Part I: Successful Study1. Starting Out: University Study and YouWhat is University Learning All About?Learning: How Do You Go About it?Learning in LecturesLearning to Listen- Barriers to effective listening- Techniques for effective listening- Effective listening in lecturesTaking Good Notes in Lectures- How many notes should you take?- Hints for better note taking in lectures- Editing your notes- Sharing notes- Recording lectures- Using lecture handoutsLearning in Tutorials, Seminars, and Workshops- What is the difference between a tutorial and a seminar?- Getting the most out of tutorials and seminars- What is a workshop?- Joining facilitated study groupsClassroom EtiquetteLearning and Listening2. Clocking In: Managing Your Time *Studying Outside Formal Classes- Planning your study time- Monitoring yourself- Drawing up a personal study timetable- Planning your semester- Chunking- Back-planningJuggling Competing Demands- Setting priorities- Co-curricular activities- Planning your week- Finding time for yourself- Give yourself a break- Long- vs short-distance studying- Watch out for procrastinationStudying at Night- Studying productively at night3. Reading Up: Strategic Reading *Approaches to ReadingPractising Reading- Improving reading speed- Skimming texts- Reading for different purposes- Getting started on your reading- Reading to find information- Reading to remember- Taking notes to help you remember- Taking reading notes for tests and exams- Reading for assignmentsMaking Notes for Essays and Other Assignments- Some practical suggestions for making and storing research notes4. Thinking Through: Critical Thinking *What is Critical Thinking?- Putting information in context- Determining purpose- Look who''s talking- The implied audience- Identifying the thesisConsidering the Evidence- Where does the evidence come from?- How reliable is the evidence?- How relevant is the evidence?- How current is the evidence?- Is there enough evidence to support the claim?- Are there biases in the selection (or omission) of evidence?- Conflicting and confirming evidence: watch out for your own biases!Looking at the Argument- Thinking about theory- Structuring the argument5. Teaming Up: Working in GroupsWhy use Groups for Student and in the Workplace?What Does Group Work Offer Individuals?What Kinds of Tasks are Appropriate for Groups Rather than Individuals?What Makes a Group Effective?How Can You Make Your Group Effective?- Group development- Getting acquainted- Understanding the project- Allocating roles- Organizing your timeMaintaining an Effective Group- Group rolesSupportive Behaviour within the GroupProblems With Working in GroupsCollaborative Writing of a Group ProjectMaking A Group Presentation6. Facing Up: Coping with Tests and ExamsWhy Have Exams?Types of ExamsPreparing For An Exam- Review throughout the term- Find out about the exam- Find a suitable study space- Keep to a study schedule- Get started and maintain a positive attitude- Concentrate on understanding, not memorizing- Vary your revision practices- Practise answering exam questions- Seek help if you need it- Maintain regular patterns- Watch what you eat!- Dress appropriately- Pack your bag- Get to the right exam in the right place at the right timeWriting Exams: A Guide- Check that you have all pages, questions, and answer sheets- Read the instructions carefully before beginning- Work out a timetable- Read the questions carefully before beginning- Plan your answers- Begin with the answers you know best- Answer the questions asked- Attempt all required questions- Grab the marker''s attention- Emphasize important points- Support generalizations- Write legibly and comprehensively- Leave space for additions- Keep calm!- Proofread completed answersSpecific Advice for Multiple-Choice ExamsSpecific Advice for Oral ExamsSpecific Advice for Open-Book ExamsSpecific Advice For Take-Home ExamsOnline Exams7. Finding Out: Becoming Well InformedWhy are Research Skills Important?Becoming Familiar with the LibraryUsing the Library CatalogueLocating Material in the Library Building- The physical collection- Classification systems- Call numbersThe Virtual Library: Using Electronic Collections- Databases- E-journals- E-books- E-reserve- Simultaneous or federated searchingFinding Information for Your Assignment- Steps in a search strategy- Example of a search strategySumming UpPart II: Successful Communication8.

Writing Up: Essay WritingWhy Write?How do you Write a Good Essay?What Are your Essay Markers Looking For?- Quality of argument- Quality of evidence- Use of supplementary material- Written expression and presentation- Sources/referencingThe Matter of Scholarship9. Arguing Through: Preparing and Presenting Written ArgumentHow do we Define an Argument?- Inductive and deductive argumentsWhat Makes a Strong Inductive Argument?What is Acceptable Reasoning and Evidence in Developing an Argument?- Deductive reasoning- Valid cause-and-effect reasoning- Argument by analogy- Argument based on empirical generalization- Valid research- The opinions of those who are acknowledged experts in their own fieldsWhat is Unacceptable Reasoning or Evidence?- Unsubstantiated generalizations- Isolated individual examples- False analogy- Irrelevant or insignificant statistics, examples, or other information- Hearsay- Unqualified opinion- Personal attack- Quoting out of context- Omission of inconvenient information- Arguing from ignorance- False dilemmaa: A Word of WarningA Summary of the Requirements for a Strong Argumentative EssaySome Hints for Planning an Argumentative Essay10. Stating Facts: Writing Research Reports and Laboratory ReportsWhat are Report Readers Looking For?General Layout of a Report- Preliminary material- Introduction: Why did you do this study?- Materials and methods: How did you do this study?- Results: What did you find out?- Discussion and conclusion: What do the findings mean?- References- AppendicesWritten Expression and Presentation- Language of the report- PresentationWriting a Laboratory Report- Setting out a laboratory report11. Making Sense: Writing Annotated Bibliographies, Summaries, and ReviewsPreparing an Annotated Bibliography- What is the purpose of an annotated bibliography?- What is the reader of an annotated bibliography looking for?Writing Summaries or Precis- What is the reader of a summary or precis looking for?Writing a Review- What are your review markers looking for?- Description: What is the reviewed item about?- Analysis: Details of strengths and weaknesses- Evaluation: Contribution to the discipline- Written expression, references, and presentation of the review- Some examples of reviews12. Writing Well: Language and Sentence StructureWhat is Good Writing?Achieving the Goals of Good Functional WritingChoosing the Right Word- Be concise- Be precise- Avoid slang or colloquial language- Avoid jargon- Beware of easily confused wordsUsing Non-Discriminatory Language- Using language and descriptions that refer to both genders- Using language that avoids stereotyping and discrimination- Avoiding racist languageStructuring Clear Sentences- Writing complete sentences- Keeping sentences short- The run-on sentence or the comma splice- Using active and passive verbs- Using parallel structureFinding Out About Correct Grammar13. Dotting "I"s: Using Punctuation CorrectlyWhy is Punctuation Important?Using Abbreviations and Other Shortened Forms of Words or Phrases- The correct form for abbreviations- Using acronymsUsing Apostrophes Correctly- Using the possessive apostrophe- Using the apostrophe to show contractionsUsing Capital LettersUsing ColonsUsing SemicolonsUsing CommasUsing EllipsesUsing PeriodsUsing NumbersUsing Quotation Marks- Placing punctutation when quotingFinding out More About Punctuation14. Owning Up: Acknowledging SourcesThe APA System- In-text references- List of referencesThe MLA SystemThe CMS N-B System- Footnotes and endnotes- BibliographyThe CMS A-D SystemNotes and Note IdentifiersThe Importance of Acknowledging Sources15. Speaking Out: Public SpeakingWhy are Public Speaking Skills Important?Preparing to Give a Talk- Establishing the context and the goals- Organizing the material for presentation- Structuring your talk- Preparing your text and visual aids- Rehearsing- Final points of preparationDelivering Your TalkCoping With Questions16.

Showing Off: Communicating with Figures and TablesWhy Communicate Graphically?General Guidelines for Clear Graphic Communication- Good graphics are concise- Good graphics are comprehensible- Good graphics are independent- Good graphics are referencedDifferent Types of Graphs- Scattergrams- Line graphs- Bar charts- Histograms- Population pyramids or age-sex pyramids- Circle or pie charts- Logarithmic graphsTables- Elements of a tableReferences and Useful ResourcesIndexAppendix: Weekly Study Grid* New chapters to the Canadian edition.