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Category Archives: study skills
Quick Tips Part 8: When to Quote, Paraphrase, and Summarize in Your Papers
Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing are all crucial to writing a persuasive, well-reasoned paper. But do you know when and how to use each one? The chart below can help with that.
| Citation Technique | Key Points | When to Use It |
| Quoting |
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| Paraphrasing |
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| Summarizing |
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Want more tips on how to write a paper? Check out The Secrets of Top Students!
Quick Tips Part 6: How to Study Actively
By Stefanie Weisman
Did you know you learn better when you study actively? Next time you have a test, instead of passively reading and re-reading your textbook, try the following active study techniques:
- Explain concepts in your own words, to yourself or someone else. Remember: it’s okay to talk to yourself!
- Make review sheets/ Write out the main points.
- Join a study group in which you and the other members test each other on the material.
- Write and re-write things — like names, dates, formulas, vocabulary, and verb conjugations — from memory.
- Draw out/ diagram complex concepts.
- Do practice problems — and don’t look at the answers until you’re done!
- Take practice tests provided by your teacher.
- Think up potential test questions (and answer them).
- Test yourself with flash cards, lists, etc.
For more study tips, check out The Secrets of Top Students.
Quick Tips Part 5: How to Come Up with a Thesis
By Stefanie Weisman
If you’re a high school or college student, you probably dread having to come up with a thesis. A thesis is the argument you make in your paper based on research and/or your own experience. Sometimes a thesis will come to you very quickly, in a flash of inspiration. But most of the time, it takes a lot more work.
When writing a research paper, consider yourself part of a scholarly debate. It’s perfectly acceptable – even encouraged – to challenge the ideas you read in a book or heard from your teacher. A thesis should be your own unique, original contribution to the debate.
To come up with a thesis, think critically as you read books, articles, and other sources. You should constantly ask yourself questions such as:
- Why did a person or character do something? What motivates him/her?
- Who/ What is responsible for an event or action?
- What is the cause of something? What is the effect of something?
- What is the significance of an action or event?
- What are some potential flaws in an author’s argument or idea? Are there other possible explanations?
- What do you think about an issue? Do you agree with the given interpretation? Why or why not?
- How did an event or action take place? Why did it take place the way it did?
| As you do research, try thinking like a reporter – always ask “who, what, where, when, why, and how?” |
Do you have any tips for coming up with a thesis?
For more tips on writing papers, check out The Secrets of Top Students.
Quick Tips Part 4: How to Use Google for Academic Research
By Stefanie Weisman
Sure, you use Google to look up cute cat videos, but it can also be a great tool for academic research. Here are some tips on how to use Google to find sources good enough to cite in your papers.
- Use double quotes to search for an exact term or a set of words in a specific order.
- Include “site:” to limit your search to a particular website (e.g., “site:nytimes.com”) or top-level domain (e.g., “site:.edu” – this is useful if you only want to search websites hosted by universities).
- If you’re looking for pdf documents – which tend to be more scholarly than regular websites – enter your search term(s) followed by “filetype:pdf”.
- When trying to find a term on a web page, don’t forget about Ctrl-F (or Command-F if you use a Mac). Just type the word or phrase you want to find in the box that pops up, and it’ll show you all the places where it occurs.
- Use Google Scholar to search for academic articles, and Google Books for easily searchable texts.
What are some Google search techniques you like to use?
For more tips on writing and research, check out The Secrets of Top Students.
Quick Tips Part 3: Common Grammar Mistakes All College Students Should Avoid
Make sure you know the difference between . . .
- Your vs. You’re
- “Your” is the second person possessive adjective and describes something as belonging to you.
- Ex.: Your paper is written very well.
- “You’re” is the contraction of “you are.”
- Ex.: You’re going to do very well on this test.
- “Your” is the second person possessive adjective and describes something as belonging to you.
- Its vs. It’s
- “Its” is a possessive adjective meaning “of it” or “belonging to it.”
- Ex.: I love that bakery. Its bread is to die for.
- “It’s” is the contraction of “it is” or “it has.”
- Ex.: It’s also got amazing coffee.
- “Its” is a possessive adjective meaning “of it” or “belonging to it.”
- There vs. Their vs. They’re
- “There” can indicate a place, introduce a noun or clause, or be used for emphasis.
- Ex.: I’m going to be sitting over there.
- “Their” is the third-person plural possessive adjective meaning “of them” or “belonging to them.”
- Ex.: I don’t like our new neighbors. Their dog was barking all night.
- “They’re” is the contraction of “they are.”
- Ex.: They’re buying a house.
- “There” can indicate a place, introduce a noun or clause, or be used for emphasis.
- Who’s vs. Whose
- “Who’s” is the contraction of “who is” or “who has.”
- Ex.: Who’s going to the baseball game tonight?
- “Whose” is the possessive form of “who.”
- Ex.: Whose baseball bat is this?
- “Who’s” is the contraction of “who is” or “who has.”
- Who vs. Whom
- “Who” is a subject, the person performing the action of the verb.
- Ex.: Who wants ice cream?
- “Whom” is an object, the person to, about, or for whom the action is being done.
- Ex.: To whom should I send this letter?
- “Who” is a subject, the person performing the action of the verb.
- Then vs. Than
- “Then” can mean “at that point in time,” “next,” “in addition,” “also,” “in that case,” “therefore.”
- Ex.: The man opened the door. Then he turned off the light.
- “Than” is a conjunction used in comparisons.
- Ex.: He is taller than his brother.
- “Then” can mean “at that point in time,” “next,” “in addition,” “also,” “in that case,” “therefore.”
For more tips on grammar and writing, check out The Secrets of Top Students.
Quick Tips Part 2: How to Use Citations in Your Papers
By Stefanie Weisman
Writing a paper and need help with citations? Can’t choose between APA, MLA, and Chicago Style? Here’s a quick overview to help you decide:
The three most common citation styles are APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association), and CMS (Chicago Manual of Style). Your teacher may tell you which one to use, but MLA is used most often in humanities courses; APA is generally used in social sciences, engineering, and business courses; and CMS tends to be used in history courses.
All of these citation styles consist of two parts:
- A section at the end of your paper, in which you list all the sources you used for your paper, in alphabetical order. In MLA style, this is called the “Works Cited” page. In APA style, this is called the “References” page. And in CMS style, this is called the “Bibliography.” In this list, you will usually have to include the author of the work, the title, the journal or anthology it comes from (if applicable), the editor or translator (if applicable), the publisher, the publisher’s location, and the date of publication. If your source is a website, you will probably have to list the web address and the date you accessed it.
- Attribution for each quote, paraphrase, and summary in your paper. Whenever you use someone else’s words or ideas, you must state the source and the page number(s) where they come from. This may occur in the form of in-text citation, which appears within the body of the paper (as in the case of APA and MLA); or in the form of footnotes or endnotes (as in the case of CMS).
You do NOT need attribution when:
If you’re in doubt about whether something needs attribution, however, you’re better off citing it just to be on the safe side. |
Here are some great online resources to help you with citations.
Online Guidelines:
- Bedford/ St. Martin’s Website guide to researching and documenting sources
- The OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab
Online Citation Generators:
- Griffith University provides a free online referencing tool in which you select what citation style you are using and the type of source you are citing. It then shows you an example of how to format that citation.
- Son of a Citation Machine is another free online source in which you choose your citation style and enter information about your source in order to view the correctly formatted citation.
- EasyBib provides a free citation generator for MLA format.
- You can also use Zotero to organize your research and generate citations automatically. This requires you to download some free software.
What are some tools you like to use?
For more tips on writing papers, check out The Secrets of Top Students.
The Secrets of Top Students Back-To-School Giveaway
The Secrets of Top Students
Hey all you students and parents out there! Since it’s almost back-to-school time, I am giving away a copy of The Secrets of Top Students: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Acing High School and College. All you have to do is click here to enter.
About the book:
The Secrets of Top Students includes tips and techniques that every student should know. For example:
- What is the first thing you should do when taking a math test?
- What is an often overlooked place for coming up with a thesis?
- What music should you listen to while studying?
- Why is it bad to be a perfectionist?
- What are the good and bad types of motivation?
- What foods should you eat to boost your brainpower?
- How much do top students really study?
- Should you bring your laptop to class?
- What are three game-changing learning techniques?
- And much, much more.
Written in a conversational, down-to-earth manner, The Secrets of Top Students shows you how to maximize your learning and get the grades you want. Filled with innovative, time-saving techniques, this book also includes advice on motivation, the mind-body connection, and technology inside and outside the classroom.
Going to School with PTSD: Online Education and Anxiety
By James Hinton
I was an older student with an anxiety issue. After spending time in the Army, including several combat tours, I had been diagnosed with PTSD. Being around large numbers of strangers worried me. Noisy settings where I was not completely in control gave me the need to run for it. I would even feel a touch agoraphobic if I was not close to something I could bunker up within.
When I made the decision to obtain a college degree after getting out, these all presented me with significant problems. While some of the university classes I participated in had relatively small class sizes that enabled me to learn faces fairly quickly and find a certain degree of comfort with, large classes were a daily struggle. I would have to position myself close to doors so I could bolt outside for relief if needed. More boisterous classes could result in frequent, embarrassing episodes where I just plain had to get out.
Eventually I made it through and obtained my Bachelors, but it was not a particularly easy or enjoyable process. My struggles had frequently led to my considering quitting, which had only caused the depression that comes with PTSD to get worse. Preparing for class had been an anxiety inducing process that involved my wondering whether I’d make it through to the end, or have to make a dash for the door yet again.
I still wonder sometimes how I made it to graduation.
What Type of Learner Are You? How to Find Your Learning Style
Editor’s Note: The concept of learning styles is controversial. The views expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of this website.
By Cindy Boesel
A clash of learning styles can be one of the biggest setbacks in the learning process. That’s why it is important to discover the learning style that suits you the most. People are different, and every one of us requires a different kind of support, special attention to certain things or some alone time to acquire maximum information. The sooner you discover your natural learning predispositions, the better chance you have to successfully change your learning techniques. Let’s take a closer look at different learning styles and methods to recognize your preferences.
Learning styles
We distinguish seven major learning styles. Keep on reading to find out how to differentiate between them.
What’s your preferred learning style?
Stefanie Weisman 