Academic support is available on a wide range of topics including:
Planning and writing essays
Reading for comprehension
Note-taking
Studying for exams
Writing reports
Citing and referencing
Managing time
Writing critical reviews
Students can find support through a variety of methods: individual appointments, seminars in their school, workshops and through online resources.Students may also have their questions answered by reviewing the information covered in the TGAP module and in the University of St Andrews’ Good Academic Practice Policy.
Please note, that our CEED office does not have a full mobility access. If you have any access requirements, please contact CEED directly on (01334) 46 2141 or email learning@st-andrews.ac.uk
One to one appointments
One-to-one appointments are one-hour sessions designed to provide more detailed and focused assistance with study skills.
A range of workshops are available through the USkills, MSkills and GRADSkills programmes for undergraduate, taught postgraduate and research postgraduate students respectively.
All of these programmes have a range of 'themes' or 'bundles' where you can develop a variety of skills to support your development while at St Andrews and beyond.
Academic Skills for your Subject
There are various ways to develop academic skills for your subject, including engaging with the Academic Skills Project and fully participating in the academic life of your school.
Your school may be participating in the Academic Skills Project, which provides subject specific training in academic skills designed and delivered by a team of research postgraduates. Check out the Academic Skills Project page for more information about what workshops are running in your school.
You can also develop subject-specific skills through taking part in lectures, seminars, field-trips, completing assignments, projects, dissertations and outreach work.
You may want to take the opportunity to become involved in your school events and research seminars (or even another schools'!). Some are highlighted below, but check your school website and notice boards for other opportunities.
If you are unable to attend a study skills appointment during the day, subject to tutor availability, they may able to book a confidential one-hour 1:1 study skills appointment in the evening.
To book an evening appointment, students should e-mail ceedtutors@st-andrews.ac.uk with the following details:
Subject of email: Evening Study Skills Appointment Name: Year of study: Contact telephone number: (so that we can get in touch if necessary e.g. due to staff illness) Modules you need help with: Topic(s) you need help with: (see above for list of Study Skills topics) Preferred time and date: Please give a selection to help us find you a tutor.
A staff member will reply with the name of your tutor and the appointment time you have been allocated. Your appointment is not booked until you have had confirmation from CEED.
More information about how to access your appointment will be provided when your appointment is confirmed.
You may prefer to improve your study skills through utilising the short guides and resources, developed by CEED's Academic Skills Team, housed in our Study Skills Toolkit (opens a new window in Moodle).
The following titles in the Palgrave Pocket Study Skills series are also available as e-books through the University Library:
The University Library has an excellent page on referencing and citation, with links to some of the most popular style guides. You may also find the following guides helpful (CEED cannot take responsibility for the content of any externally hosted pages):
CEED has also developed a Guide to Reducing File Size (PDF, 579 KB) to provide advice on how to reduce file size where necessary (e.g. before uploading to MMS).
Academic Writing
The University of Manchester's Academic Phrasebank is a very comprehensive resource for anyone wanting to improve their academic writing.
If you are looking to improve your grammar and written English, check out the University of Bristol's online grammar resources.
All students are required to take TGAP in their first year of studies at the University of St Andrews. TGAP is accessed via the University's Moodle system, and you must complete the material and related assessments.
The following materials and resources are available for students, and includes the University's language correction policy which students should be read prior to using the contact details.
These are guidelines as to what is and is not permitted by the University of St Andrews. This includes the declaration that must be included with any work you have had corrected.
Students may also have their questions answered by reviewing the information covered in the TGAP module and in the University of St Andrews’ Good Academic Practice Policy.