Study

Skills
Modern Language Centre, Kings College London
Last updated December 2009

Starting anything new presents you with a variety of challenges. This booklet aims to help
you with some of the challenges which come with starting a degree/study programme. It is
divided into sections to help identify specific areas of study skills. Each section aims to give
clear practical guidance on different aspects of academic study.

Contents
STUDYING AT UNIVERSITY LEVEL .......................................................................... 3
ATTENDING LECTURES AND SEMINARS............................................................... 4
READING SKILLS............................................................................................................ 5
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS............................................................................................ 5
ESSAY WRITING ............................................................................................................. 7
STYLE AND PRESENTATION ...................................................................................... 9
ACKNOWLEDGING SOURCES AND AVOIDING PLAGIARISM ........................ 11
REFERRING TO SOURCES ......................................................................................... 13
How to reference your sources.................................................................................... 13
The reference list or bibliography ............................................................................... 16
EXAMS AND REVISION ............................................................................................... 18
Revising and preparing for the exam........................................................................... 18
Planning in an exam.................................................................................................... 19
A WORD ABOUT COMPUTERS ................................................................................. 19

Studying at university level

Studying at university level is different from studying for A-levels in a number of ways:
You will be responsible for your own learning. You will be expected to take much more
responsibility for decisions about what to study, how and when. So organising your time
efficiently will be extremely important. You will spend much less time in class with teaching
staff and much more time working independently, reading in the library or studying on your
own.
With the help of your tutor, you are the person who needs to evaluate your strengths and
weaknesses, and take responsibility for acting on your self-evaluation. If you identify areas
for improvement then you should make use of opportunities in the College to develop these
areas. Discuss your learning needs with your Personal Tutor who will be happy to give you
advice. Good work habits and the ability to organise your intellectual activities productively
are key skills.
You will be managing your own time. You will be responsible for remembering deadlines,
and for registering for and being in the right place for exams. You must organise your time
so that when more than one assignment is due around the same time, you will be able to
allocate enough time to each piece of work rather than leaving them all to the last minute.
You will be expected to develop critical and analytical skills. In your written coursework,
exams, and other assessed work you will be expected to show that you have read widely to
supplement what you learn in lectures and seminars, and to process information in a number
of ways. You may, for example, need to evaluate and compare information from different
sources, to add your own ideas and opinions to what you have read, and look at the
practical
applications
of
what
you
are
learning.
The notes below will give you some general guidance on attending lectures and seminars,
note-taking, writing essays and preparing for exams. You will be given guidance on
academic writing during your first semester at Kings, and your academic tutor can also
advise you on good study skills and academic writing, but you are strongly advised to
consult one of the following books:

BARNES, R. (1995). Successful Study for Degrees. London: Routledge.

COTTRELL, S. (2008). The Study Skills Handbook. 3rd edition. Basingstoke:

Palgrave Macmillan

COTTRELL, S. (2008). Critical Thinking Skills. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

COTTRELL, S. (2008). The Exam Skills Handbook. Basingstoke: Palgrave

Macmillan

CRME, P. and M. LEA (2006). Writing at University. 2nd edition Maidenhead:

Open University Press

GREETHAM, B. (2007). How to Write Better Essays. 2nd edition. Basingstoke:

Palgrave Macmillan

NORTHEDGE, A. (2005). The Good Study Guide. Maidenhead: Open University

Press

PECK, J. and M. COYLE (2005). The Student's Guide to Writing: Grammar,

Punctuation and Spelling. 2nd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

ROWNTREE, D. (1998). Learn How to Study. London: Time Warner Paperbacks

GODFREY, J. (2008). How to Use your Reading in your Essays. Basingstoke:

Palgrave Macmillan

Attending lectures and seminars

It is essential that you attend classes regularly and participate actively in classroom
activities. You learn by taking part in discussions and activities in class, as well as by
studying on your own outside class. You cannot benefit fully from the course if you miss
too many classes.
You need to come to class prepared, knowing what is expected of you, and having done any
reading or tasks set by the lecturer. Even where no pre-reading is set, you will get much
more from a class if you know in advance what it is about and spend a little time thinking
and reading about that topic. Without class preparation, classes will be less productive and
you will play a largely passive role. You will also be left with more catching up to do later
on.
It is important to be punctual. Come to class a few minutes before the lecture is due to start
and ready with everything you need to start the class on time. During the class it is
important to pay attention, take good notes, and participate in discussions and tasks. By
being polite and respectful to everyone in the class, you will help to build an atmosphere of
trust and co-operation so that all students feel confident to express their opinions and
doubts, ask questions, and develop the skills in discussion and critical thinking that are an
essential aspect of undergraduate study.
After class it is worth spending a little time reflecting on what you have learned and what
you have not completely understood. Many students find that rewriting or typing up their
lecture notes helps them to do this. Other students find it valuable to spend a few minutes
discussing the lecture with classmates in an informal study group. This can be done on the
Kings e-learning system, and some modules may also provide a space to post any doubts or
questions there.
It is also extremely valuable to do follow-up reading as soon as possible after the class. This
will generally involve reading an article or a chapter of one or two books. Some students
postpone follow-up reading until assignments are due or exams looming, but this is not very
effective. Keeping up with your studies is much better than trying to catch up later. Make
clear notes of what you read and organise these carefully with your lecture notes. It is
essential that you make a complete note of where you find information, as you will have to
report this when you come to writing essays and exams.

Remember that your notes should also become a stimulus for further study and will
eventually form part of the basis for both your written work and revision for examinations.
So keep them clear, structured and uncluttered. Apart from using notebooks and sheets of
paper, consider the advantages of also storing information electronically or on index cards.
In addition to formally assessed work, you will sometimes be asked to do homework tasks
between lectures. The purpose of these is to help you learn and to provide feedback to your
tutors on how well you have understood. You will benefit from doing these tasks
thoroughly.
Lastly, do not hesitate to approach your tutors if anything is unclear or if you are having
problems with any aspects of your studies.

Reading skills
Reading is an essential activity when studying at university level. Here are some guidelines
to help you use your reading time as well as possible:

You need to plan your reading. Dont just plunge in to everything you can find from
your reading list.
You must read purposefully. You need to be clear why you are reading a particular text,
what questions you need to answer, and what reading strategy is the most relevant for
this purpose.
A useful strategy is to start with quickly skimming the text to get the main points. There
are times when it is more efficient to scan a text. Adopting a more flexible approach to
your reading frees up more of your time, so that you can read around the subject and
take onboard more ideas and information.
As you read, make notes to help you remember the main points.
Write down the details of the book or article.

Students who are successful at their studies usually go beyond the reading their tutors have
set them.

Written assignments
You will find details of assignments and how your work is to be assessed in the study guide
for each module. Study skills handbooks such as the ones listed above also contain detailed
advice. These general guidelines are here to help you.
There is no formula for getting good marks on your work. Each lecture will look for
different things, depending on the subject and the nature of the assignment. However, there
are steps you can take to increase your chances of good marks.

Interpretation of the question: Read the essay title carefully and spend some time thinking
about its meaning and working out what is required by it. A good way to start is to pick out
the key words. Interpreting the question gives you a clearer idea of what the question is
getting at and a better understanding of what the examiner is looking for in your work. It
will also reveal the range of abilities the examiner is expecting to see you use in answering
the question. Otherwise you may find yourself writing an essay that is largely descriptive of
the topic, when the examiner is asking you to analyse and discuss it critically. Pay attention
to words like 'evaluate', discuss' and 'compare'. A lot of titles are in the form of a question,
and you are expected to stick to the point and answer the question. You will only get marks
for answering the question. Other information just uses your limited word allowance. Even
when the title is not in the form of a question, your essay should have a clear aim, and you
are expected to analyse, evaluate and discuss the issues involved, and not just describe
them. Thus think through:

What are your tutors expecting that you will research?

What issues do they intend you to cover?
What theories, research and evidence do they expect you to refer to?

You will probably be given guidelines and marking criteria to make you aware of what is
required of you. Follow them!
Gathering information: You are usually expected to gather information for your assignment
from relevant sources. This means that your sources should be up-to-date and have clear
relevance to the topic of your assignment. Sources may include books, articles from
academic journals, newspaper articles, web-pages from the internet, videos you have
watched and interviews you have undertaken. Learn how to use library facilities and
internet search engines efficiently. Make sure you make a note of where you found
information and always acknowledge your sources properly. The authoritative sources you
are expected to draw on are likely to include academic books and journal articles, websites,
videos and other kinds of sources. You will have to make a judgement about whether a
source is suitable, and if necessary your tutors can advise you. You will get a feel for which
authors and which organisations are academically respected, for example works by authors
mentioned in lectures or on booklists, or publications from respected organisations.
Be particularly careful when looking for useful information on the internet. There is a great
deal of excellent material in languages and linguistics on the internet but there is also a vast
amount of less authoritative material, and you may find it difficult at first to distinguish
between something that has been put online by one of the top experts in a particular field,
and a not-very-good undergraduate essay. Note that Wikipedia, an online encyclopaedia
that anyone can contribute to, is not considered to be a suitable source for academic
references. Note also that textbooks used to study English language and linguistics for Alevel or AS level are not recommended for undergraduate work.
Academic writing involves the difficult skill of striking an appropriate balance between your
own ideas and what you have learned from authoritative sources. You must always
acknowledge these sources, but a good essay should contain substantially your own line of
discussion supported by your references rather than a regurgitation of what different sources
have said. As you progress through your degree you will be expected to become more
6

confident in the way you present your own arguments (but always supported by your
reading) and you will be expected to approach critically the ideas about which you have
read.
Make sure that you observe the word limits set. Read through your written work carefully
for mistakes and correct them. Use a good dictionary to check the meanings of any
academic or linguistic terms that are not completely familiar to you. Do use a spell-checker
but dont rely on it to pick up every error. Check that you have acknowledged all your
sources and given full bibliographic details of every reference in the bibliography at the end
of your essay.
Assignments are normally written in the format of an essay. You will be given general
guidance on academic writing early on in Year One, as well as more specific guidance from
staff teaching particular courses.
Whatever the assignment, give yourself enough time to write up your work so that you are
not always rushing to meet deadlines.

Essay writing
The notes below provide general guidance on how to present and organise an essay.
Requirements for some courses may be slightly different from this. You can find more
information about essay writing and study skills in general in the books listed above.
Before you begin writing the first sentence of your essay, you need to plan your essay.
Planning your essay helps you in two important ways. Firstly, the plan gives your essay a
clear structure for examiners to follow as they navigate their way through ideas and
arguments that are unfamiliar to them. Without this you are likely to lose them, and they
will not be able to see why your arguments are relevant, or what you are doing and why.
Secondly, it helps you ensure that all of your arguments are clearly and consistently argued
and that you have sufficient evidence to support them. It also reduces the risk of omitting
some really important section or argument that is central to the issues raised by the essay.
There are three main parts to an essay:
o the introduction
o the main body
o the conclusion
The introduction should be a statement of intent. It serves as a guide to the rest of the
essay. It introduces the topic, the reasons which make it a topic worthy of discussion, any
controversies which exist concerning it, and lays out in summary form the various stages
which will be passed through in reaching the conclusion. If appropriate, it will also include a
statement of what you intend to demonstrate.

The main body is the largest part of the essay. Here you will expand on the various stages
which you have indicated in the introduction. This is where you will present your evidence
and demonstrate how well you have read about and understood the topic.
The main body will consist of different stages or sub-topics in a logical sequence. It may be
organised in different ways. It may, for example, contain a background section and a
discussion section. In the background section you might specify the issue/problem you are
going to discuss, define any important terms, describe the context of the issue where
relevant; review your reading in the area and evaluate the ideas you have met. In the
discussion section you might set out clearly your ideas and proposals in the area (describe
argue for and against compare/contrast support/criticise as the essay title requires). It
is helpful to use headings for the different sections in the main body it enables you to have
a clear structure, and gives your reader some orientation.
When reviewing relevant literature it is important not just to reproduce the ideas and
frameworks from the sources. You are expected to summarise these briefly and then discuss
them. Discussion may involve giving your own opinions on the points the writer makes,
comparing ideas from different writers, looking at the implications or practical applications
of ideas, or pointing out any flaws or gaps in a writers arguments. This ability to read and
write critically is one that many students find difficult, but it is a skill that you can develop
and it will serve you well not just in your studies, but also in your career and your life.
It is often a mistake to try to cover too many points in an essay and to have too many very
short subsections. An essay should have a small number of substantial paragraphs, each of
which deals thoroughly with one issue or one aspect of the topic. A good paragraph
introduces the issue, provides relevant support from the literature, examples and discussion
points related to the issue, and makes it clear what you think of the issue and how the issue
is relevant to your overall argument. Ensure that readers can follow your line of reasoning
and can see how every example and piece of information contributes to that line of
reasoning.
The conclusion draws together the principal points which have been made in the main
body of the essay and may indicate areas which would logically follow on from the study
which you have undertaken. The main purpose of the conclusion is to reach a final position
in your essay, so that this position is clear to your reader. This final position is likely to be
closely related to the aim of the assignment in terms of giving an answer to the question in
the title. In a good essay the points made in the conclusion link back to those in the
introduction.
In the introduction you have stated a problem/question and in the conclusion you provide
the answer. For example, if your assignment asks you to compare two things, your
conclusion gives you the opportunity to say which one you prefer or think is the best. If
you have to write about the advantages and disadvantages of something, your conclusion
allows you to tell your reader whether you believe the advantages to be more significant
than the disadvantages, or vice versa. If the question asks whether you agree or disagree
with a statement, or what evidence there is to support a theory, the conclusion should
youre your final position clear. Whatever the topic, the question or the discussion, it is very

important that you reach your own conclusion based on the evidence you have presented
earlier. Note that it is not appropriate to present new evidence in the conclusion.

Style and presentation

It is usually a good idea to use clear and simple language. Use discourse markers (such as
However, In addition, Consequently etc.) to make it clear what you are trying to say, and
how different ideas are linked together. Check your work carefully for mistakes, and make
sure that it is clear and easy to read.
In general, each paragraph should contain one main idea, with explanations and/or
examples to support or develop it. If you leave a space between each paragraph, it is not
necessary to indent the first line of the paragraph. If your paper consists of a lot of very short
paragraphs (one or two sentences each) it immediately gives the idea that your ideas are not
well organised and nothing is going to be fully discussed with arguments, examples and
reasons to support the points you need to make.
Use A4 paper and print out your work on one side of the paper only, using a minimum font
size of 12 point. It is compulsory to word-process your assignments unless there are medical
reasons why you cannot do so. Word-processing enables you to check your spelling, and if
you want to make changes, you do not have to start again. Use 1.5 line-spacing, and leave a
margin of one inch (2.5 cm) on both sides of the page. If for some good reason you have to
hand-write your essay, write neatly on lined paper, with margins. Always include a signed
cover sheet.
It is important that the direction of your argument and the overall structure of the essay are
clear at all stages. Re-read your essay to be sure that it does not digress, make the same
point twice or deal with material in two separate parts that should be presented together.
Make sure that the most major issues are dealt with first. Above all, make sure that you
have answered the question.
Be very careful in your use of terminology. Make sure that you have used all terms
accurately, and never use jargon carelessly so as to cover an absence of clear thinking.
Where appropriate, define the terms you are using.
In writing an academic essay, your style should be cautious: do not make statements that
you cannot substantiate. Make use of hedging devices such as appear, would seem, may
indicate. Some tutors prefer an impersonal style making use of passives and avoiding the
use of I, although nowadays this preference tends to be more associated with the hard
sciences than with the humanities and social sciences.
Be rigorous in any arguments you put forward. Indicate what the evidence is. Do not fall
back on anecdote. Do not use vague generalisations unless you are discussing a general and
well-established principle. Support your essay with examples.

The aim of an essay is not to tell us basic facts we already know; or to lay down a series of
quotes from sources without comment. We look for evidence that you have not only read
your sources carefully, but have assimilated what you have read into some kind of coherent
framework, have evaluated what you have read in terms of its accuracy and relevance, and
have reorganised what you have read so as to support the arguments in your essay. An
ability to synthesize ideas will help you.
Summary
A good essay:

has a clear introduction that maps out the ground you intend to cover in answering the
question
has a clear structure and a clear direction, and is organised so as to answer the question
set without drifting off the topic or including irrelevant information
draws on a good range of authoritative, relevant and appropriate sources
discusses the sources, rather than simply regurgitating them
makes explicit links between ideas and between the different sections, sometimes using
linking words such as therefore, in addition, however, on the other hand, etc to signpost
the links
organises information into substantial paragraphs, each of which deals with a main idea
thoroughly with supporting information, references, examples and discussion of the
idea
is written in clear, concise and accurate English using standard written grammar and
punctuation
sticks to the point in answering the question or addressing the task set, and makes good
use of the conclusion to show you have used the evidence and discussion in the essay to
arrive at an answer.

Essay writing checklist

Have I interpreted the question appropriately?

Does the introduction give the reader a clear indication of the structure of my answer?
Does the essay move logically and fluently from one paragraph/section to the next?
Have I developed each argument sufficiently?
Have I made my arguments clear and supported them with sufficient evidence and
examples?
Have I included any irrelevant material or spent too much time on less significant issues,
while only dealing superficially with the major issues?
In the conclusion have I avoided introducing new ideas which have not been dealt with
in the body of the essay?
Have I tied my conclusion in with my introduction?

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Top tips for essay writing

Make sure that you are clear about the word length and completion date - there may be
penalties if you are late.
If you are unsure about the question, get guidance before you begin to prepare.
Get hold of necessary background reading in advance.
Make sure that you have full references for all the books that you use.
Plan the whole essay in detail before you begin to write.
Write concisely and keep to the point. Punctuate accurately, keeping sentences to a
reasonable length.
Use words accurately, checking technical terms.
Proofread your work

Acknowledging sources and avoiding plagiarism

When you are a student you spend a lot of time studying what other people have said or
written. You take a lot of notes from books, journals and other sources. Sometimes, when
you come to write an essay and you use these notes, you want to put exactly what that
particular person has written in your essay, usually because you feel they have expressed
their ideas much better than you can express them. At other times you may make use of
another persons ideas from your reading, but paraphrase them or summarise them in your
own words. If you draw on the views of others, you must make it absolutely clear where
they come from, or you could be accused of plagiarism. Each essay you hand in must be
presented with a Cover Sheet on which you must sign the plagiarism statement.
Plagiarism is defined as The taking and using as ones own of the thoughts, writing or
inventions of another (The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition). Whether you
use direct quotation or paraphrase, you must avoid presenting another persons thoughts or
words as though they were your own. You must therefore be careful to acknowledge your
sources, and to make a clear distinction between your own ideas and the ideas which have
come from your sources. The way to do this is to acknowledge the source of these ideas in
your text and to include in your bibliography the complete reference for the work from
which you have quoted or paraphrased.
Universities treat plagiarism very seriously. In universities it is considered as a most serious
academic crime not to acknowledge your sources, and the penalties range from awarding a
mark of zero for the piece of work in question, up to expulsion from the College. The
College takes a very dim view of plagiarism, the penalties are always harsh, and ignorance is
no defence.
Academics work hard to come up with ideas and to write them up for publication. They are
evaluated on the quality of their thinking and their writing, and understandably expect their
work to be acknowledged. Acknowledging what other scholars have written and said, also
allows tutors to easily and quickly check the original sources of your ideas if necessary e.g.
to see whether you have understood them properly, and whether your discussion of these
ideas is fair and logical.
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Checklist for avoiding plagiarism

The following checklist is designed to help you to avoid plagiarism.

Your paper should include a good balance of your own ideas and ideas taken from
sources. Even if you acknowledge all sources properly, it is not appropriate to submit
work that does not contain a substantial input from you.
All direct quotations (i.e. using the exact words of the source where you found it) must
be bracketed with inverted commas 1 and properly acknowledged with author, date and
page number 2 .
All paraphrased citations (i.e. where the ideas are rewritten in your own words) must be
also acknowledged with a reference in your paper to the author and date where you
found the ideas. Page numbers are not necessary for paraphrased citation.
All sources that you have drawn on and referenced in your writing must be included in
your bibliography. This includes sources you have quoted directly and sources of ideas
that you have paraphrased.
Where you have referred to or quoted a primary source that you have found in a
secondary source, both the primary source and the secondary source must be included
in your reference, e.g. (Chomsky 1965 in Brown 1999: 67). The primary source should
not be included in your bibliography unless you have actually read that primary source 3 .
Where ideas from a source are drawn on at several points within a paragraph or section,
this must be made clear. Where you have synthesised general ideas from a number of
sources, these must all be clearly acknowledged.
Paraphrased citations should be rewritten in your own words, not just direct quotations
with minor cosmetic changes.
Diagrams, charts, tables and pictures should be clearly attributed to the source you got
them from.
Your bibliography should include all the required information in the accepted format,
i.e. author surname and initials, date of publication, title of the paper or chapter (where
appropriate), title of the book or journal, place of publication, name of the publisher.
In the case of webpages and other online sources, the URL and the date you retrieved
the source must be in the bibliography. Other information might not be available, but if
it is you should include it. If date of publication is not given, reference as undated.
Sources drawn on in appendices and footnotes must also be properly referenced and
included in the bibliography.
Quotations from lecture handouts and lecturers notes, and ideas from these that you
have drawn on also have to be properly acknowledged.
Research articles available in electronic format (e.g. via Science Direct) should be listed
as articles in the bibliography and not as websites.

Longer quotes may be indented to set them apart from the rest of your text, instead of using inverted
commas. However, you should avoid overuse of long direct quotation and paraphrase instead.
2
Where the source you read is actually a quote from another source, this must be acknowledged.
3
It is often a good idea, however, to try to find the primary source and read the quotation in its original
context. This is not always practical, however, and it depends on the importance of the quotation.

12

Referring to sources
A referencing system is a quick way to do this that enables anyone reading your work to see
clearly and unambiguously what the source of your ideas is, and if necessary to find the
source for themselves. There is basic advice on references and quotation below. More
details can be found in the study skills books like the ones listed above, or from the
following online sources: Note that citations from sources and your bibliography should
follow the Harvard author-date system.
www.kcl.ac.uk/content/1/c6/03/45/29/citing2009-10FINAL1.pdf
Information on referencing produced by ISS at Kings. Also available as a leaflet from the
Kings libraries. Note that of the three official styles used in Kings, you are expected to use
the Harvard author-date system on the BA in English Language & Communication.
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/nursing/vc/studyskills/
Produced for Nursing Studies at Kings but useful for all students
http://www.education.ex.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/harvard_referencing.htm
http://dissc.tees.ac.uk/references/References-Print.htm A very clear introduction

How to reference your sources

The first thing to note is that you have a choice. You can use the exact words you found in
the original source (direct quotation) or you can rewrite the ideas in your own words
(paraphrase).
Direct quotation
It is better to use direct quotation sparingly. We would expect to see a maximum of one or
two (usually short) direct quotations on a page, compared to perhaps three or four times as
many paraphrased quotations. Direct quotations are best used for short extracts, perhaps
one sentence or less, where you feel an idea is expressed particularly clearly and elegantly
and worth quoting word-for-word. Long quotations would only be used if they expressed a
central argument that was the heart of the whole essay. In any case, all direct quotation
should always be followed by your own comments dont let your sources speak for you,
because we are interested in what you have to say. You dont show your understanding by
copying chunks out of books.
If you do decide to quote a large chunk of an author's exact words, set them out like this, in
an indented paragraph, followed by the authors surname, year of publication and page
number in brackets:
You should give the quotation its own paragraph so that it stands out from
the rest of the text. If you are typing the quotation it should be single spaced
and the margins should be indented as in this example. You do not need to
use inverted commas. At the end of the quotation you should clearly state
where it came from and also give the page number. (O'Regan, 1996, p.33)

13

If your quote is a very short one, just a line or two, it is not necessary to indent it and you
should put it in single inverted commas, as in the following examples.
Plagiarism is defined as The taking and using as ones own of the thoughts, writing or
inventions of another (The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary 1995, p.756).
As Hymes pointed out, There are rules of use, without which the rules of grammar are
useless
(1974, p. 28).
Note that in the second example, as the authors name is already part of the sentence, there
is no need to include it in the brackets. Note also that the full stop comes after the brackets
the reference in brackets is considered to be inside the sentence.
Note also that when using direct quotation, it is normal to give the page or pages in the
original source where the quoted text is found. Just put a comma after the date, then a
space, then p. followed by the page numbers, like this:
(Andon & Fortune 2003, p.35) (Robinson n.d., p.12)* (Crystal 2004, p.371)
*n.d. means not dated.
If you quote from a website, the same conventions apply but you may need to be more
flexible. You may not be able to find the authors name, date of publication or title. If
necessary, put the organisation that owns the website (BBC 2006) or an abbreviated title
(Sloppy slang and coarse cursing 1999) or if all else fails, use the URL (web address). You
must, as with any other source, provide enough information in the reference to allow the
reader to find the full information on the source in your bibliography quickly.
Paraphrase or indirect quotation
If you paraphrase, the system is very similar. The only difference is that you dont need to
include the page number, as in the two examples below.
There are thought to be four main influences on teachers ideas about teaching (Borg 2003).
According to Crystal (2003), the number of second language speakers of English far exceeds
the number of native speakers of English, or any other language for that matter.
Paraphrasing has a number of advantages. You show your understanding and you can
integrate the original ideas better into your own discussion or line of argument. For this
reason, dont just make one or two cosmetic changes to the original wording. Paraphrase
means rewriting the same information into what are substantially your own words. The best
way to do this is to read the original, make notes of the ideas as you understand them, and
then use your notes to rewrite the ideas in your own words. Remember, you still have to
provide a reference the words may be yours, but you got the ideas from someone else. If
you dont acknowledge the source of the ideas, this is still plagiarism. If there is no

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reference, either what you are saying is a matter of indisputable common knowledge, or you
are claiming that the idea is one you thought up for yourself or found out by carrying out
your own research.
So:
If you were to say that China is the country with the largest population in the world,
you dont need a reference.
If you were to say that there are over 1 billion speakers of Mandarin in Asia, you need
to refer to your source (unless you have counted the speakers of Mandarin for
yourself!).
If you wish to argue that the policy of having one official language has helped to unify
Indonesia, or that the Welsh language is only used regularly by a small minority of
people in Wales, you should state your source.
One question your tutors will continually be asking when reading your coursework is:
How do you know that? What evidence have you got to support that?
As with direct quotation, if you include the authors name in your own sentence, then just
put the date (and page number if necessary) in the brackets. This applies to both direct
quotation and to paraphrase.
So either:
In the field of language teaching, communicative competence is considered to consist of four
aspects: grammatical competence, discourse competence, pragmatic competence and
strategic competence (Canale & Swain 1980).
OR
According to Canale & Swain (1980), communicative competence consists of four aspects:
grammatical competence, discourse competence, pragmatic competence and strategic
competence.
If the reference in brackets includes author and year, it should normally appear at the end of
the sentence you have written, like this.
Taking good notes is the key to good academic writing (Peck & Coyle 1999).
If the authors name (or authors names) appears in your own sentence, then the year of
publication (in brackets) can go immediately after the name of the author(s) as in this
example.
Peck & Coyle (1999) point out that taking good notes is the key to academic writing.
If your source is jointly written by two authors, both names have to go into the reference. If
it is written jointly by three or more, just put the first authors surname, followed by et al.
Note that in the bibliography, though, the names of all the authors of your source must be
listed.

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Examples:
SINGLE AUTHOR:
(Hedge 2000) (Jones 1997) (Street 2008, p.94) (Yule
2006, p.17)
TWO JOINT AUTHORS:
(Creme & Lea 1997) (Benson & Voller 2001, p.13)
MORE THAN TWO AUTHORS: (Fromkin et al. 2003) (Harris et al. 2004, p. 48)
Sometimes you will see an idea by one author quoted by the author of another source. For
example, you might be reading a general book like Yule (2006), or Fromkin, Rodman &
Hyams (2007) where they quote or paraphrase something written by, say, Chomsky in
1965. If you dont have time to track down the original book by Chomsky, then you must
make it clear that you havent read the original source. In such cases you have to refer to
both the primary and the secondary source, like this:
(Chomsky 1965 cited in Yule 2006, p.27) Grice (1975 in Fromkin et al 2007) argues

The reference list or bibliography

One of the signs of a good essay is that the text clearly shows evidence of a wide range of
reading, which is then reflected in the reference list or bibliography. All your assessed
coursework should include a reference list or a bibliography. This should be placed at the
end of your essay (but before any appendices) and contain all the articles and books you
consulted, in alphabetical order. Most of these will probably have been cited in your text,
but there may be some sources that you have consulted and drawn on but not actually
quoted or paraphrased. In fact, a reference list contains only sources that you have
specifically quoted or paraphrased and referred to in the way discussed above. On this
programme we generally prefer a list of references to a bibliography, and this means if you
want to show you have read a lot then you must specifically refer to all your sources in the
essay.
All sources referred to in your essay should appear in one alphabetical list that matches the
reference. So if the reference is (anon. 1872) then it appears under A, if the reference is to a
website where you couldnt find authors name or title so you referenced a URL such as
(www.holstein.org/bruges/a001), then it appears under W. If the reference is to a
secondary source such as (Chomsky 1965 cited in Yule 2006, p.27) then you would only
put Yule, not Chomsky, and obviously it would appear under Y.
Dont make separate lists of books, articles and websites. We expect one list in alphabetical
order of all your sources.
The way a reference list entry is formatted depends on what kind of source it is. It is
particularly important to distinguish between authored books, books that are edited
collections or chapters by a number of different authors, and articles in academic journals.
References to authored books should contain the following information: authors surname
and initial, year of publication, title, place of publication and publisher. The title of the
book should normally appear in italics.

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Examples:
Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Fromkin, V., R. Rodman & N. Hyams. (2003). An Introduction to Language 7th edition.
Fort Worth, Texas: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
Ivanic, R. (1997). Writing and Identity: the discoursal construction of identity in academic
writing. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Jenkins, J. (2000). The Phonology of English as an International Language: new models, new
norms, new goals. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Make sure that you put the correct date for the edition you are using; do not mistake dates
of reprinting for the date of the edition, or the original date of publication. The date you
need can be found after the name of author or publisher following the copyright sign - :
Author's Name 2000 OR Publishers Name 1996
Note that when a new edition of a book comes out, you will need to say which edition you
have consulted and the date when that edition was first published. Be careful not to confuse
reprinting with the publication of a new edition.
If you are referring to an article in a journal, you should put the title of the article in single
inverted commas, NOT in italics before the name of the journal. The name of the journal
should be in italics.
Meier, A. (1997). Teaching the universals of politeness ELT Journal, 51:1, 21-29.
If you are referring to a chapter in a book which consists of a number of chapters by
different authors, you should put the title of the article in single inverted commas before the
name of the editor(s) and the title of the book.
Skehan, P. (1996). Second language acquisition research and task-based instruction in
Willis J. & D. Willis (eds.). Challenge and Change in Language Teaching. Oxford:
Heinemann.
When you refer to a website, you should include as much as possible of the following
information:
Author's name(s)
Date of publication or update
Title or description of document
The name of the organisation which published the website, if known.
Retrieval date statement (because websites are updated or changed frequently)
URL - always put the full URL and make sure it is accurate.
Because not all websites contain all this information you will need to use your common
sense. The key thing is to make sure that you include as much information as is available
and always put the URL and the date you accessed the source.

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Examples:
Birner, B. (1999). (ed.) Why do some people have an accent? Linguistics Society of America.
(accessed 01/09/06) http://www.lsadc.org/web2/faq/faqacc.htm.
Talking Posh. BBC Routes of English Website. (accessed 13.07.02)
http://www.lsadc.org/web2/faq/faqacc.htm
Bush, G. (1989). Principles of ethical conduct for government officers and employees. Exec. Order
No. 12674. Pt. 1. (accessed 22/07/08)
http://www.usoge.gov/pages/laws_regs_fedreg_stats/lrfs_files/exeorders/eo12674.pdf

For more information on electronic sources in your bibliography consult one of the study
skills handbooks at the beginning of this section, or visit one of these websites:
http://dissc.tees.ac.uk/references/References-Print.htm#website
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/citex.html

Exams and revision

Exams at Kings are held in either Exam Period 1 (January) or Exam Period 2 (May/June).
Resit/replacement exams are held in Exam Period 3 (August).
There will be some revision classes after the Easter break when revision will be conducted
in class as a group exercise. However, much revision is a personal activity and thus very
much dependent on how you organise your time. Make sure you revise continuously. If
you leave revision to the last minute, you may become too drained to do yourself justice
when the examinations arrive. Useful advice on exams and assessment is provided in the
study guides recommended above.

Revising and preparing for the exam

Revision means going over your work in order to:
Check your understanding.
Remind yourself of material you have forgotten.
Reinforce your learning.
Identify and fill gaps in your knowledge
There are many ways of revising to bring exam success. Try revising for the exam by
planning all the typical questions that are set on each of the topics you plan to write on in
the exam. This plan will be the core material for your revision.

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Tips for exam revision

Start early.
Make a revision timetable.
Summarise material under headings.
Identify the key points, examples and evidence for each topic.
Discuss the material with other students.
Answer questions from past papers.
Go over the material quickly several times rather than spending a long time on one
occasion.

An important aspect of preparing for exams is to know what the examiners require from
you. It is not enough to recall the necessary information. You also need to shape it into the
form asked for by the exam question. So its important to know the format of your exam
i.e. how long, how many and what type of questions (essay, multiple choice, etc).

Planning in an exam
Planning in an exam is vital to enable you to produce a first-class essay. Spend the first five
minutes writing down your plan before you begin to write the essay. Dont get panicked
into writing too soon before you have exhausted all of your ideas and got them organised
into a coherent, well structured plan, that answers the question with strict relevance. It
makes very good sense to plan all the questions you have to do, before you pick up your pen
to write the first one.

A word about computers

Computers can help you to organise and store information, and present your work neatly. It
is compulsory to word process your work unless there are medical reasons why you cannot
do so. However, a word of warning is sometimes necessary. Whether you are using your
own computer at home, or working on a PAWS machine at Kings, remember to back your
work up onto a USB pen drive or similar (floppy disks are much less reliable) at least every
half an hour, and alternate between the hard drive and an external drive, so that you always
have one secure backup. Find out how to make use of your personal space on the Kings
PAWS system to back up your work, or email important documents to yourself. If you
dont save work in the correct place on the PAWS system, your documents will be deleted.
Read the PAWS handbook given to you when you registered.
Plan a good system for organising your computer files with clear filenames and logically
organised systems of folders and subfolders, so that you can find your work easily. Label
your USB drives clearly with your name and telephone number.

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