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Study skills

None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.

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If you only read a few

  1. Use Wikipedia as a starting point to find primary and secondary sources, but do not cite the Wikipedia article itself in your academic work.

    Wikipedia is a secondary or tertiary source, not a good source itself, but great for finding sources.

    • Some teachers do not accept Wikipedia as a source.

    7 people, independently

    • Use Wikipedia solely for initial orientation, then pursue deeper sources for thorough research.9
    • Treat encyclopedias, including print versions and Wikipedia, as tertiary sources for background information only, not as citable primary or secondary sources.1

  2. Verify the credibility, validity, and accessibility of every source found through Wikipedia before using it.

    Sources may be dead links, low quality, or in a language you cannot read.

    6 people, independently

    • Verify Wikipedia references before citing them.1
    • Verify facts and cross-reference with multiple perspectives rather than relying solely on Wikipedia-sourced articles.1
    • Verify that sources found via Wikipedia are independent, as some may engage in circular referencing where they cite each other or the Wikipedia article itself without verification.4

  3. Read 'Helping Your Teenage Student' by Dr. Marvin Cohn to learn study skills from a reading expert.

    The book is cited as the best on study skills.

    one person who lived it

  4. Click hyperlinked citations in Wikipedia articles to visit and cite the original source websites instead of Wikipedia itself.

    Teachers may randomly pick students to verify sources, and this allows you to validate the strength of the source.

    • Sometimes the source may be sketchy or not strong, requiring deeper digging.

    2 people, independently

  1. Find past exam papers and learn the answers.

    Questions are often recycled.

    one person who lived it

  2. Read the full text of any source before citing it to ensure accuracy and avoid ethical trouble.

    Blindly citing unread sources is unethical and risks inaccuracy.

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  3. Read the cited references yourself to verify they actually support the claims made on the page.

    Sources are sometimes incorrect, fabricated, or do not match the information being cited.

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  4. Do not cite encyclopedias in academic papers.

    They are tertiary sources that summarize existing data rather than presenting original ideas.

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  1. Emphasize the effort you will put into a task rather than your inherent talent.

    A study showed test scores increased when children emphasized effort ('I'll try my best') versus talent.

    one person who lived it

  2. Consult the cited references and perform the work independently rather than plagiarizing through citation swapping.

    Plagiarism wastes everyone's time and should be avoided.

    3 people, independently

  3. Use Wikipedia to get oriented and find sources, then look up those sources to use for information in your report.

    This allows you to include information not on Wikipedia and ensures the cited information is really there and says what it claims.

    one person who lived it

  4. Recognize that Wikipedia is generally unsuitable for direct citation in scholarly essays, even if the information is accurate.

    It is an encyclopedia.

    • Some university classes allow citing Wikipedia.

    one person who lived it

  5. Follow the chain of citations by using the sources cited within the sources you found, a technique known as citation chaining.

    These deeper sources often contain more information and additional references.

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  6. Focus on finding and citing primary sources over secondary or tertiary sources like encyclopedias.

    • Secondary or tertiary sources should only be used in citations if no primary source is available.

    6 people, independently

    • Read primary sources when possible.1

  7. Note when information was found via Wikipedia if you cannot access the original source directly.

    If you do not confirm direct access, reviewers will discover you never accessed the source directly.

    one person who lived it

  8. Distinguish between primary sources as first-hand accounts and secondary sources as analysis of those accounts.

    Many people do not understand these differences.

    one person who lived it

  9. Locate the exact page number in the original source when quoting to satisfy strict citation requirements.

    Citations are meant to allow information to be sourced exactly; some professors require the specific page of a quote.

    one person who lived it

  10. Ask a university librarian for help locating reputable academic journals and sources.

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  11. Leverage Wikipedia to structure research and identify leads, yet consult the original materials before referencing them; do not attribute work directly to Wikipedia since anyone can edit it.

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