Successful Study for Degrees is a practical guide to studying more effectively at first and higher degree levels. Aimed particularly at students looking for more than just a basic study skills book, it blends practical ideas with sound principles, and is structured so that topics such as basic essay writing feed into chapters on dissertation preparation and writing. It uses many examples drawn from interviews conducted with students and lecturers from a range of disciplines.
At a time when many arts-based courses are changing in structure, particular attention is given to research-based study, which in many cases is replacing the traditional formal examination. At undergraduate level, the book gives practical guidance on reading, seminars and questioning techniques; at higher degree level, it discusses issues such as validity, reliability and meaning. The book also offers techniques of questioning to promote higher level thinking, including explorations of ways in which argument is constructed and explanations of commonly-used terms such as proposition, premise, assertion and evidence.