Study Skills For Dummies

387 Pages·2009·5.36 MB·english

by  Doreen du Boulay

Spine: 20.4mm
(0.8031”)
Education
Making Everything Easier!™
Discover the time-saving tips and UK Edition
expert techniques that will keep UK Edition
you on top of your studies Open the book and find: k i l l s
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Want to transform yourself from rough diamond into (cid:127) W hat makes your tutor tick S t
model student? Whether you’re embarking on A-levels or S
(cid:127) Internet research methods that
heading for university, this easy-to-use guide explains the save you time t
essential skills you need to achieve academic success. From
u
(cid:127) The ingredients of a compelling
note-taking tips to advice on structuring essays and disser-
presentation
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tations, Study Skills For Dummies is packed with all the stuff
(cid:127) Advice on tackling an ever-
they don’t teach you in class.
y
expanding reading list
(cid:127) Prepare for the year ahead confidently – become an effective

planner and critical thinker, and develop your ICT skills (cid:127) W hat statistics do (and don’t) S
tell you
(cid:127) Maximise on class-time – develop note-taking and learning k
habits that help you get the most out of seminars and lectures (cid:127) Tips for brainstorming and writing
i
creatively
(cid:127) The fundamentals of research – use the library and the Web to l
find the information you need, fast (cid:127) How to steer clear of plagiarism l
s
(cid:127) Write killer essays – turn your ideas, notes and research into (cid:127) Strategies for exam success
well-written assignments
(cid:127) T he key to balancing work and
(cid:127) Ace your exams – focus your revision and maximise your mental
play
preparation to nail your exams
Learn to:
Go to dummies.com® (cid:127) Organise your studies, plan your time and
for more! improve your performance
(cid:127) Be an effective researcher and find the
answers you’re looking for
(cid:127) Polish your critical thinking and writing
skills
(cid:127) Boost your memory and prepare for
£14.99 UK / $27.99 US exams with confidence
Doreen du Boulay is a learning advisor and former student tutor in Study ISBN 978-0-470-74047-7
Skills Support at Sussex University. She has also worked as a teacher, essay
examiner and MA dissertation marker.
Doreen du Boulay
du Boulay Study Skills Support tutor and essay examiner

Study Skills
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
by Doreen du Boulay
A John Wiley and Sons, Ltd, Publication
Study Skills For Dummies®
Published by
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ISBN: 978-0-470-74047-7
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Bell & Bain, Ltd., Glasgow
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About the Author
Doreen du Boulay taught undergraduate and postgraduate subject courses
in Education and Applied Linguistics, study skills and skills for specifi c sub-
jects at the universities of Aberdeen, Warwick and Sussex for longer than she
cares to remember – over twenty years. She taught students from a range of
backgrounds and with many different needs, and wrote the Sussex University
study skills web pages.
She was an assessor of pre-university courses for overseas students in
British universities for BALEAP (British Association of Lecturers in English
for Academic Purposes) for ten years, a consultant with the British Council
for training courses in Algeria, Poland and Zambia and for Banque Indo-
Suez training courses in English for employees. She was seconded by the
University of Aberdeen to work in local oil and gas companies with their
overseas employees.
Having begun her career as an organisation and methods analyst, she
turned to secondary school teaching, fi rst in Zambia, then in Shropshire and
Scotland, before becoming a university teacher. She has always benefi ted
from having several feet, centipede-like, in several camps – as a subject tutor,
skills tutor and course assessor, and working in industry – and has always
tried to pass on insights from this mixture of experience. She took early
retirement due to vision problems and now works freelance.

Dedication
To Zoe, Jan and Huw, my children: always an inspiration.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all the colleagues and students over many years who
taught me so much, especially Godfrey Yeung, Scherto Gill and Earl Kehoe,
who allowed me to refer to their work.
I would also like to thank editors Simon Bell and Wejdan Ismail for their sup-
port and suggestions in producing this book during a diffi cult time in my life.
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration
form located at www.dummies.com/register/.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Composition Services
Development
Project Coordinator: Lynsey Stanford
Development Editor: Simon Bell
Layout and Graphics: Christin Swinford
Content Editor: Jo Theedom
Proofreader: Laura Albert
Commissioning Editor: Wejdan Ismail
Indexer: Claudia Bourbeau
Publishing Assistant: Jennifer Prytherch
Copy Editor: Anne O’Rorke
Technical Editor: Eileen Lafferty
Executive Editor: Sam Spickernell
Executive Project Editor: Daniel Mersey
Cover Photos: © Somos/Veer
Cartoons: Ed McLachlan
Contents at a Glance
Introduction ................................................................ 1
Part I: Study Skills Basics ............................................ 7
Chapter 1: Planning for Success ......................................................................................9
Chapter 2: Tutors and Student Support ........................................................................27
Chapter 3: Becoming a Critical Thinker ........................................................................41
Chapter 4: Embracing ICT Skills .....................................................................................53
Part II: Becoming an Active Learner ........................... 65
Chapter 5: Learning Actively in Lectures, Seminars and Tutorials ...........................67
Chapter 6: Grappling with Group Work: Workshops, Seminars
and Presentations .........................................................................................................83
Chapter 7: Taking Notes During Lectures .....................................................................99
Chapter 8: Making Use of Feedback ............................................................................113
Part III: Gathering Your Evidence ............................. 125
Chapter 9: Research Methods and Tools....................................................................127
Chapter 10: Finding Answers: Reading and Research ...............................................149
Chapter 11: Taking Notes for Your Purposes: Not the Book’s .................................167
Chapter 12: Using the Internet as a Research Tool ...................................................183
Chapter 13: Tackling the Building Blocks: Numbers and Figures ............................199
Part IV: Getting It Down on Paper ............................. 219
Chapter 14: Pulling Your Ideas Together in Writing .................................................221
Chapter 15: Grasping Writing Process Basics ............................................................237
Chapter 16: Looking at Form, Function and Style ......................................................255
Part V: Final Reckoning: Surviving
(And Enjoying) Exams ............................................. 271
Chapter 17: Mastering Memory Strategies .................................................................273
Chapter 18: Preparing for Your Exams .......................................................................287
Chapter 19: Coping with the Countdown to Your Exams .........................................305