

Dr Jennifer Hough
Criminal Justice, St Helens College
December 18, 2018

Very clear, well structured book. Great use of examples and activities to test knowledge and understanding. Good diagnostic tests to check where someone is starting from.

Miss Gill Harrison
Department of Radiography, City University of London
September 23, 2019

This is an extremely student-oriented publication. It is easy to read and very helpful in preparing coursework and other written submissions. It really offers the "essential" guide for students of all levels!

Dr Katja Stoppenbrink
Philosophy, Wilhelms University Westfalen Munster
September 19, 2019

A super little book in relation to developing structure For academic writing

Mrs Toni Benaton
Britannia Mill Campus, Derby University
June 5, 2019