Academic Skills Workshops and Support

 

 

 

Academic Skills Workshops and Webinars

You can attend a workshop or webinar run by experienced Academic Skills Consultants:

 Masters Dissertation Workshops

• Wednesday 21st May 1-2pm   Planning your Masters dissertation (on campus)
• Thursday 5th June 1-2pm        Planning your Masters dissertation (online)
• Wednesday 11th June 1-2pm  Critical writing for your Masters dissertation (on campus)
• Thursday 26th June 1-2pm     Critical writing for your Masters dissertation (online)
• Wednesday 16th July 1-2pm   Editing your Masters dissertation (on campus)
• Thursday 17th July 1-2pm       Editing your Masters dissertation (online)

You can catch-up on any online sessions by joining our Academic Skills Canvas site and watching our workshop recordings

 

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Student Mentors

Student Mentors are second and third year undergraduates and postgraduate students who have been trained to offer advice and support to other students. Mentors can offer you advice and support on a range of issues including how to manage your time or improve your study skills. They can also point you in the right direction for other support services at the university. Ask in your School Office about mentors in your school.

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The Student Centre

The Student Centre is a great place to access student facilities, to study and meet friends.
Discover the spaces and services available to you, the building is open 24/7, and is staffed by security after 5pm and during weekends.

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English Language for Academic Study

English Language for Academic Study (ELAS) offers help for students working in English as an additional language. This includes: workshops, which cover aspects of Academic English, including culture and practice (study skills); 1:1 tutorials; and ‘time to write’ sessions. Our aim is to help students who have English as an additional language to continue to develop their English Language and to adapt to UK academic study.

It takes a while to improve language skills, so it is a good idea to make time for this alongside your academic studies throughout the academic year. The workshops, tutorials and ‘time to write’ sessions will help you do this in an enjoyable and supportive environment.

Find further information and how to book on English Language for Academic Study.

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Library Support

We offer workshops and one-to-one training to support you with your research. Sign up to summer term dissertation workshops.

Workshops include:

• Improving your research skills for assignments and dissertations.
• Referencing and reference management software.
• Evaluating sources.
• Working with grey literature including cases/legislation, government documents, newspapers and more.
• Undertaking systematic or rapid reviews.
• Finding statistics and datasets.
• Managing your research data and writing data management plans.
• Introduction to AI

Workshops will take place in-person in the Library throughout the year. If you would like to receive updates when events are scheduled, Sign up to our mailing list.

One-to-One Support:

We can support you with training tailored to your specific research question. We can also provide support and training on any of the resources available through the library. You can book a one-to-one via the online booking form.

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One-to-one Writing Support with the RLF

As part of the Royal Literary Fund’s Fellowship Scheme, the Library hosts three professional writers who offer one-to-one tutorials during term-time for any member of the university who wishes to improve their writing. Our 2024/25 RLF Fellows are Alison MacLeod, Richard Madden and Rebecca Stott.

Our RLF Fellows can help with any aspect of the writing process, including planning, drafting, constructing an argument and editing. They are able to comment on the writing style of work in progress, allowing students to improve their work before submission.

If English is not your first language, specialist one-to-one tutorials are available from English Language for Academic Study.
Students may see the Fellow just once, or return for a subsequent tutorial if they want, subject to availability. In order to ensure other students can book appointments when they need them, please do not book to see more than one RLF Fellow. Appointments can be booked up to 28 days in advance.

The RLF Fellows are established professional writers of literary merit, representing a wide range of genres, including biography, scientific writing and fiction. The principal aim of the Fellows' work is to foster good writing practice across all disciplines and media. Students at every level of study can benefit from learning about good writing practice from a professional author.

RLF Writing resources are also available to students online.