Student Learning Unit, Victoria University, Melbourne

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What is the first step?

Before you start, note down the full publication details:

• author’s name/s
• title of text/article
• publisher
• place of publication
•  year of publication

Print them clearly to make sure you get them exactly right when you use them later. You will put them in alphabetical order to make your reference list which will be provided at the end of your essay.

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What techniques can I use for notetaking? 

1. Direct quotations

These should be carefully selected and copied exactly from the text/article. It is best not to use abbreviations when taking notes of direct quotations. Use inverted commas “ ” in your notes to show exactly which words are being quoted.

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2. Paraphrasing

This means writing in your own words without changing the original meaning. The paraphrase is usually as long as the original passage. Read the passage several times to understand its meaning, check the dictionary for any words you do not understand, and identify:

• the main idea
• the main supporting points

Write the passage in your own words by:

• keeping any technical terms
• substituting synonyms for general words
• changing the word order of sentences, eg active to passive or vice versa
• where possible, linking your paraphrase to the purpose of what you are writing
•  if you are stuck, saying it aloud to yourself and writing down what you said, then changing it into academic style

In your essay, you must reference all paraphrases; this is just as important as referencing direct quotations. This means you must include the page numbers in your notes – try in the margin or above the line.

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3. Summarising

Read the passage several times to understand its meaning, check the dictionary for any words you do not understand, and identify:  

• the main idea
• the main supporting points
• details about each point
• examples and illustrations

Write the main ideas of the passage in your own words. Use the same techniques as for paraphrasing, but include less detail. Leave out details and examples unless they are necessary for understanding or you think you may use one in your essay. A summary is usually much shorter than the original passage.  

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4. Using outlines

Write the main ideas in point form and use numbers and letters, headings and subheadings to indicate main ideas and subordinate ideas.  

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5. Using abbreviations

This can save you a lot of time. A couple of warnings:  

• Only use abbreviations that you will understand when you read your notes – which may be in 3 months time!
• If you want to start using new abbreviations, choose a maximum of about 5 and use them until they become automatic before you introduce more new ones.  

Otherwise you risk being unable to read your notes!  

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Any other useful websites?

Some of the best websites dealing with this topic have been bookmarked for you on del.icio.us  notetaking.reading

This resource was created by
Amanda Pearce and Wendy Fleet, 2003

If you have any suggestion as to how it could be imnproved, or any other comments, please feel free to leave a comment/ reply below. 

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What is a postgraduate student?

A postgraduate student is someone who has already graduated with an undergraduate degree and wishes to pursue higher study. Some students find that being a post graduate is very different because they have to work much more on their own and be even more responsible than in their first degree for organising their own time and motivating themselves. It is for these reasons that you must make sure you enroll in a post graduate course in which you are very interested.

It is likely that as a postgraduate, your needs will be different from when you were an undergraduate. Ask yourself what your expectations are about study at this level and then talk about this with your supervisor very early in your studies. Your supervisor will advise you as to what is expected, and in this sense, he/ she is one of your greatest resources. 

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What postgraduate courses are available?

There are various types of PG courses available such as Graduate Diplomas, Graduate Certificates, Masters, PhDs and Professional Doctorates. These can be coursework and/ or research based. If it is coursework based, then students attend classes and submit assignments in a similar way to undergraduates but the work is at a higher level.Research Masters and PhDs differ from coursework degrees because there is no coursework and often no classes.

The individual student is supervised by a lecturer (their supervisor) who is an expert in the field of study they wish to pursue. The student has to conduct research and write up this research with occasional input from their supervisor.  The highest level of postgraduate study is a PhD. A person who graduates with a PhD is referred to as a Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor for short (an academic doctor as opposed to a medical doctor). For more information about postgraduate research at VU contact the relevant faculty. Check the VU Library Research Resources, or browse the library’s Online Guides page 

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Post graduate writing 

One issue that can confront post graduates for the first time is writing at a much longer length than they have in the past (usually over 3000 words). Writing in a formal academic style is also sometimes an issue.

If you are studying via coursework, your assignments will be longer and more detailed. If you are a Masters or PhD student, you will have to design and conduct a piece of research, analyse the findings and discuss the findings. Have a look at some online resources which deal with Research-based Writing. For research and documenting sources, see Resources for Documenting Electronic Sources from the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University.  

Some time is available during semesters for postgraduate students to receive advice and feedback on their writing. For more information, contact the SLU via the contact details on the “about us” section on the SLU Homepage. If you are thinking about employment, VU’s Student Career Development Site is excellent. See also a site by the Graduate Careers Council of Victoria.

If you have any queries about postgraduate studies or writing, or on how this resource could be improved, feel free to leave a reply below!

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What are the main differences between presentations and essays?

One difference between an oral presentation and a written text is the immediacy of the feedback. When you give an oral presentation you have a chance to adjust the content and presentation style to suit the audience. You can change the sequencing of the overheads. You can use the question time to determine the level of understanding and interest. A written assignment is a fixed document prepared for an audience (eg. your lecturer). Once you have submitted it there is no changing the appearance or content.

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What are the aims of individual or group/ class presentations?

• provide an opportunity to research a topic
• present information to a live audience  
• practice public speaking skills 
• provide an opportunity for discussion based on the topic

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Any other hints?

You will be a more enthusiastic speaker if you choose a topic you know something about, or are interested in. Similar to a written assignment, you will have an introduction, body and conclusion and you will also need to connect your ideas.          

• Maintain eye contact with the people you are speaking with 
• Emphasise your main points with your voice and your body
• Practise, practise, practise

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Any more useful links?

We have bookmarked some useful links for you on del.icio.us on the topic of Oral Presentations

If you have ideas or suggestion on how this resource could be improved, please leave a comment/ reply below.

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What is the Online Discussion Board? 

This area is a public space where students may talk with study skills lecturers and with fellow students. If you have a language or study skills query that you would like to discuss with an SLU lecturer and/ or other students, you can post a question to the Online Discussion Board.

We will try to respond to your query as promptly as possible.

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How can I benefit from it? 

Even if you don’t pose a question or join in the discussion, you may find some answers to your problems by viewing discussion responses.

We would encourage you to post your query to the Discussion Board – that way, other students can benefit from your question and answer!

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When should you start revising for your exams?

Exam preparation starts the night before the exam, right?  WRONG !  

It should start at the beginning of semester – and this is something most students learn the hard way. Of course all students learn differently, but some revision strategies are better than others.  

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What strategies can you use to help you revise?

There are three very basic revision strategies:

• Setting goals
• Studying in small bites
• Assessing your progress

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1. Setting Your Goals

First the student would set their revision goals for that revision session by deciding which part of the subject they want to revise. For example, they might decide to revise the first three weeks of the semester or they might decide to break their revision into specific topic areas and so on. Or they might decide to revise twenty key words. Then the student decides to spend the next twenty minutes trying to memorize the key words.  

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2. Studying In Small Bites and Assessing Your Progress

After twenty minutes or longer, if you feel you can concentrate for longer, you should stop and review your progress and decide whether or not to continue with the same task or to change to something else. The aim is to monitor and be in control of your own learning. 

Give yourself a short break where you get some fresh air or have a drink of coffee but be disciplined about returning to your study in a short time. Don’t let others stop you from returning. 

Go back to your desk and decide on your next goal and repeat the process. 

At the end of your study session you need to decide what you feel confident about and what you feel you need to spend more time on in your next revision period which might occur the next day. 

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Other SLU Resources

The SLU has further information below on Exam Skills.

• Open Book Exams (pdf)
• Past Papers (pdf)
• Multiple Choice Tests (pdf)

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Other Useful Websites

Some other Exam Skills websites have been bookmarked for you on del.icio.us

If you have any queries about exam techniques, or on how this resource could be improved, feel free to leave a comment/ reply below!