Library guides

This comprehensive guide is an essential toolkit for students looking to refine the specific English language skills required for higher education. Whether English is your first language or an additional language, mastering academic register and terminology is crucial for success. The guide provides structured resources to improve your reading strategies, allowing you to digest complex texts efficiently, and offers techniques for structuring academic essays and reports.

You will also find valuable activities to enhance your listening comprehension for lectures and build confidence in your oral presentation skills. Additionally, the guide breaks down the nuances of grammar, vocabulary building and academic culture, helping you understand exactly what lecturers expect in your assessments and ensuring you can communicate your critical thinking with clarity and precision.

Academic integrity is the cornerstone of the university community and your future professional reputation. This guide offers a deep dive into what it means to act with honesty, fairness and responsibility in your studies. It moves beyond simple definitions to provide practical strategies for avoiding plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. You will find detailed explanations of how to acknowledge the work of others correctly, how to use text-matching software as a learning tool, and how to manage your time to prevent panic-induced misconduct.

The guide also outlines the serious consequences of academic breaches. By engaging with these resources, you ensure that your degree remains a genuine reflection of your own hard work and that you graduate with the ethical standards expected by employers.

Our Artificial Intelligence (AI) guide explains how generative AI tools, such as Copilot and ChatGPT, can be a helpful part of your study, assessments and research — and how to use them responsibly. Each school, subject or task may have its own rules, so it’s important to check with your lecturers before using AI. If you do use it, make sure you acknowledge any AI-generated content to avoid academic misconduct.

This guide also covers things to watch out for, like ethical use, academic integrity, copyright, privacy and the risk of incorrect or biased information. We encourage you to think critically about AI-generated work, and to understand both the possibilities and the responsibilities that come with using these tools.

Navigating university assessments can be daunting, but this guide provides a structured roadmap to help you succeed. It breaks down the entire assessment lifecycle into manageable stages, from decoding the initial assignment prompt and marking rubric to planning your research timeline. You will find specific advice for tackling various assessment types, including essays, case studies, reflective journals and scientific reports.

The guide also emphasizes the importance of the review process, offering checklists for proofreading, editing and formatting your work before submission. Furthermore, it explains how to interpret and act on feedback from previous assignments, turning every grade into a learning opportunity. By following these strategies, you can reduce assessment anxiety and produce high-quality work that truly demonstrates your knowledge.

In an age of information overload, the ability to find credible sources is a critical skill. This guide takes you through the step-by-step process of information literacy, starting with how to deconstruct your assignment topic and identify powerful search keywords. It explains the fundamental differences between various information sources—such as scholarly books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and grey literature—helping you select the right evidence for your specific task.

You will learn advanced search techniques for the Library Search and specialized databases, including the use of Boolean operators, truncation, and filters. Additionally, the guide provides frameworks for evaluating the reliability, currency, and authority of the sources you find, ensuring your academic arguments are built on a foundation of solid, trustworthy evidence.

Accurate referencing is a non-negotiable part of academic writing that demonstrates your scholarly rigour. This central hub connects you to specific, detailed guides for the major citation styles used across the university, including APA, Chicago and AGLC. It explains the core principles of referencing—the "who, when, what and where"—so you understand the logic behind the rules.

You will find easy-to-follow examples for citing a vast array of sources, from books and journals to websites, podcasts and government reports. The guide also introduces you to bibliographic management tools that can automate the citation process. By mastering these skills, you not only avoid plagiarism but also allow your readers to trace your research, thereby strengthening the credibility of your arguments.

Studying at a university level requires a proactive and independent approach to learning. This guide offers a wealth of practical strategies to help you study smarter, not just harder. It addresses common challenges such as procrastination and time management, providing tools to help you balance your coursework with life commitments. You will find techniques for active listening and effective note-taking during lectures, as well as strategies for successful group work and collaboration.

The guide also dedicates a significant section to exam preparation, offering tips on revision planning, memory techniques and managing exam stress. Whether you are a first-year student adjusting to university or a final-year student refining your habits, these resources provide the support you need to stay organized and focused.

Academic writing is a specific genre of communication that requires clarity, structure and evidence. This guide provides comprehensive support for every stage of the writing process, from brainstorming ideas to polishing the final draft. It covers the essential elements of essay structure, including how to craft a compelling thesis statement and how to write effective introductions and conclusions. You will learn how to build coherent paragraphs using topic sentences and evidence, as well as how to use signposting to guide the reader through your argument.

The guide also addresses academic style and tone, helping you avoid informal language and express your ideas with authority. By utilising these resources, you can elevate the quality of your written work and communicate your research findings more effectively.