Study Skills and Techniques

1. How to organize your study
2. How to read an academic textbook
3. How to write an academic research paper
4. How to prepare for an exam
5. How to use APA referencing system
6. What is plagiarism

1. How to organize your study

• Set small goals: avoid getting overwhelmed; break large assignments into manageable parts
• Make daily check list: prepare a daily to do list for your studies, so you will be able to complete more tasks this way
• Think positively: visualize positive outcomes
• Manage your time wisely: schedule a consistent study time each day

2. How to read an academic textbook

• Read aloud
• Take notes – underline or highlight the topic or main idea of each paragraph
• Pay special attention to definitions and make use of index/glossary
• Set a reading goal - determine how much to read before you start
• Summarize each chapter or section
• Check if you are able to tie main ideas, concepts and facts together into a whole that is meaningful to you and link these to something you already know

3. How to write an academic essay

• Select a topic area
• Write down several ideas for your essay
• Collect data from various sources
• Write free thoughts down. Put your main idea in a circle in the middle of the page, then write down as many thoughts as you can
• Edit and organize your thoughts into a thesis sentence - this is the main idea of what your paper will cover
• Create an outline using your thesis
• Fill in your outline by writing
• Introduction – your thesis and things you will prove in your paper
• Body – statements that support your theory. Use example, quotations, research, statistics, etc.
• Conclusion - summarize your paper by stating how you proved your theory
• Format your essay in APA style
• NO Plagiarism

4.  How to prepare for an exam

• Schedule a time to study each day for several days before the exam. Do not wait until the last minute to cram for the exam
• Identify what you will need to know for the exam
• Review study materials for what will be on the exam
• Avoid stress and get enough sleep
• Arrive a few minutes early to the exam
• Complete the easier questions first
• Pay attention to wording of questions

5.  How to use APA referencing system
All research paper must adhere to the style and format requirements set forth in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

The checklist below should be used as a guideline to submitting written work for grading:

• Use standard font size, margins and double spacing
• Include page numbers
• Include title page
• Include in-text citations and reference list
• Ensure headings, in-text citations and reference in APA format
• Because APA guidelines for citing electronic sources are constantly evolving, for the most current principles and samples, you should consult the APA's own website: http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html

6. What is Plagiarism?
Using words, ideas or any work by someone else without proper acknowledgement is considered plagiarism. Anytime, you use someone's words and sentences directly, you must put these in quotation marks and cite your source(s). If you use ideas of other authors even though those ideas are paraphrased or summarized in your own words, you must also provide citation.