STUDY SKILLS

Note Taking in Lectures / Seminars
In University you are unlikely to get detailed handouts, if any, so you must take notes in lectures.
Here are some tips to help you:

It is important to prepare yourself for the lecture so it is a good idea to read your notes from the last lecture to refresh yourself on the topic area. In the lecture you must pay full attention to what the lecturer is saying and look out for any key information that the lecturer might highlight by saying things such as ‘a key element is’ or ‘an important point is’. You may also want to abbreviate any common words and make use of standardised symbols. After the lecture make sure you clarify anything you are unsure of by checking information in text books or journals.

Note Taking from Text Books / Journal Articles
In Psychology you are expected to do wider reading as lectures are often only an overview or an introduction to an area or topic. You will have to read text books and journal articles to write essays in exams or assignments.

There is a system for taking notes called SQRW. This is a four stage process you go through as part of note taking. These stages include:

• Survey - This means get a rough idea what the chapter or article is about. To survey you read the title, sub titles, summary or conclusion and look at any graphs or tables. This will give you an idea if the article is worth reading and what kind of information to look for.
• Question - Develop a question that you are hoping the article/chapter will answer, such as ‘What is the multistore model of memory?’ - this helps to focus your note taking. Use the question as a heading for your notes.
• Read - Read the chapter/journal article without taking any notes, this may lead to you changing your question.
• Write - Write down the answer to the question. Re-read your notes to check you understand them.

It is also useful to include page numbers so you can go back and check, or get extra detail and highlight key information when you re-read.

Essay Writing
In University you will have to write essays as term assignments, and under timed conditions in an exam. Here are some tips:

• Essay titles are often open to interpretation, so your first paragraph should be about how you understand the question. This will help you to focus your answer.
• You will need to research the essay title, looking for theories and/or studies. This will involve taking notes as explained above. If you have interpreted the question first this will focus your note taking.
• Make sure your essay is well structured. Jot down a plan before you start. People often write their conclusion first; this allows them to make sure their essay is heading in the direction they want it to go.
• Make sure your essay answers the question and stays focused, or you will not gain any marks.
• Make sure you give a balanced viewpoint; present both sides of the argument.
• Demonstrate your knowledge and skills, like evaluation, in order to get higher marks.

Research Report Writing
In A2 you will have done a piece of coursework which involves carrying out your own piece of psychological research. You will have to do a number of these over the course of your psychology degree, including your dissertation which is totally your own idea. Remember the areas that should be covered:

• Abstract - A summary of what you did, your results and conclusions.
• Introduction - All the background research to your study.
• Method - How you carried out your study.
• Results - What you found, including a statistical test.
• Discussion - What you can conclude from your research, any problems with
  your study, and any further areas to research that your study has brought up.
• References - All the text books and journal articles you have read or used.
• Appendix - All the data collected, calculations and anything else you refer to in your report that does not feature in the main body of the report. 

Statistical Analysis of Data
As you will be carrying out your own research, you will have to be able to perform statistical analysis of data. This will involve being able to do descriptive statistics like mean, modes and medians, and selecting and carrying out statistical tests. Often universities will train you in how to use statistics software like SPSS.