Study success
Skills guides
Our guides are here to help you develop the skills needed for your University studies. Work through our sheets with tutors, in groups, or when studying alone.
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From writing clearly to using evidence effectively, our self-help resources are here to support you with academic writing.
Our resources include writing guides, examples of different skills and templates to help you structure your work.
If you need help using any of the tools or resources on this page, you can book a study development tutorial.
Skills guides
Completing assignments successfully requires understanding the task, breaking it down into stages, planning thoroughly, and responding to feedback. Take charge of your own academic development: as you progress through your studies, you should develop a process of applying feedback on previous work in your planning for new assignments.
- Guide to Essay Writing factsheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Guide to Essay Writing factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Decoding the Question worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Decoding the Question worksheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Assignment Outline Builder worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Assignment Outline Builder worksheet (PDF, 0.1 MB)
- Making the Most of Your Feedback worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Making the Most of Your Feedback worksheet (PDF, 0.1 MB)
- Submitting work to Moodle (Sharepoint)
Keep your learning active: use these resources to create useful notes in your lectures and when you’re reading. Active note-making is targeted to your questions, promotes understanding and recall, and encourages critical thinking. Identify the most useful and relevant evidence for your writing and presentations – effective use of evidence is crucial to making your case.
- Guide to Making Notes factsheet (docx, 0.6 MB)
- Guide to Making Notes factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Finding and Including Evidence factsheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Finding and Including Evidence factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Note Taking Chart worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Note Taking Chart worksheet (PDF, 0.1 MB)
- Active Reading Chart worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Active Reading Chart worksheet (PDF, 0.1 MB)
- Tutorial and meeting notes template (docx, 0.5 MB)
These guides and tools will help you develop clear, effective communication in an academic style suitable to your discipline and the task.
- Writing Clearly: Perfect Sentences factsheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Writing Clearly: Perfect Sentences factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Paragraphs factsheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Paragraphs factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Writing Clearly: Punctuation factsheet (docx 0.5 MB)
- Writing Clearly: Punctuation factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- University of Manchester Academic Phrasebank
Learn how to attribute your sources and show where your information and ideas have come from. Develop your skills of summarising and paraphrasing to demonstrate your understanding.
Practise asking questions of what you’re learning and reading: assess the value of evidence, consider underlying assumptions, and compare different sources, examples, and theories. Breaking down others’ arguments helps you structure your own. As you develop these critical skills throughout your degree, you’ll become an expert who can make sound judgements and form rigorous arguments in your field or profession.
- Critical Thinking Questions factsheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Critical Thinking Questions factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Critical Analysis Checklist worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Critical Analysis Checklist worksheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Critical Paragraphing Examples worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Critical Paragraphing Examples worksheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Critical Thinking Exercise worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Critical Thinking Exercise worksheet (PDF, 0.3 MB)
- Critical Signposting worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Critical Signposting worksheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
Reviewing and learning from your experiences is essential to developing your academic and professional practice, and a good habit to get into for your future progression. You can use your knowledge of your discipline, relevant theories, and professional guidance to understand what’s happened, the decisions you made, and how to improve in future. There are several models available to help you think and write reflectively.
- Reflective Writing factsheet (docx, 1.2 MB)
- Reflective Writing factsheet (PDF, 0.4 MB)
- Reflective Thinking worksheet - Driscoll (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Reflective Thinking worksheet - Driscoll (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Reflective Thinking Worksheet - Kolb (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Reflective Thinking Worksheet - Kolb (PDF, 0.2 MB)
Remember to leave time to revise, polish, and check your work, so that it is clear, accurate, and professional. Here are some tools to help you develop your processes for finalising your work.
- Essay Checklist factsheet (docx, 0.6 MB)
- Essay Checklist factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Editing and Proofreading worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Editing and Proofreading worksheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Revising Written Work factsheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Revising Written Work factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Guide to Microsoft Editor (docx, 1.8 MB)
- Guide to Microsoft Editor (PDF, 0.3 MB)
At university, you’re expected to use your initiative and become an independent learner. You’ll have to manage multiple commitments and deadlines, motivate yourself, and plan ahead. Everyone works differently, so it’s essential that you identify your own effective ways of working. Use these tools to help you develop your working processes and manage your time. These skills are the fundamentals for gaining responsibility and project management, and an important reason why employers look for graduates.
- Time Management and Staying Focused factsheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Time Management and Staying Focused factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- SMART worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Dissertation Planner worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Dissertation Planner worksheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Independent Study Planner worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Independent Study Planner worksheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Goal Setting worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Goal Setting worksheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Starting Tasks and Making Progress worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Starting Tasks and Making Progress worksheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
It’s crucial to understand and fulfil the demands of the task set. Use these guides alongside your assignment brief, lecturer guidance, and examples from your discipline.
- Presentations factsheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Presentations factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Writing a Lab Report factsheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Writing a Lab Report factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Guide to Writing a Research Proposal (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Guide to Writing a Research Proposal (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Literature Reviews factsheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Literature Reviews factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
Memorisation is an active process that involves making links, using the information, and regularly refreshing your knowledge. These guides suggest effective techniques to build into your revision.
- Exam Revision: Memory and Recall factsheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Exam Revision: Memory and Recall factsheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Exam Revision: Memory and Recall worksheet (docx, 0.5 MB)
- Exam Revision: Memory and Recall worksheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Exam Revision: Memory and Recall Visual Glossary worksheet (docx, 0.7 MB)
- Exam Revision: Memory and Recall Visual Glossary worksheet (PDF, 0.2 MB)
- Landscape Revision Poster Template (PDF, 0.1 MB)
Online meetings and digital resources are now an integral part of academic and professional life. These guides give practical support – familiarise yourself with the technology and use these prompts to get the most out of your sessions.
