Academic and study skills
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 four primary methods: individual appointments, seminars in their school, 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.
Students who use English as a second or additional language may also find the free Academic English Service run by colleagues in the International Education Institute helpful.
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.
Complete our online booking system to request an appointment. Appointments currently run virtually through Microsoft Teams. It may be possible to arrange an in-person appointment depending on tutor availability; please email ceedtutors@st-andrews.ac.uk.
Please note that it may be 24 hours before your appointment is allocated, therefore we may not always be able to fulfill last minute requests.
Please read the information in your confirmation email carefully. To cancel or reschedule please use the link provided in your confirmation email- do not just delete the appointment from your calendar as we will receive no notification of this. Your tutor will call you through Teams at the time of your appointment.
Make sure you read the information below before booking an appointment.
About CEED tutoring services
- Appointments are free
- Our primary aim is to help students over occasional bumps—please note, we do not offer routine tutoring service
- Services are limited to no more than 3 tutoring appointments per term
- We cannot offer discipline specific help
- The tutor will not proof-read, edit, or discuss any written work that is not yet submitted
Who may request tutoring and when?
- Appointments are available to all students except PGR (PhD) students
- New students are required to attend 2 weeks of classes before booking a one-to-one appointment with CEED.
What can I expect from an appointment?
- Strategies to support you to become independent in your studies
- Personalized support
- Several topics can be tutored in the same appointment
- Maths/Stats & Study Skills cannot be tutored in the same appointment (different tutors are required)
- Advice from experienced postgraduate (PhD) tutors
- Study Skills tutors may be from a different discipline than your own but can help you to develop effective study strategies and enhance your approach to your academic work.
Our Study Skills tutors are creating videos on a range of Study Skills:
If you anticipate any problems accessing your appointment remotely, please get in touch on ceedtutors@st-andrews.ac.uk.Part Time/ Combined Studies Students
Information on our provision for students registered on the part time Combined Studies degree can be found below.
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.
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.
- Art History
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Classics
- Computer Science
- Divinity
- Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Economics and Finance
- English (Writing Lab)
- Geography and Sustainable Development
- History
- International Relations
- Management
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Medicine
- Modern Languages
- Philosophical, Anthropological and Film Studies
- Physics and Astronomy
- Psychology
Online Guides and Resources
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:
Getting Critical
Posters and Presentations
Planning your dissertation
Planning your essay
Reading and making notes
Time Management
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):
Open University's Guide to Harvard.
York University's guide to referencing.
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.
Mind mapping
A programme called MindJet MindManager is available through the Unviersity. You can download the software through Apps Anywhere and view some tutorials.
Good Academic Practice and TGAP
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.
All students should be familiar with the University of St Andrews Good Academic Practice Policy.
Language correction and proof-reading
A list of resources and information about language correction.
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.
Please read prior to making contact:
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The Language Correction policy (including Declaration). (Stored in the Policies, Procedures and Guidance repository.)
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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.
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Advice if you intend to use a language correction service (Word, 122 KB)
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This includes various things you might want to consider and how to prepare if you are intending to use a language correction service.
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Using a language correction service:
- Language correctors' contact details
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Please note: this page is password protected, so you will need to login with your usual University username & password.
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Remember to acknowledge any language correction using the declaration stipulated in the Language Correction policy.