Importance of Study Skills

20103002
HINTS & TIPS
General comments applicable to all essays:
- Each essay needs to include a minimum of 3 different references.
- Include the full essay title.
- The preferred font style and size is Arial 12.
- Give the actual word count underneath the title.
- Your student number can be placed in the footer of the document. Please do not
write your name on portfolios.
- Double-space all essays. No need for any ‘spacing points’ in between line spacing.
In ‘Paragraph’ and ‘Spacing’, 0pt ‘Before/After’ is fine together with ‘Double’ line
spacing.
- Aim to cite a minimum of 1 different reference for every 80-100 or so words written.
- Aim to write a minimum of 450, a maximum of 550 words per essay. If the word
count is above or below, 10% will be deducted from the final mark.
- It is recommended that each essay begins with a brief introduction/objectives for the
essay and finishes with a conclusion. For example: This essay will outline.../This
essay aims to.../This essay will discuss....
- Aim to make the language of essays discursive rather than a list of points/set of
instructions. Avoid using bullet points and/or numbering.
- Ensure that you avoid 1st or 2nd person pronouns (avoid the use of 'I', ‘me’, ‘my’,
'you', ‘your’, 'we', ‘us’) and instead keep it in the third person perspective throughout.
Avoid being self-referential in essays e.g. I believe that.../In my opinion...
- Place diagrams in the Appendices at the end of the essay (after the reference list)
and refer to them as ‘see appendix a/b/c’ in the text. Ensure that the source has
been cited and full details placed in the reference list.
- It is preferable to write ‘for example’ in essays. Aim to avoid using e.g. i.e. etc.
- Check use of capital letters throughout.
- Check the spelling of all words underlined in red.
- Double-check punctuation/spacing of words underlined in blue.
Referencing examples:
- According to Cottrell (2015), education is important. (Here, you are using the
author’s name as part of the sentence, so you only need to use brackets for the
publication year).
- Education is important (Cottrell 2005). (Here you are not referring to the author as
part of the sentence, so the name and year need to appear in brackets. No need for
a comma after the author’s name).
- “Education is vital” (Smith 2005, p. 146). (Here, you are using a direct quote, so the
page number also needs to be cited - where available).
- Research carried out by Foot Vitals (2014), suggests that...(no need to write
.com/co.uk etc.) Cite the year of the most recent webpage update. If that is
unavailable, it’s fine to just cite the current year.
- In an article of 2011 Wilford also maintains that Columbus’ treatment of native people
following his conquests is frequently seen in an ambiguous light (cited in Ransby
2012, p. 81). Or - Columbus’ treatment of native people following his conquests is
1

20103002
frequently seen in an ambiguous light (Wilford 2011, cited in Ransby 2012, p. 81).
Only place Ransby in the reference list, not Wilford.
- Where you have more than two authors, make use of et al. According to Jones et al.
(2016).....or, “Corns are painful” (Jones et al. 2016, pp. 25-28). Note the full stop
after ‘al.’
- Use p. for page and pp. for pages
- A full stop can be placed at the end of the closed bracket of citations rather than at
the end of the sentence. E.g. Corns are painful (Smith 2012). Not: Corns are
painful. (Smith 2012)
- No need to cite the author’s initial in the essay.
- The full URL/permalink only appears in the reference list. It does not appear in the
text of your work. Please refer to page 20 of the QMU guide for more information.
https://libguides.qmu.ac.uk/ld.php?content_id=33266476
- The ideal use of literature to support an essay is by way of paraphrasing – enabling
the student to demonstrate their knowledge whilst appraising the literature. Essays
in which large swathes of the content are direct quotations, and where these are not
given due context by way of discussion and/or explanation, will be automatically
marked as a ‘RESIT’ as this falls short of the standards necessary within the
assignment brief.
(Portfolio Example)
Module 1
Describe how you would butter bread
(Word limit 500. Actual word count 546)
The aim of the following essay is to outline the requirements for buttering bread.
Bread, defined by Kerr and Thomson (1998, p.105) as a “food made of flour or meal
and baked”, is a popular and commonly eaten food in many countries (Baker 2006).
The practice of buttering bread, however, is perhaps a little controversial. Crusty
(2006) sees bread and butter together, not only as tasty and satisfying, but also as a
classic food combination. This opinion is questioned, however, by Ciabatta (2007)
who suggests that some breads, particularly open-textured Mediterranean types, are
better served more naturally without fatty spreads. Ciabatta (2007) further describes
how the flavour of bread can be enhanced by the use of olive oil for dipping.
2

20103002
Reference Lists
The SMAE recommended guidance to Harvard referencing is from the QMU, SMAEs
credit rating partner. Please refer to the ‘Write & cite 2020’ guide below for
information on referencing and reference lists:
https://libguides.qmu.ac.uk/ld.php?content_id=33266476
(Note use of italics and punctuation. Place sources in alphabetical order in the
reference list using the first letter of the surname/first letter of the
organisation/website name).
BBC, 2020. Bianca Williams: Athlete accuses police of racial profiling after vehicle
search [Online]. [Accessed 6 July 2020]. Available from:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/53301318
BONEN, A. and SHAW, S.M., 1996. Recreational exercise participation and aerobic
fitness in men and women: analysis of data from a national survey. Journal of Sports
Science. August, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 297-303.
BURNS, T., 2004. Teaching, learning and study skills: a guide for tutors. London:
Sage.
COTTER, D., MANNING, R.J., BLOW, K.J., ELLIS, A.D., KELLY, A.E. and NESSET,
D., 1999. Non-linear optics for high-speed digital information processing. Science
[Online]. November, vol. 286, no. 5444, pp. 1523-1528 [Accessed 21 August 2020].
Available from: http://www.sciencemag.org
COTTRELL, S., 2019. The Study Skills Handbook. 5th ed. London: Red Globe Press,
p. 63.
DR FOOT, 2020. Antalgic Gait [Online]. [Accessed 22 March 2020]. Available from:
https://www.drfoot.co.uk/antalgic-gait.htm
MANDELSTAM, M., 2009. Community care practice and the law [Online]. 4th ed.
London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers [Accessed 26 June 2020]. Available from:
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/qmuc/Doc?id=10264096
Merriam-Webster.com dictionary, 2020 [Online]. [Accessed 23 July 2020]. Available
from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intersectionality
NICE, 2020. Tinnitus: assessment and management [NG155]. [Online]. [Accessed 20
September 2020]. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng155
SPRINGETT, K. and JOHNSON, M., 2010. The Skin and Nails in Podiatry. In: P.
FROWEN, M. O’DONNELL, D. LORIMER, G. BURROW, eds. Neale’s Disorders of
the Foot. 8th ed. London: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, p. 21.
THE SMAE INSTITUTE, 2020. Credit Rated Foot Health Course. Module 6, The
Skin. Maidenhead: The SMAE Institute.
3

20103002
THE SMAE INSTITUTE, 2021. Credit Rated Foot Health Course. Module 6, The
Skin: structure & function [Online]. [Accessed 16 January 2021]. Available from:
https://www.smae-elearning.co.uk/mod/page/view.php?id=885
Module 1 essay - what we’re looking for:
 Identify what study skills are and discuss how they support learning using referenced
work/research/evidence. Where possible, critically analyse the available literature –
aim to give a range of opinions, both for and against the statement. Aim to avoid just
giving a list of points/describing what study skills are.
 This might look something like: According to Smith (2006), study skills are a vital
element of academic learning. Jones (2011, p. 28) however, refutes this assertion
and claims that, “in a 2010 study of 560 students, Freemantle University concluded
that study skills are an unnecessary distraction”.
THE WRITER WORK STARTS FROM HERE! HE
NEEDS TO COMPLETE THE ESSAYS
ACCORDING TO LECTURER’S FEEDBACK THAT
CAN BE FOUND ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE.
AS WELL, THE WRITER NEED TO FOLLOW THE
HINTS AND TIPS FROM THE BEGGINING OF
THIS DOCUMENT.
4

20103002
STUDY SKILLS
(Word limit 500. Actual word count: 511)
The aim of this essay is to outline the importance of study skills.
According to Cottrell (2019), a skill is a learned ability achieved through luck or
chance. Skills can be fine-tuned through practice, feedback and reflection, just as
athletes improve their performance by everyday practice.
In The Study handbook (Cottrell 2019), study skills are defined as abilities, habits,
understandings and attitudes that enable achievement in study. These can be
categorized in four inter-related areas: self, academic, people and task.
First of all, it is important to develop academic skills, because they can help boost
someone’s confidence, help someone to succeed and they will enable work or study
more effectively.
As Cottrell (2019) mentions, a good self-management is very important for
autonomous learning and personal responsibility.
Time management (Cottrell 2019), is an essential quality to ensure that work is
submitted on time.
A study reveals that it is imperative to create a schedule, at the very beginning, and
fill in the time boxes with activities that do not change from day to day, or week to
week and then the remaining boxes can be filled with activities regarding study. A
long term schedule is not very effective, so it must be prepared a daily one and
assignments have to be prioritized.
5

20103002
Another important aspect related to time-management is that studying, essay writing,
in particular, needs time to research. A good essay cannot be written in, let’s say, 10
minutes. Here comes one more quality regarding study skills, this is autonomy
(Cottrell 2019), the ability to make appropriate choices, to scrutinize sources, to
check the relevant ideas that can be included within the essay.
Memory skills (Cottrell 2019) have to be developed, too, but they are not enough to
success. It is easier to remember a material when it is understood than only
memorized. Students who study for understanding can explain and demonstrate how
concepts are related to each other, rather than the ones who only memorize facts.
Interaction with others can also help studying, as Cottrell (2019) mentions it.
Sometimes a task have to be completed by a team, it needs collaboration, peer
feedback, cultural competence.
Some of the benefits of team work are: learning from others, participating in active
learning, seeing material from others perspectives. Being able to work as a team
member is a skill that can be developed only by being part of one.
Task awareness (Cottrell 2019) has to be mentioned, too. To get a good score, there
are some issues to have in mind: the course content, the objectives, how marks are
allocated, what loses marks.
Last but not least, familiarity, practice and habit (Cottrell 2019) are essential to score
a goal. Everything can be improved through practice, feedback and monitoring. As it
6