Always running out of time? Time management skills will help you to study more effectively – and help you meet deadlines.

We all get behind at some point - don't panic! Ask for advice as soon as you know there is a problem, for example, if you have difficulties or you are ill. Your tutor, mentor or line manager will support you and give you advice.

Finding the right space and time to study is important:

• Find a comfortable, quiet place to study – make sure you will not be disturbed or interrupted
• Switch off your email and social networking tools e.g. Facebook alerts
• Read in short chunks. Most people can only concentrate for about 15-20 minutes
• Take a short pause every 20 minutes or so – then return to the task
• Use the pause to think about what you have read, take a break, look again at something you didn’t understand

Find out more about effective time management:

• Businessballs.com - Time management techniques
• Mind Tools - Time management
• Open University - Time management skills

When you read to learn something, you need to know why you are reading and how to find the information you are looking for.

Taking notes is important - if you read lots of material without making notes, you'll quickly forget what you have read!

What about using one of these techniques?

• Divide your reading into chunks.  Read a section, a page, a chapter.
• Use a highlighter, a pen and paper, post-its, notecards. Just choose the one you are most comfortable to identify important ideas or words.
• Read the section. Don’t take any notes now! Just read it through. Now read through again and highlight the important parts. A good tip is to note down enough so that you will understand the section by looking at your notes in a month’s time – without having to read the whole section again!
• If something doesn’t make sense, try reading it out loud.  This can sometimes help.
• If you write down notes, try to write them in your own words.
• If you don't understand something you read, talk to someone about it. Just talking about a word or idea can help you to understand it.

For more tips and techniques, read this article on Effective note-taking from GoodPractice.net. You will need an NHSScotland OpenAthens password if you are if not on the NHS network.

Using References

A reference is a detailed description of where you found information that you have included in your writing. This could be

• a book
• an article
• a website
• a TV programme/video
• a podcast

‘Citing’ means acknowledging where you found information or a quote within your piece of writing.
A bibliography is a list of ALL the sources you looked at. This list should be included  at the end of your work.

Referencing is important in any piece of writing:

• to demonstrate what you have read and used in your writing
• to acknowledge the sources you have used, for example, books and articles
• to avoid plagiarism which means using someone else’s ideas and words
• to allow others reading your work to find your sources easily
• When referencing websites you should include the date you accessed the website.

Referencing styles

There should be enough information in a reference for the reader to be able to find the document, article or website. This is usually the title, the author, the date of publication and the name of the publisher.

There are 2 commonly used styles - Harvard and Vancouver. You need to check which is the preferred style in your organisation or college. See the links below for guidance from the NSS Health Management Library.

If you need help with referencing contact your local NHS librarian. A full list of NHSScotland libraries can be found on The Knowledge Network.