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Getting Started With UniSkills

Transitioning into postgraduate study can be a challenging (yet hopefully exciting) time and UniSkills are here to support you on your academic journey. UniSkills provide face to face and online help and support with finding academic information, academic writing, referencing and much more that will help develop your academic skills and confidence for success at university and beyond.

We’ve got a wide range of online support and guidance for students on our UniSkills webpages. And we’ve pulled together some useful information and tips for those transitioning into PGT study this coming academic year.

Explore the sections below to find out more.


Transitioning into Taught Postgraduate (PGT) Study UniSkills webinar

Our Transitioning into Postgraduate (PGT) Study webinar will introduce you to the key skills you’ll need to develop so you can study at PGT level. You’ll meet members of our friendly team with opportunities to interact with peers from other postgraduate taught (PGT) programmes in a supportive online learning environment.

Friday 15 September 2023, 11am – 12pm

Book your place

Wednesday 20 September 2023, 12pm – 1pm

Book your place

Make sure to book your place before 11pm the night before the event.


Other useful UniSkills webinars

You may also find these Getting Started With UniSkills webinars useful.

August webinars
September webinars

Take a look at our interactive digital learning materials

If you’re unable to attend one of our live webinars you can still access support via our digital learning materials:


Finding academic information

Once you are enrolled as an Edge Hill student you will have access to thousands of resources including books, eBooks and eJournals via Discover More. You will also be given a reading list which will contain books, journals and digital resources that your tutors have highlighted as essential and/or recommended reading. You will find a copy of your reading list within your module handbook and can also access your reading list online when you start your course. There are lots of guides, toolkits and videos available to help you access and make the most of these resources on our Finding Academic Information webpages. 

Studying at postgraduate level you will learn to refine core research and information skills to:

  • identify and evaluate relevant and high-quality academic sources
  • locate academic sources within Edge Hill University’s systems (Discover More) and external subject resources and databases

Academic reading

Academic writing is informed by what you read, so it is important allocate time to complete your reading before you start to write. Reading helps you to broaden your knowledge on a topic, and to identify any recurring themes in the literature. Like any other skill reading develops with practice. The more you read, the more confident you will become.

At postgraduate level your depth of inquiry and critical thinking skills are vital, and you will be expected to:

  • identify themes and issues within an academic source go beyond your reading lists to develop critical reading skills
  • appraise and critically evaluate academic sources

Reading at university often focuses on academic texts, but it is also important to read for fun too. This may be blogs, fan sites, online articles or any non-academic texts. Once you arrive on campus you will also discover a reading for pleasure fiction section on the ground floor of Catalyst, which is available in addition to free access to eBooks and audio books via the Libby App.


Academic writing

Writing at postgraduate level will probably feel different to writing at undergraduate level. However, it is important to realise that writing at university is a skill you will continually develop over time. And the information and resources available on our Academic Reading and Writing webpages will help you to develop and enhance your own style of writing, whatever your subject or level of study.

At postgraduate level you will be expected to:

  • critically evaluate information in the context of your specific area of study
  • synthesise and integrate academic sources within your writing

Academic community

During your postgraduate study at Edge Hill you will be part of an academic community and will be expected to play an active role in that community, this may feel different to the community you developed as an undergraduate student.

Academic community is a broad term and can mean a few different things in different contexts. One definition is all the students, researchers and academic staff at a university. Another definition is the co-curricular or extracurricular societies and events that surround your studies.

UniSkills have an established Returning to Learning (R2L) community for students who may have taken a break in their studies or are returning to learning at postgraduate level. R2L workshops are designed to support both undergraduate and postgraduate taught students who might be unfamiliar with Edge Hill University, who have been out of education for an extended period of time, or who might be struggling with the transition between levels of study. R2L supports academic skills, builds a sense of community through discussion (in a relaxed environment over a cuppa and biscuit!) and can help to ease tensions you might be feeling about making the jump to postgraduate learning.


Accessing UniSkills

Once you are enrolled at Edge Hill University our experienced Academic Skills Advisors can help you to develop your academic skills. UniSkills support is available all year round and accessible both on and off campus:

  • UniSkills workshops (such as R2L) are an opportunity to dive more deeply into a specific skill that will support you on your academic journey. They provide an informal and safe space where you will be supported alongside other students, from a variety of subjects and years, in a small group setting. There are no limits on how many workshops you attend, and they too can all be booked online.
  • Ask Us. We have lots of frequently asked questions (FAQs) available to search within the online knowledge base Ask Us, and if you do have a question that no one has asked before you can click straight through to the Catalyst Helpdesk who will either provide you with an answer or refer you on to UniSkills for further support.
  • UniSkills webpages are aimed at our existing students, who are currently studying within their academic disciplines, but there is lots of information, including guides, videos and toolkits you can freely look through to further prepare your academic skills for studying at Edge Hill University.