Assignment task
Your work should include a title page with your student number on it (not your name as we aim to
mark anonymously)
You need to identify 3 areas which reflect your strengths and weaknesses under the main
heading of ‘academic skills. Think about what you have learned so far in relation to skills and
assignment one. How will you use this new insight/new skills to inform your academic work in
future?
You need to include a minimum of 6 academic sources (academic books/peer-reviewed journal
articles) in your reflections and provide an accurate reference list at the end of your work
You can of course use more than 6 academic sources
You can also use other types of sources, such as webpages, news articles, reports, and so on,
but these DO NOT count towards your minimum of 6 academic sources, so you need 6 academic
sources PLUS any other sources you choose to support your argument
You will need to provide evidence to support your argument within each theme e.g.
research/reading around the topic
Identifying your three themes/skills
Your three should be from core academic skills
using the library (researching/finding information),
critical thinking/writing,
academic writing,
oral presentation skills,
group working,
note-taking and paraphrasing,
time management,
referencing,
avoiding plagiarism, academic integrity, etc.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
Referencing
In text citations are needed to support your claims whether you are paraphrasing or quoting
If you use ideas taken from a book, journal article, webpage, or any other source, you need a
citation to say where the information/ideas came from
If you are quoting, remember you must use “quotation marks” and give a page or paragraph
number
You should include a reference list in alphabetical order by the first author’s last
name/surname.
Make sure you are citing all sources, both in the text and in your reference list, according to
the Harvard referencing rules – see https://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/a-guide-to-referencing/
Structure of your reflective portfolio
After your title page, include an introduction to set the scene – what academic skills are, why they
are important and tell the reader what 3 skills you will be discussing (roughly 150 words)
Use paragraphs to divide your work and give each of your themes a subheading,
Remember to include citations throughout every paragraph
As this is a reflective task, you can write in the first person but if you are making generalised points
(i.e. points not specific to you), write in the third person
For each theme/academic skill, you need to write roughly 400 words
discuss what academic sources say about the skill
what you know about the skills (your strengths/weaknesses)
how this skill may link to your success at University but also your future employment
finally, think of actions you can take to improve areas you identify as needing improvement
You end your reflective portfolio with a conclusion, briefly summarising the key points, note any
overriding themes and what you have learned about yourself having researched for this assignment
(roughly 150 words)
On a final (new) page, you will have your reference list
Writing styles: types of writing in your themes/portfolio
Descriptive writing – description is important for giving an overview – it focuses on: What?
Where? When? Who?
Analytical – provides explanations by breaking down information into its components with
the intention of explaining – How? And Why?
Evaluation – where evidence is considered for its strengths and weaknesses
Argumentative – draws on evidence, analysis and evaluation i.e. you use all 3 of the above
writing styles to make a point, to argue a case
Reflective writing – personal
How to write your themes
For example, if you were choosing Academic Integrity as one of the themes/skills, you might begin:
Maintaining academic integrity is not only a fundamental ethical principle but also an important aspect of ….
Reflecting on my past experiences, I realised that a solid understanding of academic integrity is crucial.
According to Cottrell (2019) and Pecorari (2013), academic integrity encompasses …
One area I have been working on is improving my …..
Drawing upon the work of Smith (2020), I realised….
A study by Greenwood et al. (2022) on students’ perspectives on what academic integrity and plagiarism
means, found that….
Through self-reflection and engagement with academic literature, I have made significant progress in
improving …
I recognise the importance of academic integrity and it requires me to…..
High standards of academic integrity are not only important to my current studies but also to my future
employment because…
Honesty is a key element within academic integrity and honesty is vital within any employment role working
in the human service as….
Finding sources to use
- Search Discover or the library catalogue for academic books on general study skills and specific
study skills. - https://library.beds.ac.uk/
- Texts on general study skills of higher education are all likely to have sections on Academic
Writing, Presentation Skills, Plagiarism, Research/finding information, Time management,
Critical thinking, group working, and so on, as well as sections on what the skills mean for
students and their future and employability
Types of sources to use - For example, a search of the library catalogue for books simply using the keywords study skills
finds, among many others:
Bailey, S. (2022) Academic writing for university students
Burns, T and Sinfield, S. (2016) Essential study skills: the complete guide to success at university
Chatfield, T. (2022) Critical thinking: your essential guide
Cottrell S. (2019) The Study Skills handbook (your core text)
Craig, C. (2009) Study skills for health and social care students
Day, T. (2018) Success in academic writing
Hancock, J. (2023) The study book: essential skills for academic success
Harrison, J. et al. (2012) Study skills for criminology
van Emden, J. and Becker, L. (2016) Presentation skills for students, 2nd edn.