We don't expect you to have all of the academic skills when you start University. Developing these skills takes time and practice. You will be taught how to study effectively during your scheduled sessions. If you need extra help don't panic, the Professional and Academic Development Team are here to help.

While working on assignments take care when collecting and storing information, saving work and proofreading. If you forget where you found information you should not include it in your assignment. To save time and effort, make sure you accurately record the information source. Likewise, if you do not name electronic files carefully you may accidentally submit the wrong version of your assignment. Remember that everybody makes mistakes when typing assignments. You must leave plenty of time to check your work. These mistakes will not only cost you marks, they are not accepted excuses for academic integrity issues.

Writing a good assignment will involve reading widely around a subject - this will take time. If you do not fully understand your topic, it will be very difficult to write a good assignment. Don't be tempted to use chunks of information that you do not understand or cannot explain.

Teaching in universities may not be the same as what you have experienced in school or college. Similarly, UK Universities have different expectations around how to produce academic assignments from other educational institutions in other parts of the world. You might find that the expectations of your lecturers are not the same as your previous teachers. Don't worry about this - you will be taught about our expectations during your induction and scheduled teaching sessions. If there are still aspects of studying that you are not sure about, talk to your Personal Academic Tutor.

Ignorance is never a defence. Academic integrity is taken extremely seriously in order to maintain the reputation of the University of Bedfordshire and most importantly your degree. The University, therefore, has procedures for dealing with students who commit academic offences. You need to be aware of the rules concerning academic integrity and of the consequences for not following them. You will get help and guidance on academic integrity from your tutors during scheduled sessions. You can also get help and information from the Professional and Academic Development Team.

If English isn't your first language you might find it challenging to write about academic material that you find. If you are worried about your written English you should inform your Personal Academic Tutor or contact PAD as soon as possible. The University provides support for students who need help enhancing their written English, and many students take advantage of this facility.

Some students may ask to see or borrow your work. While we want you to work collaboratively and share ideas, we strongly recommend that you do not allow other students to see your assignments (unless it is a group work assignment). Your assignment work is valuable and you should treat it accordingly. If students pressure you to share work you should inform your Personal Academic Tutor.

Time management is absolutely critical for degree level studies. It is very easy to get behind with juggling all of the reading, researching and writing you need to do. Be on top of your work and be very strict with yourself about deadlines. Students who have left things to the last minute often end up handing in work which, given more time and care, could have been awarded a better mark. Do not underestimate just how long reading around a topic can take. For you to really understand a subject you will need to read widely and deeply; academic texts are not easy reads like a magazine is! They are likely to contain lots of unfamiliar jargon and terminology which you will need to get used to. You should also plan when you will work on your assignments so that you can spread the workload. If you try to complete several assignments at the same time you will become stressed, which can easily lead to you making mistakes.

To avoid academic integrity problems, always be extremely careful and diligent when taking notes and using any sources (such as books, journals, websites). Make sure you have all of the details you need (for instance, the author, year of publication, title and publisher).

It is normal to feel somewhat overwhelmed when you start University. This can lead to feelings of pressure. If you are worried about your studies talk to your Personal Academic Tutor about your concerns. Your tutor will be able to help you or direct you to other University teams who can assist. Do not try and cut corners or suffer in silence.