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Academic Support

Toolkit for Academic Success

We hope that all students at UCD are engaged by their programme, but we know that students can also have concerns about what is expected of them academically, and that’s perfectly normal. If you’re new to university, you may also feel that your previous experience from school or work has not equipped you with the skills required to succeed at UCD. Please know that you are not alone – UCD has lots of supports to help you on your academic journey.

UCD offers useful resources to help with study and exam techniques, including:

Academic Skills and Wellbeing: a dedicated page with advice on study skills and exam preparation, including details on how to access a helpful Brightspace module called “ALL Student Supports: University for All”. This module is relevant to all students in UCD. Workshops are also provided throughout the year for all UCD students.

(opens in a new window)Library study skills collection: a list of books on academic writing, study skills, research skills and career skills.

(opens in a new window)Check out UCD Library's Introduction to Academic Writing Tutorial

Most assessments at university are submitted in written form, either as essays, reports or exams, so your writing skills will be very important. The Writing Centre, based in the James Joyce Library, provides free one-on-one tuition on any aspect of writing, as well as a range of workshops, to all undergraduate and postgraduate students. Bring an assignment you are working on, a graded paper, an essay question – they will talk to you about your writing process and offer strategies for improving your writing skills. You can avail of this service at any time, but the sooner you book in, the sooner you can apply what you’ve learned.

Sometimes things happen that affects your wellbeing and possibly your studies. Examples of this might include, but are not limited to, the death of someone close, divorce or separation, mental or physical health issues, and family problems.

If you feel that this is the case and you would like some support, please don’t delay in getting in touch with your School/College or your Student Adviser.

In addition to providing personal support, we can also guide you through relevant UCD policies such as Extenuating Circumstances or Late Submission of Coursework as appropriate. We can also recommend or refer you to other supports that may be helpful, such as:

You may find yourself coming across many new terms in university, such as “plagiarism”, “citing” and “referencing”.  Like all large organisations, UCD can seem to have a language of its own!  This UCD Jargon Buster will explain some of the more frequently-used terms.

The Digital Ambassadors at UCD Access and Lifelong Learning run workshops on technology such as Brightspace, Excel, PowerPoint and SISWeb. You can also attend their drop-in sessions during term time with any technical queries. The Digital Ambassadors will answer your individual questions and follow up with additional instructions/guides, as necessary.

The (opens in a new window)Enhancing Digital Teaching and Learning (EDTL) Project aims to enhance the digital attributes and educational experiences of university students in Ireland. Check out their website for more information and access to free materials.

UCD IT Services provides free, online training for Microsoft Office (MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), with courses for beginners through to advanced users. These courses can help you to build confidence in your IT skills while supporting your studies and future career plans.

Researching and finding information in the UCD Library can initially feel like a daunting task, but our Library staff have compiled a range of useful e-guides to help! Whether you’re looking for a textbook, journal article, or video image, there is (opens in a new window)a tutorial to help.

Academic integrity means being ethical, honest, and fair in your work. At UCD, every member of the community has a role in maintaining these values. By acting with integrity in learning, teaching, and research, we help maintain a strong and trusted academic community. 

All academic work must include proper citations and references. It is important to know which referencing style your UCD School/programme recommends that you use. The UCD Library website has lots of helpful guidance on (opens in a new window)citing and referencing your sources correctly.

Plagiarism is using someone else’s work or ideas and presenting them as your own without clearly acknowledging the original source. This applies to all types of material, whether published or unpublished, and whether it is printed, handwritten, or online. Plagiarism can happen on purpose or by accident. In UCD, deliberate or careless plagiarism is considered a disciplinary matter. To help you avoid this, UCD Library has excellent information available on (opens in a new window)avoiding plagiarism, including a helpful video tutorial.