Reading, Writing and Research Skills for University Students

When people start a new degree they often feel ill-equipped, and are particularly anxious about the way they will be assessed on their course. Assessment at university often takes the form of researching and writing about your findings. To do this requires a variety of different skills that you won't be taught explicitly, but which are nevertheless crucial for you to complete your assignments in a timely fashion.

This course will give you those skills. Who is this course for. This course covers the structuring of the writing of essays and empirical research projects from first principles, but could be of benefit to someone studying at any level since it gives a useful reminder of the essential requirements of these two types of research paper.

Depending on your subject of study different sections may be more relevant to you. Scientists who won't be writing essays will benefit most from Sections 1, 3, 4 and 5, although Section 2 gives tips about structuring paragraphs that you might find useful. Students who will only be writing essays will benefit most from Sections 1, 2 and 5, though Section 3 may also be useful, since it covers those sections of an empirical study that most resemble an essay.

It might also help you consider your work from a new angle. Scientists and Social Scientists of necessity have to consider the methodology they will use in conducting their studies, but how often do students of English Literature say, reflect on the methodological approach implicit in their approach. A cross-pollination of ideas across disciplines can often bring welcome fresh insights.