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Academic Skills Service: Home

Notice! The Writing Cafe is closed on the 01/11. 

The Academic Skills drop-in is in the Academic Skills Hub, Hartley Library, in Room 2045. It is open on Tuesday and Thursday from 1pm - 4pm. The Maths and Statistics drop-in is on Wednesday from 10am - 12pm in the Academic Skills Hub. The Writing Cafes are on Monday and Friday, from 2pm - 4pm, in the Lounge area of Building 38.
Student quotes include feedback about the Academic Skills Service. The first quote is “Absolutely lovely staff and really specific tips that were doable and really helpful. friendly and welcoming, and took away a lot of my worries.” A quote from a second student is, “They provided a warm welcome as well as insightful and helpful comments that made me feel a lot better.” The third quote is, “They (Academic Skills) were really patient because I didn’t really know how to describe my question. They guided me to figure out what my question is and provided useful suggestions.”
Student quotes include feedback about the Academic Skills Service. The first quote is “Helped me with statistical analysis for my project and was very helpful! Came in with no idea of what I was doing and left knowing what statistical analysis to do and how.” A quote from a second student is, “I was really pleased that my query was responded to quickly and the response was thoughtful, friendly and completely tailored to my request.” The third quote is, “The time you took to go through my work and help me has been invaluable. I really appreciate their patience in explaining things to me and my results in other modules have improved massively since.”
Student quotes include feedback about the Academic Skills Service. The first quote is “As freshers, my friend and I have lots of questions about academic writing. A kind teacher answered those questions, and taught us to find and use the resources on the websites.” A quote from a second student is, “any thanks for your great support. You gave me great advice not only in math but the thinking process. Your support is so valuable.” The third quote is, “Thank you so much for those recommendations. They are extremely useful and tailored to my needs. I particularly enjoyed reading the 'freewriting' webpage as it hugely resonated with me.”
Student quotes include feedback about the Academic Skills Service. The first quote is “I was really pleasantly surprised by the support out there- there were session recordings shared with me. Easy to watch, good level of detail, broken into bite-size chunks etc. I am v part time so struggle for time with job and children etc so this was really accessible and useful for me.” A quote from a second student is, “They were absolutely amazing in providing me with guidance and support. They really helped my confidence and the quality of my work!” The third quote is, “Thank you for your support and advice you gave myself on Thursday last week. It has helped me to understand what I need to do now and, in the future, to prepare for my exams.”

Our Service

We support students in their transition to higher education and throughout their time at university to develop the academic skills needed to succeed.

Using a variety of learning resources and through our involvement in a number of projects, our pre- and post-entry teams help students develop their writing proficiency, build mathematical & statistical knowledge and improve their study skills.

Have a look at our large bank of online resources which include videos, websites, skills guides, online courses and workshops. We also have a collection of study skills books at all of our sites.

Throughout the semester, we run Writing Cafes, Academic Skills Drop-Ins, and other events which are informal, safe spaces allowing you to make progress on your work with support available from the Academic Skills Service.

Writing Cafes
Monday and Friday, 2pm – 4pm (Lounge Cafe, Building 38)

 

Academic Skills Drop-In Service
Tuesday and Thursday, 1pm – 4pm (Academic Skills Hub, Hartley Library R2045)

 

Maths & Stats Drop-Ins
Wednesdays, 10am – 12pm (Academic Skills Hub, Hartley Library R2045)

 

If you have a more complex query or need tailored support, you can send an enquiry via the Here to help button on our page.

The Academic Skills team also deliver workshops in your faculty and other events, so check the website for details about what's coming up.

We can provide advice and guidance to students on a variety of study skills areas including time management, writing skills, critical thinking, exam preparation, presentation skills, and notetaking.

We can provide advice and suggestions on aspects of academic writing such as critical analysis, structure, different assignment types and genres, planning, writing styles and understanding feedback.

We can support with mathematical and statistical skills including understanding key concepts, overcoming maths anxiety, application of theory, exam preparation, gathering data, relevant statistical analysis and software support including SPSS and Excel.

We do not proofread/edit student work or offer language support.

Use the topic tabs to browse our pages for online resources including videos, websites, skills guides and our dissertation planner and assignment planner.

Search the library catalogue to locate or request a book from our study skills collection.

The Training and Workshops page brings together all training sessions offered by the Academic Skills Service; Library; Student Disability and Inclusion; and Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise. You can browse sessions by provider, category or simply browse all.

Skills for Study is an online modular resource. Each module consists of a series of interactive screens filled with advice and activities to help you build specific study skills.

We are happy to signpost you to the Library Research Skills service. The expert team of library staff can help you make the most of the extensive digital and print resources whether you are a student, a researcher or member of staff. You can contact them using libenqs@soton.ac.uk and they can help you with:

  • Finding information for your assignments Library chat
  • Finding and evaluating information for your assignments or research
  • Citing and referencing
  • Understanding plagiarism and copyright
  • Literature searching using specialist databasesLibrary appointment
  • Developing your search strategies
  • Measuring research impact
  • Open Access
  • Managing your research material
  • Theses
  • Sourcing resources from other libraries worldwide
  • Diversity of our collections
  • Digital scholarship
  • Archival research skills

Meet the Team in text surrounded by headshots of staff members smiling.

What did you think of our website? Click here to fill out our short feedback form and help us improve our service!