UniSkills Toolkits
UniSkills toolkits are a suite of online, interactive learning resources which focus on a specific academic skill or topic.
All UniSkills toolkits have been created by our team of knowledgeable Academic Skills Advisors and have undergone a thorough review process (a bit like peer reviewing a journal article). Academics from across the University, professional support staff and Edge Hill students have all participated in evaluating each of the toolkits to ensure the content, structure and design are accurate, accessible and engaging.
Explore all your topics below, learn how each one can help develop your academic skills and launch your toolkit:
The Finding Academic Information Toolkit will help you:
- Develop essential information literacy skills for your studies
- Understand what academic information is, where to find it and why clear search strategies matter
- Use library resources effectively, evaluate sources for credibility and relevance, and manage the amount of information available
- Strengthen your ability to locate high-quality academic literature, support your arguments and build critical thinking skills
The Academic Reading Toolkit will help you:
- Read more effectively and critically at university
- Understand key arguments and identify relevant information
- Learn techniques for skimming, scanning and deep reading
- Take notes and question what you read to develop critical thinking
The Academic Writing Toolkit will help you:
- Understand assignment briefs to plan and structure essays, reports and reflective pieces effectively
- Write clearly and critically, build persuasive arguments and use the right style and tone for academic work
- Understand quoting and paraphrasing, with tips on how to paraphrase succinctly
- Develop your editing, proofreading skills
The Being Critical Toolkit will help you:
- Understand what criticality means and why it matters
- Guiding you to question assumptions, think independently, evaluate evidence and build balanced arguments
- Learn practical strategies for analysing sources, identifying bias and making informed judgments
- Discover how to write a critical reflection on practice
- Understand how to apply critical thinking to your reading, writing and research to demonstrate depth and clarity
The Referencing Toolkit will help you:
- Understand why referencing is important and how to avoid plagiarism
- Determine the key principles behind different referencing styles
- Learn how to cite sources accurately in-text and compile reference lists, as well as how to use tools and techniques to manage your references efficiently
- Develop the skills needed to acknowledge sources properly, enhance the credibility of your work and meet academic integrity standards
The Academic Integrity and Referencing Toolkit will help you:
- Understand what academic integrity means and why it is essential at university
- Learn key principles such as honesty, fairness, and responsibility, and show how these apply to your academic work
- Avoid plagiarism, use sources ethically and follow university guidelines to maintain integrity in your assignments and research
- Develop the skills and awareness needed to produce work that is original, credible and meets academic standards
The Conducting a Literature Review Toolkit will help you:
- Understand what a literature review is, why it’s important, and how it fits into academic work
- Navigate the process of researching and writing an effective literature review
- Learn how to plan your review, develop a clear search strategy, evaluate, and organise sources, and synthesise information to identify themes and gaps
- Gain the practical skills needed to produce a structured, critical, and well-supported literature review that strengthens your assignments and research projects
The Dissertations and Research Projects Toolkit will help you:
- Understand what dissertations and research projects involve, how to choose and refine a topic, and how to develop a clear research question
- Learn strategies for creating a realistic plan, managing your time, conducting research, and organising your findings
- Write up your work, maintaining academic integrity throughout the process
- Gain the confidence and practical skills needed to produce a well-structured, independent piece of research
The Academic Presentations Toolkit will help you:
- Plan, create, and deliver effective presentations for university assignments
- Structure your content clearly, design engaging slides and communicate your ideas with confidence
- Learn practical tips for using visual aids, managing nerves and presenting in both face-to-face and online settings
- Gain the skills needed to deliver professional, well-organised presentations that highlight your knowledge and meet academic expectations
The Time Management Toolkit will help you:
- Develop effective strategies to manage your academic time
- Understand time management at university, identifying priorities, planning and scheduling work
- Set achievable goals, overcome procrastination and balance studying with wellbeing
- Reflect and develop personalised, sustainable time management approaches for independent learning
The Academic Resilience Toolkit will help you:
- Build the skills and mindset needed to cope with challenges and thrive in your studies
- Explore what resilience means in an academic context and discover practical strategies for managing stress, staying motivated, dealing with academic feedback, and adapting to setbacks
- Learn techniques for maintaining wellbeing, developing a positive approach to problem-solving and using support networks effectively
- Strengthen your ability to stay focused and succeed, even when faced with difficulties
The Exam Preparation Toolkit will help you:
- Learn practical strategies to help you prepare effectively and perform confidently in your exams
- Understand exam requirements, plan your revision and use active learning techniques to retain information
- Learn tips for managing your time, reduce stress and approach different types of questions, as well as strategies for staying focused during the exam itself
- Develop a structured, positive approach to revision and boost your chances of success
The Focus on Feedback Toolkit will help you:
- Understand why feedback matters and recognise the different ways it might be given to you
- Spot common feedback themes, so you can identify patterns in your work and know exactly where to focus your effort
- Turn feedback into action, responding positively and constructively to help you grow as a learner
- Review your feedback effectively and create a clear, achievable action plan that strengthens your future assignments
The Note-making Toolkit will help you:
- Understand what effective note‑making involves
- Recognise why note‑making is important as an academic skill
- Identify when and how to make notes in different settings (lectures, seminars, reading)
- Discover practical techniques to develop your own note-making style and stay organised
We also have four introductory academic skills toolkits. These are a great place for new or returning students to begin their learning journey. We share our Getting Started With UniSkills toolkits with pre-enrolled students before they arrive at Edge Hill – you may remember exploring them yourself before you started:
The SpLD Team also have a collection of toolkits exploring Specific Learning Differences to help you develop autonomous study skills strategies.