Quick Guides

Getting started at SCU

Tips and tools to understand university, manage and plan your studies.

• Tips on Getting Started at University
• Managing Online Study
• Managing Your Time

Planners to help you get organised:

• Term Planner - Assessments (pdf)
• Term Planner - Assessments (Word format)
• Weekly Planner - Study (Word format)
• Weekly Planner - Study (pdf)

Study strategies

• Taking Notes
• Getting the Most out of Lectures
• Study Strategies to Help You Learn the Language and Concepts of Your Discipline
• Working in Teams and Groups

Analysing and preparing for assignments

• A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning & Putting Assessments Together
• Brainstorming and Mind Mapping
• Common Instruction Words
• Organising Information for Your Assessments
• Understanding Assessment Tasks

Types of assessments

• Abstract or Executive Summary
• Case Study
• Creating a Slideshow
• Critical Review
• Discussion Board Post
• Group Presentations
• Infographics Quick Guide
• Memo
• Oral Presentations
• Preparing for Vivas, OSCEs and other Oral Examinations
• Proposal
• Reflective Writing
• Report
• Report Writing Checklist
• Types of Exam Questions and How to Handle Them
• Writing an Annotated Bibliography (for APA 7th or Harvard)
• Writing and Planning an Essay
• Writing and Planning a Literature Review

Researching and organising information

• How to Evaluate Sources of Information
• How to Read a Journal Article
• Organising Your Readings – Synthesis Grid
• Reading Critically
• Reading: Note-taking and note-making
• Tips for Reading Effectively
• Acknowledging and Referencing GenAI Use

Writing at university

Instructions on writing in an academic style and how to write specific sections of your assignments.

• Connecting Your Ideas - Linking Words
• Define and Use Concepts in Your Writing
• Formatting Your Assessment for Harvard
• Formatting for APA7th
• How to Incorporate Evidence Into Your Writing
• How to Demonstrate Critical Judgement
• How to Write a Good Introduction
• How to Paraphrase
• Planning and Writing an Introduction
• Planning and Writing Body Paragraphs
• Summarising and Paraphrasing
• Writing Analytically and Persuasively
• Writing Paragraphs
• Writing Conclusions

Evidence-rich writing: How to effectively incorporate academic source material to demonstrate academic integrity.

• How to Incorporate Evidence Into Your Writing
• Rules About Copying At University
• Using Direct Quotations in Your Writing
• Using Paraphrases as Evidence
• Using Reporting Verbs to Introduce Evidence

Preparing to submit

• Assessment Editing Checklist
• The Process of Editing
• Using Grammarly to Improve Your Editing Skills
• Voice Thread submission

Reviewing and using feedback

• Accessing and Using Feedback
• A SNOB Analysis
• Assessment Tracker
• Action Plan 1: Identify major and minor issues
• Action Plan 2: Target action
• Action Plan 3: Personal action
• Action Plan 4: Personal development
• Responding to Lecturer Feedback