A Survival Manual – How to Read and Write Uni Style

This guide is aimed for fResh who haven’t had much (if any) experience with Reading and Writing for University.  

Who made this guide? 

Following a lecture where one of my unit coordinators uncharacteristically outlined so clearly the expectations for general Uni essay writing and reading, I thought I would summarise his main points into a fResh Uni Survival Manual. 

Why read this?

Whilst some of you will have started to realise by now that final assignments and essays will be looming in the not too distant future (especially for Arts students), I’m guessing that most haven’t even begun to think about attempting their first 2,000+ word essay. That isn’t necessarily the problem,however the fact that Uni assignments generally differ from HSC requirements might be. This guide outlines how to read efficiently and how to write a structured essay in alignment with Uni expectations. 

Reading!

Your course will have set reading requirements that might range from chapters to entire books and whilst researching for an essay you’ll have to trawl through mass library listings for relevant material. 

When reading, keep notes as you go  of key points or mark points for easy reference later on(if reading for a tutorial, try reading with the tutorial questions in mind). 

Reading strategies include:

• Read  the Abstract / Introduction first and then the Conclusion.

• Then, read the paragraph topic titles (and find relevant sections!). 

• What is the subject being addressed?

• Is there a problem presented?

• Is there a significant subject expressed?

• What methods do they use to solve methodological problems?

• What are the solutions being proposed?

• Useful theories, figures, concepts.

• How does this help me? 

YOU DON’T HAVE TO READ THE ENTIRE PIECE. 

To engage efficiently with a reading, you don’t have to read it in entirety. Mostly reading is for understanding a particular niche within a subject, not the subject as a whole – reading efficiently will help you identify the key information. 

‘T’- READING STYLE. 

Think of the letter T – general useful University reading is for ‘Breadth’ over ‘Depth’ i.e. gets the general information for a topic across a range of sources, rather than a single in-depth analysis from one opinion. (Unless studying that specific author etc).  Go along the T, not down. 

But where is the best place to find articles and books?

Use the USYD/ UTS/ UNSW online library sites. They will come up with relevant listings for your topic & provide easy referencing. 

Wikipedia, contrary to popular belief, is useful in identifying other references that might be useful to look into for a particular subject – just DON’T reference Wikipedia. Ever. 

Writing!

Step 1 = Planning 

*Generally, have a good idea of what the entire essay will consist of BEFORE writing*

• READ the question multiple times; make sure you actually understand what it is asking you to do / what topic it is concerned with. 

• Use a tree diagram to help plan points / subjects of paragraphs. 

• Organise them for flow and relevancy. 

Step 2 = Introduction 

(Orientation)

• Introduce the subject and question/ problem. 

• State its significance. 

• Flag the complexity (helps with significance) i.e. debates surrounding the topic. 

(Thesis)

• Can be cautious i.e. state what your personal angle is; this helps the tutor to understand your critiques throughout. 

• Present your general argument in response to the question. 

• Use the language of the question throughout (i.e. don’t use synonyms).  

• Signpost your response; lead them through work, “I’m doing this, in contrast to the previous point”. 

• ‘This essay argues that’ – is a good phrase to set out your thesis for the essay.

(Outline) 

• Indicate the structure of the assignment. 

• Use language like “First, to begin with… I argue that…” 

Step 3 = Body Paragraphs 

*One point per paragraph*

• Topic sentence: what is the paragraph about / link where you have been. 

• Relate to outline and thesis in the Introduction. 

• Don’t start with a quotation or “blah blah argues that…”

• Don’t repeat between paragraphs. 

• Start with the theory and then move to the illustrations of your examples. 

STEP 4 = Conclusions

*Do not add additional points and opinions not already stated* 

• It is a summary of your points; restate your thesis. 

• Remind the marker of the problem tackled within the question. 

• Summarise the main points of what you argued. 

AVOID 

• Trying to achieve the word count by including tautologies i.e. two words meaning the same thing in a sentence. 

e.g. “His point is then completely devoid of emotion”.

Step 5 = Referencing 

*Do this as you go along for efficiency* 

• Check what referencing format your subject requires on the Unit Outline. 

• Make a page at the bottom of your document with the rough references; so, you don’t forget where quotes and ideas came from. 

When is work too much work? 

Aka. Take advantage of the “Law of Diminishing Returns” 

• You should definitely edit your work. 

• Aim to edit 2-3 full drafts. 

• Leave sometime between full read throughs: DON’T LEAVE EDITING TO THE LAST MINUTE. 

• BUT! After a while it is hard to push for improvements… so just think whether 6 edits are really worth your time? Sometimes yes, mostly no. You have other things to focus on with your life…

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