Resource bank

Resource bank

The resources listed below address the most important elements of university work. We’ve gathered together materials from trusted authors and institutions, so you can be sure you’re getting reliable advice. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, then send an email to the Academic Skills team, and we’ll do our best to help.

Approaches to study

Edinburgh Napier University’s Get Ready guide is written for students coming to university for the first time and for those who are new to the UK university system.


Our Assessment Toolkit summarises the key stages of university assessment, from planning and submitting to reflecting on feedback.


The Cornell method of note-taking is well regarded and popular with students and academics alike.


The University of Leeds has some good advice on note-taking and on revision and exams.


The Open University has put together a useful guide dedicated to postgraduate study skills.


Microsoft’s support pages have detailed advice on the use of software which will be essential in the course of your studies, such as Outlook (emails), Word (document creation), and Teams (meetings and classes).

Academic writing

Edinburgh Napier University has produced some academic skills video tutorials on a range of topics.


The British Council’s guide to English grammar provides detailed coverage of important grammatical concepts.


Oxford University Press has produced practice grammar exercises, which range from beginner to advanced levels.


Newcastle University’s paraphrasing guide can help you to begin to master this important aspect of academic writing.


The University of Bristol’s guide to improving your writing is a good introductory resource.


The University of Manchester’s Academic Phrasebank can help you to find the right words for academic writing.


The University of Toronto has some detailed advice regarding the academic writing process, from research and planning to re-drafting and editing.


Library staff at the University of Westminster have produced a helpful guide to reflective writing, which includes a brief introduction to reflective models.

Research & dissertations

Use Edinburgh Napier’s Library Search site to find relevant, high quality academic reading material.


Edinburgh Napier University’s LibGuides offer extensive advice on research methods.


Edinburgh Napier University IS team’s Introduction to Computing and Library Services on Moodle can help you get to started with Library and IT services.


The University of Leeds has advice on how to develop a search strategy.


The University of Leeds also has very useful dissertation advice on their Final Chapter pages.

Academic integrity & referencing

Extensive advice regarding academic integrity matters, such as referencing and the use of artificial intelligence at university, can be got on our dedicated myNapier pages.


APA7 referencing guidelines are commonly followed at Edinburgh Napier, so the library has produced a dedicated LibGuide. For the finer points of formatting, consult the APA’s Style and Grammar Guide.


Some courses, particularly in the university’s School of Arts and Humanities (SACI), follow MHRA referencing guidelines, which can be consulted online or downloaded as a PDF.


Law students may be asked to follow the Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA). A shortened ‘quick guide’ can be accessed on the University of Oxford Faculty of Law website.


If you’re looking to access feedback and understand your ‘similarity report’, Turnitin offers lots of advice on its pages for students.

Maths and numeracy

The university’s School of Engineering and Built Environment has put together a Moodle course (enrolment required) for Graduate Apprentices. This contains some introductory maths support materials that will be helpful to students in other disciplines.


Edinburgh Napier’s librarians have produced a LibGuide dedicated to the different statistical packages available to students at the university.


Academic staff in the School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment (SCEBE) run Maths Plus drop-in sessions, available to all students, in the Merchiston Library. Email Dean Whittaker for full details.