Studying, writing and presenting

Learning and teaching resources on writing, media production and presenting. Related resources on the topic of academic integrity are also available.

Resource title and description	Type
Summarising activity Practice your summarising with this activity.	Activity
Researching and reading critically This interactive tutorial gives an overview of how to research and read critically when preparing to write an essay. It guides students through the process of identifying what to search for, how and where to search, and how to critically read and evaluate the quality of the information they find. This resource is part of the Essay survival guide series of tutorials written for undergraduate students.
Understanding your assessment task This is a Xerte tutorial aimed at postgraduate taught level students. It covers: why we have assessment criteria what is expected of you when completing an assignment how to approach an assignment question, and how to plan your writing and research. This tutorial is part of the Writing at Postgraduate Level suite.
Reflective thinking and writing A guide to help you develop your reflective practice. In this tutorial we are going to help you: Understand what reflective practice is and why it's important Identify when reflective practices can be useful Implement reflective practice techniques (based on established reflective models and theory) Develop your reflective writing, for both your academic work and your career
Effective notemaking Strategies for taking and making notes to support your studies.
Creating a mindmap A customisable PowerPoint slide featuring an example of how you can create a mindmap to help plan a search for information on a topic.	Image
Understanding essays This interactive tutorial looks at what essays are, why we write them, and what is involved in writing an essay. This resource is part of the Essay survival guide series of tutorials written for undergraduate students.
Interpreting the question This interactive tutorial guides students through the process of interpreting their essay title. It looks at directional verbs and key words as well as examining the assessment criteria. This resource is part of the Essay survival guide series of tutorials written for undergraduate students
Developing your ideas This interactive tutorial looks at how students can use their research to develop their own ideas and arguments. It guides them through the process of gathering their ideas, creating a clear argument, and organising and structuring their ideas into an essay outline This resource is part of the Essay survival guide series of tutorials written for undergraduate students.
Writing critically and structuring your essay This interactive tutorial gives a comprehensive guide to writing the first draft of an essay and writing in an academic style. It explores how to write critically and use evidence appropriately. It also looks at essay structure, paragraph structure, and how to write effective sentences. This resource is part of the Essay survival guide series of tutorials written for undergraduate students.
Editing and reviewing This interactive tutorial guides students through the process of editing and review their essay. It includes activities that allow them to practice reviewing content and structure as well as spelling, punctuation and grammar. This resource is part of the Essay survival guide series of tutorials written for undergraduate students.	Tutorial
Academic writing style This Xerte tutorial is aimed at postgraduate taught level students, and covers how to: structure your work write in an academic style use appropriate academic language revise, edit and proofread what you have written This tutorial is part of the Writing at Postgraduate Level series.
Developing critical arguments This is a Xerte tutorial aimed at postgraduate taught level students which: explains the difference between descriptive and critical writing explores how to effectively synthesise information from a range of sources, and demonstrates how to form paragraphs that synthesise sources while making your own arguments and opinions clear. This tutorial is part of the Writing at Postgraduate Level series.
Academic style quiz A ten-question quiz, which tests understanding of the different aspects of good academic writing style.	Quiz
Understanding synthesis quiz (biosciences) A quiz and activity to help students understand what is meant by synthesis. It also demonstrates how a student can form paragraphs that synthesise sources while making their own arguments and opinions clear.
Understanding synthesis quiz (social sciences) A quiz and activity to help students understand what is meant by synthesis. It also demonstrates how a student can form paragraphs that synthesise sources while making their own arguments and opinions clear.
Synthesis activity This activity asks students to write a paragraph using information, evidence, or opinions from a selection of different sources. The aim is to help students develop their skills in synthesising information in order to support their arguments.	Activity
Designing your presentation This interactive tutorial will help students to identify appropriate tools for developing visual aids, as well as showing how to use text, images, charts and other multimedia elements effectively. This resource is part of the Surviving your presentations series of tutorials, which guide students through the whole process of creating and delivering presentations.
Proofreading activity This activity demonstrates the importance of proofreading work prior to submission. Students are presented with a paragraph of text and are asked to identify six errors, which include simple spelling mistakes, typos and homophones.
Understanding presentations This interactive tutorial looks at different types of presentation and their purpose. It also outlines the process of writing and delivering a presentation. This resource is part of the Surviving your presentations series of tutorials, which guide students through the whole process of creating and delivering presentations.
Planning and writing your presentation This interactive tutorial looks at how to define the purpose and key messages of a presentation. It also looks at how to structure, write, and edit the content of a presentation. This resource is part of the Surviving your presentations series of tutorials, which guide students through the whole process of creating and delivering presentations.
Delivering your presentation This interactive tutorial looks at how to handle anxiety and deliver a presentation with confidence. It also explores effective speaking techniques and body language. This resource is part of the Surviving your presentations series of tutorials, which guide students through the whole process of creating and delivering presentations.	Tutorial
Surviving your presentations This series of four interactive tutorials will guide students through the process of writing, designing, then delivering a presentation. It includes the following tutorials: Understanding presentations Planning and writing your presentation Designing your presentation Delivering your presentation Each tutorial can be used as a standalone resource or worked through as part of the Surviving your presentations series.