Academic and study skills

Academic support is available on a wide range of topics including:

  • Planning and writing essays
  • Reading for comprehension
  • Note-taking
  • Studying for exams
  • Writing reports
  • Citing and referencing
  • Managing time
  • Writing critical reviews

‌Students can find support through a variety of methods: individual appointments, seminars in their school, workshops and through online resources. Academic and study skills image.Students may also have their questions answered by reviewing the information covered in the TGAP module and in the University of St Andrews’ Good Academic Practice Policy.

Please note, that our CEED office does not have a full mobility access. If you have any access requirements, please contact CEED directly on (01334) 46 2141 or email learning@st-andrews.ac.uk

One to one appointments

One-to-one appointments are one-hour sessions designed to provide more detailed and focused assistance with study skills. 

 

To book a one-to-one appointment please see the Academic Development Community webpage. 

From here you can also find out about other one-to-one appointments, which support skills for learning, including Academic English Language and Maths & Stats.

Academic Skills Workshops

A variety of workshops that cover academic skills are available to book through the Personal Development Management Service (PDMS).

A range of workshops are available through the USkills, MSkills and GRADSkills programmes for undergraduate, taught postgraduate and research postgraduate students respectively.  

All of these programmes have a range of 'themes' or 'bundles' where you can develop a variety of skills to support your development while at St Andrews and beyond.

Academic Skills for your Subject

There are various ways to develop academic skills for your subject, including engaging with the Academic Skills Project and fully participating in the academic life of your school.

Your school may be participating in the Academic Skills Project, which provides subject specific training in academic skills designed and delivered by a team of research postgraduates. Check out the Academic Skills Project page for more information about what workshops are running in your school.


You can also develop subject-specific skills through taking part in lectures, seminars, field-trips, completing assignments, projects, dissertations and outreach work.


You may want to take the opportunity to become involved in your school events and research seminars (or even another schools'!). Some are highlighted below, but check your school website and notice boards for other opportunities.

Part Time/ Combined Studies Students

Information on our provision for students registered on the part time Combined Studies degree can be found below.

If you are unable to attend a study skills appointment during the day, subject to tutor availability, they may able to book a confidential one-hour 1:1 study skills appointment in the evening.

To book an evening appointment, students should e-mail ceedtutors@st-andrews.ac.uk with the following details:

Subject of email:  Evening Study Skills Appointment
Name:
Year of study:
Contact telephone number:  (so that we can get in touch if necessary e.g. due to staff illness)
Modules you need help with:
Topic(s) you need help with: (see above for list of Study Skills topics)
Preferred time and date: Please give a selection to help us find you a tutor.


A staff member will reply with the name of your tutor and the appointment time you have been allocated.  Your appointment is not booked until you have had confirmation from CEED.


More information about how to access your appointment will be provided when your appointment is confirmed.

 

Online Guides and Resources

You may prefer to improve your study skills through utilising the short guides and resources, developed by CEED's Academic Skills Team, housed in our Study Skills Toolkit (opens a new window in Moodle).

 

The following titles in the Palgrave Pocket Study Skills series are also available as e-books through the University Library:

Getting Critical
Posters and Presentations

Planning your dissertation
Planning your essay
Reading and making notes
Time Management

 

The University Library has an excellent page on referencing and citation, with links to some of the most popular style guides.  You may also find the following guides helpful (CEED cannot take responsibility for the content of any externally hosted pages):

MLA Quick Guide

Open University's Guide to Harvard.

York University's guide to referencing.

 

CEED has also developed a Guide to Reducing File Size (PDF, 579 KB) to provide advice on how to reduce file size where necessary (e.g. before uploading to MMS).

 

Academic Writing

The University of Manchester's Academic Phrasebank is a very comprehensive resource for anyone wanting to improve their academic writing.

If you are looking to improve your grammar and written English, check out the University of Bristol's online grammar resources.

 

 

Good Academic Practice and TGAP

All students are required to take TGAP in their first year of studies at the University of St Andrews. TGAP is accessed via the University's Moodle system, and you must complete the material and related assessments.

 

All students should be familiar with the University of St Andrews Good Academic Practice Policy.

Language correction and proof-reading

A list of resources and information about language correction.

The following materials and resources are available for students, and includes the University's language correction policy which students should be read prior to using the contact details.

 

Please read prior to making contact:

Using a language correction service:

  • Language correctors' contact details

    • Please note: this page is password protected, so you will need to login with your usual University username & password.

  • Remember to acknowledge any language correction using the declaration stipulated in the Language Correction policy.