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Essential Academic Skills Guide for Students ©January 2007 Written and compiled by:
Beverley Maynard
Gay Johnson
Barbara Hepburn
Jenny Peacock
Philip Dee
Helen Gardner
Ethan Rhemahn
David Maynard
Sherron Parkes
Published by:
Faculty of Health
University of Central England
Westbourne Campus
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 3TN
This guide is also available on-line from:
http://lhds.moodle.uce.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=655
Please forward comments or useful additional information to:
Acknowledgements We would like to thank……
Beverley Maynard from the Essentials Team
Peter Ebrey – Subject Librarian
Margaret Wills – Senior Lecturer
Caroline Wall – Learner Development Unit
Contents
Introduction
Purpose of the guide Page
How the guide is organised
1. Developing your learning style 4
2. Reading skills and use of evidence for academic study 6
3. Academic writing 13
4. Reflection and reflective writing 17
5. Mind-mapping 23
6. Referencing 25
7. Critical thinking and critical analysis 34
8. Exam and revision techniques 37
9. Numeracy skills 41
10. Time management and organisational skills 42
Appendices 46
Appendix 1: Numeracy self-assessment quiz.
2
Introduction Welcome to this guide to studying in the Faculty of Health.
The Faculty of Health recognises and welcomes the diversity of experience
that students bring to their studies at UCE. It understands that each student is
unique with individual aspirations and needs. Student support within the
faculty is focussed on engaging students in more active approaches to learning in
order to enable each individual to achieve their full potential.
The purpose of this guide is to outline what is expected of you in your
academic work, and to provide you with guidelines that will help you achieve
that potential.
This guide should help you to ‘find your feet’ at the beginning of your studies
but should also be a useful reference document throughout your programme.
How the guide is organised The guide is organised into short sections, in the order they appear on the
contents list. It is designed to be “dipped into”, rather than read from
beginning to end. The sections can be read in any order and each section can
be read on its own, although clearly the topics are interlinked.
We hope you will find this guide useful. It is part of a range of resources and
services available to you throughout your time at university.
3
1. Developing your Learning Style
You may have had a learning styles assessment which gave you results that you can use to guide your study. There are a number available which use different descriptions of learning styles. The most important thing, however, is to be aware that people do learn differently and that making the most of your strengths will help you to learn more effectively.
The way in which we learn is through our five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Obviously the main channels we use are those of sound and sight, but there is a great deal of evidence that a multi-sensory approach to learning is more effective than simply relying on traditional print and lectures.
Visual learners find it easier to take in new information through pictures, diagrams, charts and films. If you are a visual learner, you learn best by writing down key facts or visualising what you are learning by pictures and diagrams.
Auditory learners find it easier to take in new information through the spoken word. They like hearing seminars and presentations. Auditory learners find it easy to summarise in their own words and enjoy explaining the subject to someone else.
Kinaesthetic learners find it easier to take in new information through copying demonstrations. They learn best by making models, underlining/highlighting new information or key points and recording information as they hear it, preferably in a mind map.
You could think about the ways you work and experiment with alternatives that suit your strengths.
Do you like listening to explanations rather than reading them?
If so, you might find it helpful to record your notes when revising for exams and listen to them when you’re travelling to and from the university.
Do you remember pictures and diagrams easily?
If so, you could organise your notes in poster form and pin them to the wall.
4
Here are some further ideas on learning techniques to suit different styles. Depending on the subject, the following techniques could be used-
Auditory learners
• Talk your ideas out loud to yourself as if discussing them with someone and record what you say
• Discuss your ideas with someone • Use a computer with voice recognition • Plan an essay as if you were giving a talk • Work with music in the background • Work from recorded books or transcripts
Visual Learners
• Try using mind maps • Use colour coding to link similar ideas • If you find it hard to put things into words then make a diagram or
adapt one from your book. You can then refer to it in your text • Use post-it notes, which come in different colours, for brainstorming
and for marking pages
Kinaesthetic learners
• Put your ideas onto index cards • Cut up photocopies or relevant parts of texts or newspaper
articles • Try making a collage mind map, using pictures associated with
ideas • Walk about while you’re thinking • Try ideas our or imagine yourself or someone else doing
something.
Sources of Additional Information
There are a number of websites and books you can consult if you want to explore your learning style further.
Here is a selection: www.learningstyles.org www.open2.net
Cottrell, S (2003) The Study Skills Handbook. (2nd ed.) Basingstoke: Macmillan-Palgrave
5
2. Reading Skills and Use of Evidence for Academic Study
When you start a university course, you will have the same challenge as
every other student: how to get through a vast amount of reading. Critical
reading plays a major role in university study, yet how to develop this skill is
not often discussed. This guide will suggest ways for you to develop your
reading skills and to read in a more focused and selective manner.
Developing your critical reading skills will help you to think and write more
critically and can improve the marks you get for assignments. But like any
other skill, for example, baking a cake or driving a car, it takes practice.
During your course you will need to: • make decisions about what to read
• read difficult material
• try to remember what you have read
To improve your reading skills you need to: • Have clear reading goals
• Choose the right texts
• Use active reading techniques
• Use the appropriate reading method
The way you read something will depend on your purpose. You will need to
read quickly to find relevant sections, then read carefully when you have
found what you want. Efficient reading strategies such as scanning to find the
book or chapter, skimming to get the gist of the article, chapter or section of
the book and careful reading of important passages are necessary if you are
to become an effective reader. Learning about how texts are structured can
also help you to read more effectively.
6
Reading Academic Writing Authors, especially those writing in academia, put forward and establish a
certain point of view through their writing, often making it sound as though it is
fact rather than their own interpretation. Therefore, what you read might at
first seem very convincing but you, as the reader, need to evaluate, assess or
weigh up just how valid or convincing their evidence or argument is.
All writers use what are known as ‘textual strategies’ to communicate meaning
and to persuade the reader to accept that their argument or point of view is a
convincing one. We all do this in our everyday interactions with other people.
For example, think about how you might tell a group of friends about a really
good night out you had. What words would you use to express how good it
was? Besides using emotive words, such as ‘great’ or ‘fabulous’, you might
also use body language and your voice to further convey just how great a time
you had. In the same way, authors of academic text use strategies to make
their work sound convincing.
They may use strategies, such as;
• Quoting or mentioning other academic authors
• Citing studies or research findings
• Quoting statistics
• Using emotive words
It is your task, as the reader, to evaluate the author’s argument and uncover
the strengths and weaknesses in their writing.
7
Reading Goals Before starting to read you need to think about your reasons for reading the
text.
• If you are reading for general interest and background information for
lectures you need to read the topic widely.
• If you are reading for an essay you will need to read around the essay
question and study a small area of the subject in depth. It’s worth
jotting down the essay question where you can see it. This will help
you to avoid becoming side tracked and wasting time on non-related
information.
Selecting Reading Materials It is important to realise that the reading you select will constitute the evidence
you require to formulate your discussion. The following can be considered as
sources of evidence:
• Books
• Journal articles
• Electronic sources
• Newspapers
• Other relevant information (e.g. information leaflets, posters,
conference papers, policy documents)
You should use a variety of sources so, for example, do not use only
websites. You need to decide how reputable, trustworthy and reliable your
sources are. Remember that books and journal articles are subject to rigorous
peer review, whereas this will not automatically be the case for a website
accessed via a Google search.
Of course official websites, such as the Department of Health website, are
appropriate sources. You need to develop the skills to assess your sources
for relevance, strengths and weaknesses. You may find this challenging when
8
you start your programme of study, but will develop these skills as you
progress through your course.
There are a number of things you will need to consider:
• Books are appropriate for theory, but take longer to read and will
probably not be as up to date as journal articles. You need to be
selective, by scanning chapter titles, indexes, summaries etc.
• Journal articles are quicker to read and you can assess the usefulness
of the article by reading the abstract. If after reading this you consider
the article will be relevant you can then go on to read the entire article.
Conversely, by reading the abstract you might identify that the article is
not relevant so you do not need to waste your time reading it.
• If the article is particularly relevant do check the reference list as you
are likely to find other equally relevant sources of information.
However, beware of getting sidetracked!
• Newspapers, reports and some websites can be useful and relevant.
However you need to bear in mind that there may be vested interests
represented, which can introduce bias. Wherever possible go to the
primary source. For example, the Telegraph and the Guardian may
report the same situation but from very different perspectives.
• Wherever you source your material you need to be aware of the
difference between primary and secondary sources. A primary source
refers to the original research. A secondary source may, for example,
be a review article, which refers to other people’s work. It is possible
that you could interpret the original work differently to the reviewer if
you were to read the primary source.
9
• You need to be able to effectively search for literature and advice on
how to do this can be obtained from the library, which has a wide
selection of useful materials to help you.
• Read actively, in other words engage with the text by taking notes,
formulating a list of questions, cross referencing and noting key words
and ideas. You can make notes in the margins (not in library books!)
and use highlighters on photocopies.
• Track and note sources as you go along using a system such as index
cards or a table. This will make it much easier for you and will save
time when you come to write your reference list.
You may find this template useful as a guide for keeping track of your reading:
Full reference of the book / paper
Theoretical position or type of theory
Key arguments
Reasons / evidence to support argument
Weaknesses in the argument
Comparison or contrast with other sources
10
Sources of Additional Information COTTRELL, S (2003) The Study Skills Handbook. 2nd Ed. London: Palgrave Macmillan Personal Development Centre workshop on Reading Strategies. Contact Sherron Parkes on 0121 331 7011 for details and to book a place. Details can also be found on the PDC website, go to http://health.uce.ac.uk and then follow the link to the PDC page Stella Cottrell has produced an excellent study skills handbook as well as having a website with some very good interactive resources www.skills4study.com The University Staff and Student Development Department have an excellent website with a range of resources www.uce.ac.uk/ssdd
11
3. Academic Writing
What is Academic Writing? Academic Writing is structured and written in the standard form of the
language. This means that it is formal, clear and concise. It has one central
theme with every part contributing to the main line of argument. It is logically
structured to ensure there is no digression or repetition. The purpose of
Academic Writing is to inform and debate rather than to entertain.
Throughout your course, you may be asked to produce work in a number of
different formats, e.g. essays, reports, reflective accounts, teaching materials.
Whilst these formats differ in some aspects such as structure and style, the
basic principles of academic writing remain the same.
What does “formal” mean? Formal writing means using appropriate Standard English vocabulary. In other
words you should avoid the use of “slang” or “street” words, which you may
use in everyday speech. Writing as you would speak is known as
colloquialism and is not appropriate in academic writing. However, this does
not mean that you have to use complicated or flowery vocabulary. In most
cases ‘plain’ English works best.
Your writing should be precise rather than vague. For example, avoid
abbreviations such as ‘etc’ and phrases such as ‘that sort of thing’.
Accurate spelling is essential in formal writing. You will know if spelling is not
one of your strengths, and you should use a dictionary or spellchecker to
check words you are not sure of.
Sentence structure is also important. This includes correct punctuation and
consistent grammar to ensure the sentence makes sense. Sentences should
also be grouped into paragraphs. A paragraph is a section of text concerned
12
with a key point. A new paragraph should relate to a new area of discussion.
Paragraphs should be linked to demonstrate a logical progression of ideas.
Common Mistakes Some common errors that people make in academic writing are:
Incorrect punctuation - this means either that their sentences are far too long
(see example 1) or that they have sentence fragments rather than complete
sentences (see example 2).
Example 1: Academic experts say that our writing style should be concise but
sometimes it is not possible to say what you mean without explaining yourself
in depth and that requires you to give all the details of the topic that you are
trying to write about as well as all the various points of view that have to be
considered.
Example 2: If everyone earns the same amount of money.
One way to check for this is to use the grammar checking function of your
word-processor. Another helpful check is to read your writing out loud and
ensure you have punctuated natural pauses. You could also ask a friend to
read your work to see if it makes sense.
Changing tense – switching inappropriately between past and present tense
throughout the writing.
Example: The midwife performed an abdominal palpation and attached the
monitor. Then she carries on with her examination.
Structure of Academic Writing The structure of your writing will be determined by the format of the work you
have been asked to produce. For example, the structure required for a report
is different to that required for an essay, but there are some common
principles.
13
An essay flows as a continuous text developing a single theme. The skills you
are expected to demonstrate will vary according to the topic area and the level
at which you are being assessed. For example, at Level 4 you might typically
be asked to demonstrate your understanding of a concept and your ability to
apply your knowledge to a practice scenario. At Level 5 you could be required
to debate an issue, and compare different perspectives, whereas at Level 6
you may be required to review a range of information and draw original
conclusions.
Regardless of the level, the essay should consist of properly constructed
sentences organised into a number of paragraphs, each concerned with a key
point. Paragraphs should be linked to demonstrate a logical progression of
ideas.
An essay has a specific structure consisting of an introduction, a main body
and a conclusion. The introduction and conclusion should each form
approximately 10% of the wordage of the essay. The introduction should
include an overview of the essay and indicate how you are going to answer
the question you have been set. The main body is where you will discuss the
key points in more depth and the conclusion will be a summary of your
discussion, highlighting the main points you have made. Whilst the
introduction must be at the beginning, and conclusion at the end of your final
submission, many people prefer to write the main body first and insert the
introduction at a later stage.
How to tackle an essay. You should always plan your essay. Many students claim that don’t have time
to do a plan, but planning will actually save you time. Start by carefully
considering the essay title or question that you have been set. Underline the
key words and ensure you fully understand what you are being asked to do.
Set yourself a list of questions that you need answers to in order to tackle the
question and approach your reading as a search for these answers. As you
find relevant information, make a note of it, including the reference information
for the source. Use mindmapping techniques (or a spider diagram) to
organise your ideas into themes or key points, and allocate word limits
accordingly. (e.g. If you are planning a 2000 word essay, reserve 200 words
14
for the introduction and 200 for the conclusion and divide the remaining 1600
between the key discussion points you have identified – the distribution may
be uneven depending on the importance of each discussion point). Organise
your discussion points into a logical order, making brief notes of the
A report will consist of headings, subheadings, and may employ bullet points
and lists, but should still be written in a formal style
Reflective accounts, educational materials and other types of assignment may use a combination of these formats. It is important to check
the assignment brief for the specific requirements of any one assignment.
All academic writing should start with an introduction and finish with a
conclusion. In an essay you should allow about 10% of your word limit for
each. They may be shorter in other types of assignment, but it is still important
to include them. The introduction will give an overview of what you are going
to be writing about, whereas the conclusion will draw all your discussions
together. The introduction and conclusion are often good indicators of the
quality of the rest of the assignment, so it is worth investing time in
constructing them.
1st, 2nd, 3rd Person and Impersonal Style. 1st person style means using words such as I, me, my, ours, and we in your
writing. It is an appropriate style to use for reflective writing, when you are
discussing your own thoughts and experiences. Some people believe that
writing in the first person is not ‘academic’, but this is not true. The problem is
that, when you write in the first person, it is easy to slip into an informal or
colloquial style. As long as you take care to keep your writing formal, there is
no reason why you can’t use the first person style within any assignment.
2nd person style means addressing the reader, using words like you, your and
yours. This style is particularly appropriate for information and educational
15
materials, hence this guide is written in a 2nd person style, as it is intended to
give you information and advice.
An impersonal style is sometimes known as ‘3rd person style’. It means
avoiding the use of first person. For example, instead of writing ‘I prepared the
equipment’, you would write ‘the equipment was prepared’, or instead of ‘in
my experience’ you would write ‘experience suggests’. This is the style that is
traditionally associated with academic writing and it is suitable for discursive
essays, or discursive sections of other types of assignment.
Some students believe that a third person style makes their writing more
academic than other styles, or that it is more ‘analytical’. In some cases they
will write in the first person and then go through their writing changing all the
‘I’s to a label such as ‘the author’. Avoid falling into this trap – a 3rd person
style is no more ‘academic’ than any other style, and it certainly makes no
difference to the level of analysis. At worst, making limited changes in this
way can make your writing very clumsy and disjointed.
The important thing to understand is that there are different styles, and that
some are more suited to certain types of academic writing than others. You
should choose the one that most suits your own style and the type of writing
that you have been asked to produce.
Sources of Additional Information
Both the Personal Development Centre and the Learner Development Unit of
the Staff and Student Development Department can offer workshops, small
group and individual tutorials on all aspects of Academic Writing.
Useful book: COTTRELL, S (2003) The Study Skills Handbook. 2nd Ed.
London. Palgrave Macmillan. (Chapters 7 & 8 are particularly useful. The
author has a very “easy to follow” style and there are some very helpful hints
and tips here).
Useful website: www.skills4study.com Follow the green link to study skills.
16
4. Reflection and Reflective Writing
Before you consider how to write reflectively you need to consider the
following questions:
What is reflection?
Why is reflection relevant to health and social care?
What is the value of written reflection? Reflection may be defined as “A generic term for those intellectual and affective activities in which
individuals engage to explore their experiences in order to lead to a new
understanding and appreciation” (Boud et al. 1985, p. 19).
or
“A process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe,
analyse, evaluate and so inform learning about practice” (Reid, 1993, p. 305).
Reflection-in-action is when the practitioner thinks about his or her
practice whilst doing it and makes changes as a result. It is sometimes
referred to as “thinking on your feet”
Reflection-on-action is thinking about practice after it has taken place, to
identify what has been learnt by analysing and interpreting the information
recalled. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘cognitive post-mortem’.
Reflection therefore is an active process of turning experience into
knowledge, which goes beyond simple recall of events. The process of
reflection should result in a changed perspective. In other words it helps us to
see things differently.
17
Reflective Practice For reflection to make a real difference to practice, it is important that the
outcome includes a commitment to action. This may not necessarily involve
acts which can be observed by others, but it is important that the individual
makes a commitment of some kind on the basis of that learning. “Action is the
final stage of the reflective cycle” (Atkins and Murphy, 1993).
Reflective Writing Reflective writing is very appropriate to health and social care as it enables you to focus on the experience you have gained in practice and the learning that has resulted. Because you are writing about yourself and your own experience, it is appropriate to write in a first person style. However, it is important to note that reflective writing is a form of academic writing and therefore you should still use a formal style. Many students find a model of reflection helpful when structuring their reflective writing. There are several models to choose from but all include a variation of the following stages:-
Description
Thoughts and feelings
Evaluation
Analysis
Conclusion and action plan. A simple model that many students (and staff) like is Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle. Following the stages of the cycle helps you to avoid getting stuck at the description stage.
18
The Reflective Cycle (Gibbs, 1988)
Feelings What were you
thinking and feeling?
Action Plan If it arose again what
would you do?
Description What happened?
Evaluation What was good and bad about experience?
Analysis What sense can you make of the
situation?
Conclusion What else could you have done?
19
Reflection and Portfolios Increasingly, as practitioners, we are required to provide evidence of
accountable, up-to-date professional practice. This is usually in the form of
a portfolio in which individuals record professional development and
competence. Reflective writing for your portfolio can enable you to record:
Professional practice
Decision-making
Knowledge acquisition
Developing expertise Education in Health Care has developed alongside the requirement for
increasing transparency regarding accountability and reflective writing is
seen as a tool for making our learning explicit and accessible to others,
which is essential for accountable, professional practice.
Journal Writing You may be expected to keep a learning journal as part of your programme
of study, but even if you are not it is a useful activity anyway. This is
because it is compiled over a period of time and will therefore provide a
documented record of your learning and progress. If you are on a
programme which incorporates a professional qualification, a learning
journal will be an essential component of your professional portfolio as a
qualified practitioner (see above).
Journal writing will help you to:
Develop reflective skills
Be proactive about your learning
Develop an inquiring approach to practice
Value the knowledge gained from experience
Monitor and address gaps in your knowledge
Make sense of your professional life
20
Develop the skills for lifelong learning
Hints and Tips for Keeping a Reflective Journal:
Focus on issues of professional significance
Make an entry at least weekly for continuity and date your entries
Write on one side of the paper only (this enables you to revisit your
entries and make notes about how your thinking has developed)
Re-read several entries, searching for patterns and themes
Write in the first person
Use a framework to structure your reflection such as Gibbs
Reflective Cycle
Keep an open mind and be prepared to explore new ideas and
insights
Use your journal entries as a basis for conversations with a tutor or
mentor (Jasper, 2003; Ghaye and Lillyman, 2006) References ATKINS, S. and MURPHY, K. (1993) Reflection: a review of the literature.
Journal of Advanced Nursing. 18: pp1188-1192.
BOUD, D., KEOGH, R. and WALKER, D. (1985) Reflection: turning
experience into learning. London: Kogan Page.
GHAYE, T. and LILLYMAN, S. (2006) Learning Journals and Critical
Incidents: Reflective Practice for Health Care Professionals.2nd ed. London:
MA Healthcare Ltd.
GIBBS, G. (1988) Learning by Doing: a Guide to Teaching and Learning
Methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.
21
JASPER, M. (2003) Beginning Reflective Practice. Cheltenham: Nelson
Thornes.
REID, B. (1993) ‘But we’re doing it already!’ Exploring a response to the
concept of reflective practice in order to improve its facilitation. Nurse
Education Today. 13: pp305-309.
Sources of Additional Information
GHAYE, T. and LILLYMAN, S. (2006) Learning Journals and Critical
Incidents: Reflective Practice for Health Care Professionals.2nd ed. London:
MA Healthcare Ltd.
JASPER, M. (2003) Beginning Reflective Practice. Cheltenham: Nelson
Thornes.
Personal Development Centre workshop on Reflective Writing. Contact Sherron Parkes on 0121 331 7011 for details and to book a place. Details can also be found on the PDC website, go to http://health.uce.ac.uk and then follow the link to the PDC page The University Staff and Student Development Department have an excellent website with a range of resources www.uce.ac.uk/ssdd
22
5. Mind Mapping Mind maps are a creative tool for generating and recording ideas and knowledge. Unlike traditional note-taking or linear planning they use pictures and colour as well as words. Mind maps are defined by a branching structure radiating out from a picture or idea in the centre of the page. They can provide an overview of the connections and associations between different parts or components of any topic and due to their branching shape are also extremely flexible when new ideas or materials need to be added. Mind maps have a number of advantages:
• They allow you to be creative and personalise your study • They encourage you to be brief and concise (and therefore quick and
efficient) using key words • They encourage you to see the inter-connectivity and relationships
between ideas • They enable you to gain an overview of a topic area very quickly • Making a mind map requires active rather than passive learning
thereby aiding memory and recall Here are the basic rules for making a mind map:
• Use a blank sheet of paper (landscape not portrait) and start in the centre of the page with an image and/or key words
• Ideas branch out from this central point • Highlight key words and ideas with pictures, colour, changes in
SIZE and underlining • Lines branching out from the centre are thicker at the centre (denoting
main ideas) then becoming thinner as they fan out • Keep lines curvy and wavy (organic as opposed to rigidly straight)
23
Here is an example:
LANDSCAPE
BLANK
START
CENTRAL
IMAGECENTRAL
ALL
STRUCTURE=
THINNEROUTER
CONNECTED
WAVEY'ORGANIC'
IMAGE
WORD
LENGTH
1
SELECT
TEXT=10%KEY
CLARITY
CENTRAL
READABLESMALL
LITTLE
OUTER
EMPHASIS
IMPOR ANT
SI EZ
WORDS
CODES/SYMBOLS
THROUGHOUT
ALWAYS
+++ 3 COLOURSCENTRAL
FUN BEAUTY
IM GESA
PROJECT
PEOPLE
OWN
CODE
LINKS
USE
COLOUR
1
2
3
4
ORDER CLEAR
HIERARCHY RADIENT
BLOOM
FLOWASSOCIATION
BRAIN
NATURE
YOU
REFLECTS
STRUCTURE
TONY BUZAN
MindMapping Rules
CENTRE
Similar use
Sources of Additional Information: Buzan,T. & Buzan,B. (2000) The Mind Map Book London: BBC http://www.jcu.edu.au/studying/services/studyskills/mindmap/index.html www.mindgenius.com
24
6. Referencing
Referencing is an essential part of academic scholarship, and ethical values
demand that authors identify the sources used in their work.
You are referencing in order to: Acknowledge an intellectual debt to another author where you have
drawn from his or her published work or ideas, either explicitly or
implicitly.
To support specific facts or claims which you make in your text.
To enable your reader to find sources to which you have referred easily
and quickly.
Failure to identify sources upon which you draw is considered plagiarism, a
serious academic offence.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality must be maintained within referencing as well as your written
work. The following statement of confidentiality can be found in your course
handbook:-
“If the patient’s/client’s name or that of a member of staff is
included in any part of the work, including appendices (if they
are not available to the general public), the work will be
deemed a ‘technical fail’ and will receive a zero mark.”
If you are in any way unsure about the maintenance of confidentiality of
source material, then you should ask for guidance.
25
Where to find the relevant reference details
Reference details should be taken from the publication itself. In a book, they
will normally be found on the title page or back of the title page or equivalent.
Referring to or summarizing an author’s viewpoint in your text If the author’s surname occurs naturally in the text, the year follows in round
brackets, e.g.
Davies (2005) says that these skills are not visible to others.
If the author’s name does not occur naturally in the text, insert the name and
year in rounded brackets at the end, e.g.
Some skills are not visible to outsiders (Davies 2005).
If there are two authors, both surnames should be given before the date, e.g.:
Robson and Abbott (2006) suggest that….
If there are three or more authors, include the surname of the first, followed by
“et al.”, e.g.
Nursing involves careful observation at all times (Jackson et al 2004.)
However, all authors should be included in the reference list at the end of your
work.
In all cases you only include the author’s surname within the text; you do not
include first names, initials or titles. Likewise, for the date you only write the
year of publication, more specific information should be reserved for your
reference list. Sometimes the author is an organisation such as the
Department of Health, in which case you put the name of the organisation in
place of a surname
If an author has published more than one paper in a year, lower case letters,
a, b, c, etc., follow the date, e.g.
26
Bradshaw (2006a) argues that… Bradshaw (2006b) shows that…
Direct Quotations When taking a direct quotation, you must give the document’s author, year of
publication and the page number(s) on which the quote appears. Quotations
of up to 4 lines should be placed in double quotation marks within your text.
You can place the name, date and page numbers before or after the quote,
e.g.
Roberts et al. (2004, p.342) say that “Patterns of organisation and methods of
research vary across different disciplines and faculties.”
Paraphrasing Try to avoid over-using direct quotes, especially long quotes. Wherever
possible you should paraphrase rather than quote. In other words,
present the ‘gist’ of the argument in your own words. This will not only
give your writing a more flowing style (and often uses fewer words), but
will also demonstrate that you have understood what you have read
rather than your ability to copy accurately. However, you must still
reference the source of the idea (the author) even though you have put
it into your own words.
The Reference List These are the full details of all writing by authors to which you have referred,
or from which you have quoted in your work. They are collected together in a
list at the end of the complete text. Arrange the list of references
alphabetically by the author’s surname, year and letter (if there is one).
The information that you need to include on your reference list is as
follows:
27
Referencing a book Author(s) or editor(s) in capitals, surname, comma, then initials.
Date (rounded brackets)
Title as printed on title page, in italics or underlined, with first letter of
significant words in capitals, full stop.
Edition (if applicable), comma.
Place of publication colon. (Include country or state if location of place is
unclear.)
Publisher, full stop.
Example: COTTRELL, S. (2005) Critical Thinking Skills. Developing
Effective Analysis and Argument. Basingstoke: Palgrave
Macmillan.
Journal Articles Author in capitals, surname, comma, then initials.
Date (rounded brackets)
Title of article as given on page. First letter of significant words in capitals, the
rest in lower case, full stop.
Title of journal, first letter of significant words in capitals, the rest in lower
case, in italics or underlined, comma.
Volume no space.
Issue (in rounded brackets), comma.
Page numbers in the form of “p.” for one page or “pp.” for 2 or more. Full stop.
Example: HENDRY, C. and FARLEY, A.H. (2006) Essential skills for
students who are returning to study. Nursing Standard 21(6), pp.44-48.
Secondary References
(when the work you are reading refers to another source)
28
Whenever possible, use references from original (primary) sources and avoid
secondary referencing. When this is not possible – for example, when the
original is unpublished, or for some other reason is not available – the original
author and date appear in the text.
Example: The work of Maslow (1970) has become an established theory…
To indicate that Maslow (1970) is a secondary reference in the references list
at the end of your work, use the term ‘cited in’ followed by the full reference to
the work in which it was found e.g.
MASLOW, A. (1970) Motivation and Personality. Cited in KIGER, A.
(2004) Teaching for Health. 3rd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone,
p.34.
Chapters within Edited Books Within your text you would use the name of the author of the chapter (the
person whose ideas you are referring to)
On the reference list you write;
Author of chapter, in capitals, surname, comma, then initials.
Date (rounded brackets).
Title of chapter as printed on title page of chapter, with first letter of significant
words in capitals, full stop, followed by in (in italics or underlined).
Editor(s) of book in capitals, surname, then initials, followed by (ed.) for one
editor or (eds.) for more than one
Then follow instructions for book reference from Title to Publisher, comma,
then Page numbers (optional) in the form of “p.” for one page or “pp.” for
more. Full stop.
Example: SHAW, T. (2005) Leadership for Practice Development. In
JASPER, M. and JUMAA, M. (eds). Effective Healthcare
Leadership. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 207-221.
29
Anonymous Works
Works that are anonymous can be listed either by title first, or as ‘Anon’ in the
text and ‘Anonymous’ in the reference list, as appropriate:
Examples: Radical Bookseller’s Directory. 15th ed. (1991) Portsmouth:
Radical Writers Press
In text: A third of needlestick injuries easily avoidable, expert
says (Anon 2006)
On reference list: ANONYMOUS. (2006). A third of needlestick
injuries easily avoidable, expert says. Nursing Standard, 21(6),
p.10.
Government or Official Publications Government dept/organisation for which report etc. was produced in capitals.
Date (rounded brackets).
Title as given on title page, with first letter of significant words in capitals, the
rest in lower case, in italics or underlined, full stop.
Official reference number (if there is one), comma.
Place of publication, colon.
Publisher followed by
Name of chairperson followed by “Report”, in round brackets, if there is one,
full stop.
Example: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (1994) Report of the inquiry into
the care and treatment of Christopher Clunis. Cmnd. 9543,
London: HMSO (Ritchie Report).
Statistics
Government dept/organisation for which report etc. was produced in capitals.
Date (rounded brackets).
30
Title as given on title page, with first letter of significant words in capitals, the
rest in lower case, in lower case, italics or underlined, full stop.
Official reference number (if there is one), comma.
Place of publication, colon,
Publisher, full stop
Table, figure or other identifying information, comma.
Page numbers in the form of “p.” for one page or “pp.” for more, full stop.
Example: WEST MIDLANDS REGIONAL OBSERVATORY (2004). Real
Lives, Real Issues. A State of the Region Report 2004.
Birmingham: West Midlands Regional Observatory. Figure 27,
p.56.
Internet & WWW publications
Author or responsible organisation in capitals, surname, comma, then initials.
Date (rounded brackets)
Title as given on screen with first letter of significant words in capitals, the rest
in lower case, in italics or underlined, full stop.
Place of publication if included, colon.
Publisher.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) <diamond brackets>
Date of update then date of access (round brackets) full stop.
Example: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (2004)
Home Oxygen Therapy Service: Service Specifications.
London: DOH <dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics > (updated
June 2004, accessed 26th October 2006).
In the text: The Department of Health (2004) provides specifications for . . .
Referencing a Home Page
31
Organisation in capitals. (if applicable, add a comma and the sub-section of
the organisation).
Date (rounded brackets).
Title of home page with first letter of significant words in capitals, the rest in
lower case, in italics or underlined. (If no title, place “Home page” in italics or
underlined in square brackets as a description not in the original source, i.e.
[Home page], full stop.
URL <diamond brackets>.
Example: UCE BIRMINGHAM (2006) Student Services: main menu
<http://www.ssv.uce.ac.uk/index.htm> (updated 2006, accessed
27th October 2006)
Maintaining confidentiality of source material
(also see confidentiality policy in your student handbook)
If trust documents are being used, for example, policies, procedures or care
plans it is important that the name of the trust is never divulged, because
these documents are not available to the general public.
Example: In text: This action was taken in accordance with the NHS
Trust’s (Name withheld, 2005) disciplinary policy.
In reference list: NHS TRUST (Name withheld, 2005)
Disciplinary Policy.
For documents available to the general public, for example, patient
information leaflets produced by the Trust:
In text: The information provided by the Trust about this service
is written in several languages (Appendices 1-3).
In Appendix: Documents labelled as Appendix 1, Appendix 2.
32
Bibliography
This is a list of books, journal articles and other items which you have used for
background reading to inform your opinion, but which you have not referred to
or quoted from directly. As with the list of references, these should be listed
alphabetically in the same format as references, and should be placed after
the list of references at the end of your completed work. You may not need to
include a bibliography in your work, but there should normally be a reference
list.
Sources of Additional Information
No guide can hope to instruct you in every conceivable possibility in
referencing your sources. Some materials are frequently problematical. By
applying these guidelines and by using your own judgement and common
sense (bearing in mind the need to give enough information for interested
teachers and readers to locate an item) you should be able to construct a
proper reference for any item which you have consulted. If you are unsure
about how to record any reference, ask your tutor, a librarian or the Personal
Development Centre (PDC)
Both the PDC and the Learner Development Unit can offer workshops, small
group and individual tutorials on Referencing.
Useful book: COTTRELL, S (2003) The Study Skills Handbook. 2nd Ed.
London: Palgrave. Macmillan. (Pages 135 - 137. The author has a very “easy
to follow” style and there are some very helpful hints and tips here).
Useful article: GOPEE, N. (1999) Referencing academic assignments.
Nursing Standard, 13(27), pp.37-40.
Useful website: www.skills4study.com Follow the green link to study skills.
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7. Critical Thinking and Critical Analysis
When you are making a claim in an academic assignment it is essential to
back it up with use of evidence. However, frequently students incorporate
evidence in a descriptive way. For example, merely listing the opinions of
different authors without drawing any conclusions constitutes a descriptive
piece of work, even though evidence is included. In other words the evidence
is not evaluated in any way.
At its most basic, critical analysis involves looking for and discussing any
potential or actual problems, complications or issues related to the topic you
are discussing. It is crucial to explain why they could be problems or issues
and to explore the possible consequences. In addition solutions may be
identified or recommendations for good practice or further research
discussed. You need to explore the issues and discuss advantages and
disadvantages of different approaches / viewpoints, comparing and
contrasting supporting evidence where necessary.
The key skill required therefore is identifying arguments in the work of others
and formulating arguments in your own written work.
Identifying arguments In the same way that you need to back up a claim with evidence you need to
look for evidence to support claims made in the work of others. This applies to
arguments presented by others in any literature or research you read. An
argument is a line of reasoning where evidence is presented to support a
claim which leads to a conclusion. If the evidence and the claim do not match
up then the line of reasoning breaks down and the argument is not
convincing. You need to use skills of judgement underpinned by knowledge of
the subject and methodology to assess whether the argument is flawed. You
also need to apply this skill to your own writing and ensure you provide sound
evidence for any claims and conclusions that you draw.
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A useful approach is to ask a series of questions, which will help you to
evaluate the evidence you are using. For example:
• What does the literature say?
• Does the evidence directly support the claims being made?
• Are there differing viewpoints?
• What are the pros and cons of different viewpoints?
• Are there any flaws in the literature’s line of reasoning or methodology?
(For example, is the argument based on an underlying assumption for
which no evidence is apparent?)
Breaking down an argument into its component parts When breaking down an argument into its component parts you should look
for the conclusion first, even though this may come at the end of the written
work. You can then work backwards from the conclusion to see if it is
supported by an effective line of reasoning. If there is no conclusion there is
no argument. You should also apply this principle to your own written work,
particularly when proof-reading. It is a good idea to get someone else to
proof-read your work as they may be able to identify flaws in your arguments
or unsubstantiated assumptions that you have missed.
The idea of an argument is to persuade readers to your point of view, so you
need to give reasons in order to persuade the reader. This involves using a
wide range of reading. If you rely on only minimal reading you will find that
you have insufficient evidence to build a convincing argument. Remember the
reader in the case of your assignment is the person who marks it!
Sources of Additional Information
Both the Personal Development Centre and the Learner Development Unit
can offer workshops, small group and individual tutorials on Critical Analysis.
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Useful books: COTTRELL, S (2003) The Study Skills Handbook. 2nd Ed.
London: Palgrave Macmillan. (Chapter 8 is particularly useful for a very brief
overview of critical analysis. The author has a very “easy to follow” style and
there are some very helpful hints and tips here).
COTTRELL, S (2005) Critical Thinking Skills. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
(This is a much more detailed exploration of the concepts of critical thinking,
reading, writing and analysis)
Useful website: www.skills4study.com Follow the green link to study skills.
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8. Exam and Revision Techniques The best revision is that which is structured and planned. This is a list of prompt questions which will help you decide what to do and when to do it.. Given that it’s helpful to see ‘revision’ as a process, these questions are organised into four stages: Organising yourself before you start ‘revising’ What do you know about the exam you’ll be taking? Have you found out about?
Type of exam – seen, unseen, practical
Types of questions
Expectations of examiner – mark scheme
Availability of past papers Have you decided which topics you’ll need to revise? Have you got notes to revise from? Have you structured your revision time? How much time do you have before taking the exam? Have you allocated daily or weekly study time? Have you worked out how long you can realistically spend on each topic? Have you got assignments to complete at the same time as revising? How will you manage this workload?
For example, within a week, are you going to focus on your revision only?
Or, are you going to spend say a couple of days on your revision, and then concentrate on an assignment for the rest of the week?
Have you got a space to work in, where you can get on? How do you ‘revise’? Do you read through a section of your notes and then write down the information on a separate sheet?
37
Do you check this afterwards, against your notes? Do you read through a section of your notes and then repeat everything onto a tape? How do you check to see that you’ve included everything? Do you work individually at this stage of recalling and checking how much information you’ve retained? Or do you work with others? For example, to you divide a topic up between you and each take responsibility for sharing information between you? Additional Points: What kind of exam practice can you do? How do you practise answering the kinds of questions you’ll meet in the exam?
Do you practise planning how you would answer essay or short answers?
From these plans, do you practise writing full answers?
Do you practise writing answers to questions under timed conditions? How do you check information in these answers? When do you do this kind of practice?
After having completed looking at a topic?
At the end of your revision? Organising your time on the actual day of the exam Here are some reminders: You could scan the paper to remind yourself about its format and about exactly how many questions you’ll have to answer You might want to scan to decide which question you want to answer first Thinking about the question:
38
Highlight key words, including those which tell you to structure your answer, e.g. discuss or evaluate.
Allow a couple of minutes to plan what you want to say. You might want to jot down some dates or formulae or key words.
If possible, allow a couple of minutes at the end of your answer to check it over. You might find, through looking back at your plan, that you’ve left a section out. You could write these facts in note form. Try to answer all the required questions – otherwise you may lose marks. Try not to spend too much time on one, at the expense of the others. If you find yourself running out of time, you could always write down your points in note form. (It’s best to check with your tutors to see if this technique is acceptable.) Try not to lose heart if you don’t think you’ve answered a question well. Keep going to complete the paper – it’ll help you build up marks Additional points to consider. What about spellings? Have you found out if you’ll lose marks for spelling mistakes? Have you selected a list of key words that you’ll need to know? Do you spend time regularly going over these? Have you devised ways of testing your spellings?
Have you tried making posters of these words and putting them on your wall as a constant reminder?
Have you looked for groups of letters in the same order or pattern, to help you remember?
Take Heart – Here’s something to hold on to:
• You have considered experience of preparing for and sitting a number of different kinds of exams. You are, therefore, involved in a process of adapting and improving your revision methods, rather than starting from scratch.
• It might help to focus on particular aspects of your revision which
might not be working too well and to adapt or change them, in order to help you study more effectively.
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• Finally, hold on to the fact that there is always another day – tomorrow! If you have a bad revision day, either focus on doing other aspects of your work, or acknowledge that you need time off to relax. You can then start afresh the following day. The earlier you start revising, the more opportunities you are allowing yourself for good revision days!
Sources of Additional Information
The Learner Development Unit can offer workshops and individual tutorials on
all aspects of Revision Techniques.
Useful book: COTTRELL, S (2003) The Study Skills Handbook. 2nd Ed.
London. Palgrave Macmillan.
Useful website: www.skills4study.com Follow the green link to study skills.
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9. Numeracy Skills
It is probable that more students worry about their numeracy skills than any
other area of academic development. However, this is nearly always due to a
lack of confidence rather than ability. Many students say that they are “poor at
maths” and yet with relatively little teaching and support they cope perfectly
well with the numeracy requirements of their programme.
The level of numeracy skills that you need will depend on the programme of
study that you are following. Some courses have summative numeracy
assessments at every stage of the programme. If numeracy is an essential
aspect of your intended profession, it is crucial that you develop competence
and confidence in this area as it is pivotal to safe practice. However it is worth
remembering that you have the whole programme over which to develop your
competence , and the earlier you start, the more time you have.
Where relevant, your programme of study will include regular input of
numeracy content and support. If you do want help, you can contact a
numeracy support tutor in the Personal Development Centre (PDC), and there
are lots of additional resources you can access, including some on moodle.
If you want to assess your numeracy skills, try the self-assessment quiz at the
end of this guide (Appendix 1).
Later on in your programme there will be course specific content such as drug
calculations. This will be taught as part of your programme but additional
support will be available if you need it.
Sources of Additional Information
The Personal Development Centre can offer workshops, small group and
individual tutorials on numeracy skills
Useful website: www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise follow link to numeracy.
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10. Time Management and Organisational Skills Balancing your various commitments when studying is a skill which some people are good at but most of us find a challenge. If you are to be successful at your studies time management is an important skill to develop and one that will pay dividends as you progress through your course. Learning to manage your time effectively means that you will be able to avoid that night before the deadline panic. Making effective use of your time will also help to keep you on track with your studies and if the worst happens, like an illness, you are more likely to be able to catch up quickly. Good time management also means that you will gain the maximum amount from your study time. In general this will mean:
• Creating more free time in which to study • Making more efficient use of your existing time • Integrating study with other parts of your life
A useful way of evaluating how effective you are at managing your time is to ask yourself a series of questions: Do you find yourself surprised by the amount of time you spend on any one activity? Do you feel that you are spending enough time studying? Do you actually feel that you are using your time effectively? Do you need to change anything? If so what? Is there anything you can’t change? Now having thought about how you spend your time and identified possible problem areas, you are in a position to take action. How to Organise your Timetable
• Identify strengths and weaknesses in the ways you organise yourself and your time. The simplest way to do this is to draw up a timetable or schedule of study. Take a fairly typical week and look at each day in detail. Make a note of those time slots, which are free, or that you could make free. Think about small pockets of time such as 15 minute chunks as well as longer periods of time. Try to identify regular periods for study over the course of the week rather than allocating seven hours on one or two days.
42
• Now you can start to plan how you will spend your planned study periods. Write up a list of all the things you would like to achieve in a particular week. Try to be realistic, by doing so you are more likely to stick to it and achieve your aims. If you overstretch yourself too much, you are likely to feel over whelmed and become demoralised.
• Mark out exactly what you will be doing in your study periods. For example if you are visiting the library, how long will you be there for? Be very specific about why you are there and which literature you hope to find? Make sure you bring with you a list of the information you think you may need and stick to searching for that information. Do not allow yourself to be side tracked.
• Don’t forget that smaller pockets of time can also be put to good use: for example, reading a journal article, jotting down some ideas about an assignment, organising your notes or reference list.
When and where will you study? It is important to think about the most appropriate places in which to study and the best time of day for studying.
• It is important to be aware of what is the best time for you to study. Remember that this is subjective and can vary from week to week. Try to find a place to study where you will be alert – for most people lying on their bed is not a good idea. Remember to make use of the library and learning resource centres. You may find you are less likely to be distracted.
• Do discuss and reach an agreement with family members and close friends about your availability. This is especially important during exam periods and when approaching assignment deadlines.
• Do not avoid studying subjects that you find difficult or boring or approach these subjects when you are tired, for example after a hectic day on placement. Instead try to allocate some quality time to difficult areas – remember once it is out of the way you can relax.
• If you get stuck move to an area that you are more comfortable with – most people will get a mental block from time to time. Also remember to take regular breaks otherwise you will lose focus.
Prioritising your workload
43
Most types of work or things that take up your time fall into one of four categories, urgent, important, not important or not urgent. You need to be clear about what is important and what is urgent.
Ask yourself
• Important for whom? • Urgent for whom?
Urgent means it has to be done very quickly. Important means that it is of great significance and may have consequences for you and others. If it’s not important and /or not urgent then don’t do it. Draw a large cross on a sheet of A4 paper; label each of the four points, urgent, important, not urgent or not important. Now think about the tasks that you have to do in the near future, for example meeting an assignment deadline, going shopping, getting your clinical competency documents completed or visiting the library to research a topic. Allocate each activity to the category you think is most appropriate. When you have done this, ask yourself is my workload as evenly balanced as it could be or is it top heavy in any one of the four categories? Try to re-plan your workload making more use of the important and not urgent category to introduce some planned preparation into your life.
Ways of Improving your Time Management Skills • Keep a diary to note down important deadlines. Remember to put
things in it and refer to it regularly.
• Use your diary to plan your work – block out time in it to do course work, reading, using the internet etc so you are not just fitting these important things in around other tasks.
• Don’t be ruled by your mobile phone.
• Set definite attainable targets in your study slots
• Set early deadlines. Break large assignments into manageable portions.
• Make lists of things you need to do and prioritise them as Urgent, Important or Not Urgent. Cross off tasks when done.
44
• Plan study sessions in time slots of between 15 minutes and 2 hours, with short breaks in between.
• Try to foresee problems and avoid them or think of ways that you can control them.
• Check what proportion of the module marks the assignment is worth and allocate a proportionate amount of time to it. For example a piece of work that is allocated 25% of the overall module mark is not worth spending as much time on as the assessment that accounts for 75% of the module mark.
• Aim for a good competent piece of work – not perfection.
• Give yourself rewards on completion of major stages in an assignment. This should help to keep you motivated.
Sources of Additional Information Cottrell S (2003) The Study Skills Handbook. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Stella Cottrell has also developed a very good website with a range of freely available resources www.skills4study.com The University’s Learner Development Unit http://www.ssdd.uce.ac.uk/learner/Study
45
Appendices Appendix 1. Self Administered Diagnostic Quiz The following quiz contains items that will help you to assess your numeracy competence. The quiz items are based upon the numeracy skills you are most likely to use in your nursing practice. The purpose of completing this diagnostic quiz is to help you decide whether you need to seek support for your numeracy skills. Please complete the quiz without the aid of a calculator or other assistance. Q1. Express in number form ‘four million six hundred and two thousand,
nine hundred and eighty six. Q2. Express in word form ’75,032,425’ Q3. 250 + 750 Q4. 325 + 95 Q5. 564 – 324 Q6. 624 – 195 Q7. 2000 – 1362 Q8. 46 x 25 Q9. 1000 ÷ 8 Q10. 16.5 + 25.5 + 40.8 Q11. 255.36 – 149.4 Q12. 0.35 x 2.5 Q13. 7.5 ÷ 1.5 Q14. Simplify the following fractions to their lowest terms:
7525
8040
90225
Q15. Simplify the following fractions and then convert them into decimals:
46
8020
625125
6030
Q16. Multiply the following fractions:
10080 x
210
105000 x
6015
Q17. Multiply 0.625 by 1000 Q18. Divide 550 by 1000 Q19. Convert 0.25g to milligrams Q20. Convert 0.05mg to micrograms Q21. Convert 0.002g to milligrams Q22. Convert 750ml to litres Q23. Convert 2500ml to litres Q24. Round the following to the nearest whole number: 138.333 16.95 135.5 43.6 Q25. Round the following to one decimal place: 1.83 2.45 1.27 Q26. Round the following to two decimal places: 0.625 0.753 0.048
Q27. 500125 x 2
Q28.
3060 x 5
Q29. Express 30 as a percentage of 75. Q30. What is 25% of 60? You can mark the quiz yourself by referring to the answers on the next page. Answers to Numeracy Quiz
47
Q1. 4,602,986 Q2. Seventy five million, thirty two thousand, four hundred and twenty five Q3. 1000 Q4. 420 Q5. 240 Q6. 429 Q7. 638 Q8. 1150 Q9. 125 Q10. 82.8 Q11. 105.96 Q12. 0.875 Q13. 5
Q14. 31
21
25
Q15. 0.25 0.2 0.5 Q16. 4 125 Q17. 625 Q18. 0.55 Q19. 250mg Q20. 50mcg Q21. 2mg Q22. 0.75L Q23. 2.5L Q24. 138 17 136 44 Q25. 1.8 2.5 1.3 Q26. 0.63 0.75 0.05 Q27. 0.5 Q28. 10 Q29. 40% Q30. 15 How did you do? How well you did is not only gauged by how many questions you got right but also by how long you took and how much effort you had to put in. If you felt that you struggled, then come and see a PDC numeracy support tutor. It would be beneficial if you bought your workings out for the quiz as this will contain valuable diagnostic information which will help the tutor to pin point your difficulties more accurately. Alternatively, just jot down the areas that you had most difficulty with.
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