New College, Oxford

Study Guide
For Undergraduates

Please read in conjunction with the Dean’s Handbook:

https://www.new.ox.ac.uk/deans-handbook
Contents

Introduction 3
Teaching at Oxford 4
What happens in a tutorial? 5
How do I to prepare for a tutorial? 5
Using the library 6
Obtaining books 7
Reading and note-taking 7
Writing your essay 9
Solving a set of problems 11
Citing references 12
Getting the most from a tutorial 13
Making the most of lectures 15
Managing your workload 17
Using your vacations 18
Feedback on performance 19
Plagiarism 20
Study support 22
SpLD 22
Alternative exam arrangements 22
Welfare support 23
APPENDIX: University definition of Plagiarism 25
Acknowledgements 32
Notes 33
Introduction

This guide is intended to introduce you to how to get the most from your teaching while at
Oxford. We have tried to answer the questions that are likely to arise in the first few weeks
of your time at New College. It is not intended to be a definitive set of rules because every
student has their own approach to work and knows how they study to best effect. Part of
the challenge of moving to University is learning how to manage your time to fit the demands
of your course. You will find that different courses have different work patterns, in terms of
both the kind of work and how many hours of formal teaching/practicals you receive and
spend in personal study.

Teaching at Oxford is very different compared with that offered at most universities in the
UK, with the tutorial at the centre of all undergraduate courses. You will meet your College
Tutors within your first few days at New College. Some subjects have one College Tutor
whereas others, particularly the joint schools, will have several. Your College Tutor may be
either a Fellow of the College or a College lecturer: either way, it will be someone who has
expertise in a specific area. During your time at Oxford you should also expect to be taught
by Fellows and Lecturers at other Colleges, and others, when they have specialist expertise
in areas which your College Tutor(s) do not.

This guide will: -

– Explain the teaching system and its requirements;

– Suggest ways to manage your work effectively;

– Provide information on sources of feedback;

– Provide information on academic and personal support.

A study guide, or a Handbook, may also be provided by your Department or Faculty tailored
to your subject needs: the New College Freshers’ Study Guide is complementary to this
information. You should ensure that you read, and retain, both this Study Guide and your
Department or Faculty Handbook: the latter will have detailed information about your
course, options, and examinations.

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Teaching at Oxford

Each course at Oxford places a different emphasis on lectures, seminars, classes, practicals
and individual teaching. Your Department or Faculty will run introductory sessions in the first
few weeks of term to explain the emphasis within your subject. This may be in large classes
or in individual sessions with your tutor.

The tutorial is central to teaching at Oxford. It normally involves a tutor and two
undergraduates (or occasionally one, or three undergraduates) and you will normally have at
least one tutorial a week for the eight weeks of Full Term, each lasting about one hour. This
will require you to prepare work either to submit in advance or to take to the tutorial. At the
tutorial you will discuss the work you have done for the tutorial (e.g. an essay or problem
sheet) and its wider implications with both you and the other student(s) present (your
tutorial partner(s)).

While organising tutorials is a College responsibility, lectures and seminars are organised by
Departments and Faculties. These are given by Oxford academics and sometimes respected
guests from other institutions. The lecturer will be an expert in the subject and will have
researched in that area, collating even the most recent information and presenting it
coherently. The lecturers will be able to provide you with an analysis of the subject matter
enabling you to understand the breadth of your subject, thus allowing more informed
specialisation in later years. It is also useful to hear information delivered in different ways,
particularly if the lecturer is renowned within their field or beyond.

Many subjects use small group teaching where you get more individual attention from
lecturers than in a formal lecture, but less than in a tutorial. In these classes you will benefit
from the exchange of ideas with other students. In the Sciences, you are likely to have
practical classes each week. These are essential to help you develop your knowledge of the
subject and become adept at handling ‘the tools of the trade’, be they pipettes or theodolites,
and often there is a requirement for you to complete a minimum number of practicals in
order to pass your University exams. Some subjects also use field trips and excursions to
reinforce teaching and show you the resources available within the University and further
afield.

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What happens in a tutorial?

Your tutorials will be organised by your New College Tutor, with the first being arranged when
you meet for the first time in 0th Week. This will usually take place in the Tutor’s office or
study in College, but it may take place in their office in their Department. Your first tutorials
are likely to be with a Fellow of New College or a College Lecturer, but later on they may be
with a specialist in your subject who is associated with another College. All undergraduates
usually have one or more tutorials each week for the eight weeks of Full Term, each lasting
approximately one hour. You may be required to produce work in advance or to take it along
to the tutorial for marking afterwards. Your Tutor will tell you what they want you to do.

In the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Life Sciences, the work will often take the form of an
essay. Mathematicians and Physical Scientists will usually have a set of problems to solve,
but they may also be given essays in some topics. Some Tutors like students to read their
work aloud, summarise the main arguments of the piece, or work through a problem on a
board; whereas other Tutors simply like to hold a discussion on the work. It depends on the
Tutor and the subject matter. If you are unsure what is required of you, ask your Tutor when
they set the work.

How do I prepare for a tutorial?

It is important to be well prepared for a tutorial. As soon as you receive the reading list and
essay title or problem sheet, read through the instructions thoroughly and think about the
questions or title. Essays and sets of problems are often based on the lectures you have
received or on key texts from your reading list.

If you are unsure what is required of you (including the length of the essay) or have any
difficulties, contact your Tutor as soon as possible. Do not be afraid to ask for guidance.

If you have an essay to produce, most tutors will give you a reading list to help you get started,
or they will be able to recommend texts that will help you to target your reading effectively.
Try to discuss the work with other students in College and your Department or Faculty. They
may have some useful ideas or perspectives. You will need to organise your time to produce
your work, maybe in less than seven days, whilst attending other lectures and classes. For
advice on how to do this, please see the separate section on ‘Managing your workload’.

At first, reading lists always appear quite daunting and most students initially feel that they
need to read everything on the list in order to get to grips fully with a topic. Although this
may be partially true, you will have a limited time in which to read and may have to cope
with competition from other students for the same texts. It is therefore necessary to be
pragmatic and make reading lists manageable. This can be achieved through some

5
awareness of the purposes of reading and careful selection of the texts: ask your Tutor for
guidance about this.

There are different types of reading lists. At the start of a particular course, you may be given
a list of basic references fundamental to the course which will be referred to at different
times and may be essential reading. You may then be given supplementary reading lists for
specific essay topics: there are often one or more basic texts that are essential reading. Ask
your Tutor to recommend these basic texts and a few supplementary ones. If this is not
possible, do a quick survey of some texts to find the ones most relevant to the subject or
essay in question.

Using the library

When you have your reading list, set aside some time to search SOLO (the online library
catalogue) and familiarise yourself with where you can access the required literature. It is
likely that the College Library will have the majority of the books you need. However, you
may find that you need to visit more than one library to find all of your key texts. During
Freshers’ Week you will have had library inductions where you will have been shown how to
use the online catalogue, but if you need further assistance finding resources, your College
Librarians can help, or ask at the Information Desk in any of the libraries you need to use. It’s
a good idea to take some time to explore the libraries in your first week here so that you are
prepared for when you need to access them throughout your course.

There are three sorts of libraries in Oxford:

– College libraries, which are for the use of members of that College;

– The large central library system, known as The Bodleian Libraries or The University
Libraries (including the central Bodleian, or “The Bod”, the Radcliffe Science Library,
the Social Science Library, etc.), which are spread over several locations in central
Oxford and are largely open to all members of the university;

– Subject-based departmental libraries (such as the Ruskin School of Art Library).

You will be able to borrow books from New College and The Bodleian Libraries, but for
anything that is reference-only you can copy or scan, within copyright restrictions. Most of
the journals you will need to access are available online via SOLO and are freely accessible to
you wherever you are in the world using your ‘Single Sign On’, or by installing the University’s
‘Virtual Private Newtork’ (VPN) software on your computer.

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Obtaining books

1. Plan your work sensibly in the light of library opening hours, which can be found at:
http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/subjects-and-libraries/opening-hours.

In particular, do not count on being able to read works at the last minute: they may be on
loan to someone else, or otherwise unavailable. If an important work is unobtainable, ask
your Tutor for advice or speak to your College Librarians, who may be able to source it for
you.

2. When you go to the library, do not necessarily be tempted to pick up the first book on
your reading list and take it back to your room. Take a moment to find your way through
the text – use the contents pages and index to find relevant passages, you are not
expected to read every page of a text! Your Tutor will be able to suggest some key texts
that are worth buying.

3. When buying your own books, it’s much cheaper to get them second-hand; but make sure
you are buying the latest edition of a text when this matters.

Reading and note-taking

Rather than just deciding to begin at the beginning, it is worth thinking about how to
approach reading a book.

1. Begin reading by browsing or surveying the book. Study the table of contents and
index to see how the ideas in the book are structured. From chapter headings and
subheadings, you may be able to note those sections that are most relevant for
your purposes.

2. Check the publication date. This may alert you to the position of the book either in
relation to recent ideas, current data or particular subject paradigms.

3. Read the abstract, foreword, preface and introduction, as these tend to contain the
structure of the book and a summary of the main themes.

4. The body of the text will contain, in carefully arranged chapters, all the relevant
material to support the themes and ideas.

5. Conclusions provide a summary of the main ideas and may point to a different
perspective arising from the author’s discussion of the material.

6. An index is located at the back of some books. This should not be ignored. It will
list the topics covered in the book with appropriate page numbers for each subject.
Using the index for references to a specific topic will prevent you wasting time
unnecessarily.
7
 7. For factual information, it is often unnecessary to read the whole book. Carefully
skim the table of contents and index to select the most useful parts.

8. If you have a particularly difficult piece to read, you may need to read it more than
once – first to understand the basic ideas, then more closely to get answers to the
specific questions you have in mind. You may need to go back and read a simple
text as an introduction.

Notes are taken for different purposes, and those purposes determine the amount of detail
required in your note-taking. You might be tempted to try and write down everything you
read. This is often just not practicable, or even desirable. When making notes, look for the
key points or main ideas: these may be summarised in the preface, in the introduction, and
at the beginning of each chapter. Headings and subheadings may be useful indicators, as
well as where the author places stress on particular words, by italicising, underlining or
putting into bold. Main ideas have to be supported with detail and this can vary according
to the potential use of the notes. You may well need to use the notes for revision a year or
several months ahead, so they will have to contain sufficient detail and be organised in such
a way that they can make sense at a later date. Generally, detailed information should
support, clarify or illustrate the main ideas.

At university, Tutors are definitely not looking for a regurgitation of your notes. Be critical
when you read. Ask yourself some of the following questions:

– Is the material well presented?

– Do the facts support the main ideas of the author?

– Is the author biased?

– Does the material support the conclusion?

– How does the author’s perspective compare with those of others who have written on
the same subject?

– What is your perspective?

As you start to read, you should begin to develop the arguments for your essay or start to
think about how to solve the problems.

– Remember always to bear in mind the questions you have been asked in your essay,
as this will help you to understand what the Tutor is looking for and it will also help
you to focus your reading and note-taking.

– In some subjects, it can be useful to take notes under broad subject headings on
separate pieces of paper, rather than to separate your notes by virtue of which text
8
 they were taken from. Use sub-headings, coloured ink or highlighting to make your
notes easier to navigate.

– Try to avoid overlong notes; you should be creating a précis of the ideas. This will also
help you to avoid unintended plagiarism (see ‘Plagiarism’, below). Always note down
the source of the information (see ‘Citing references’, below).

– Discussions with your fellow students over the week can also be a very valuable way
to learn and can help develop your understanding and arguments.

Writing your essay

Once you have thought about your essay title and collated the notes from your reading you
will be ready to start. Everyone takes a different amount of time to write an essay; but, as a
guide, you should allow at least a morning or afternoon for planning and the same for the
writing process. Since each subject will have a different style of writing, your Tutor will be
able to advise you appropriately and give you specific tips.

Here are some general guidelines that apply to all subjects:

1. Write a plan of what you intend to include. This is vital to writing a good essay and
worth spending time on. It will help you not only to digest the information, but also to
organise your notes and ideas into a reasoned argument. Ensure there is unity in each
paragraph (it may help to deal with each point in a separate paragraph) and a logical
order to your ideas. Once you have done this, re-read the essay title and ensure that
you are about to answer the question in full.

2. Consider your audience. You are writing for an intelligent person who knows more
than you do about the subject. Some background material may be superfluous but
take care not to cut out relevant information. Ask your Tutor if you need advice on
how much background information to include. Remember that, when you come to
revise for your exams, you will be able to use your notes as well as your essay, so you
do not need to include everything you have read in your essay.

3. Clarity of expression is essential in any essay. Do not use overly long sentences and
avoid cumulative dependent clauses. Try reading your essay aloud, as this will also
help you to identify grammatical errors.

4. Set your work out neatly. Do not overcrowd a page or start quotations near the end
of a line. If you are quoting verse, ensure it is in verse form. If you are quoting a
formula, ensure it is clearly separated from the text. You could consider writing only
on one side of the paper, to allow you to take notes during the tutorial. Ensure you

9
 leave enough space around the text to allow your Tutor to add comments if they take
the work in for marking. A Tutor’s feedback is essential to improving your work.

5. You are likely to use a computer, but legible handwriting is also fine. Remember that
you will have to write your answers by hand for your examinations1, so it can be good
practice to do so for some of your tutorial work.

6. Your introduction should be succinct. Outline the main points of your argument or the
scientific technique in this paragraph. Analyse the question, explain any difficult or
ambiguous concepts and then outline your proposed answer.

7. Do not stray from the title. If interesting ideas come to light during your reading, note
them down and discuss them during the tutorial: do not include them if they are
peripheral to the subject. These additional notes may be useful for revision.

8. Consider the style of language that you are using and always check that your spelling,
vocabulary and grammar are accurate.

9. Only include relevant references and quotations. If you are quoting work, ensure that
you cite the source. Further details on how to do this are given below. If you are
quoting from a poem or text in one of the humanities subjects, you should also give a
page or line reference. Ask your Tutor how to do this.

10.Be analytical – do not just write a survey of the literature. If you disagree with a
published opinion, justify your disagreement with evidence and argument. Be
objective in your analysis.

11.Try not to run out of steam before you get to the conclusion! You need to include a
carefully set out conclusion in which you should restate the arguments or main points
of the essay and explain how you have reached your conclusions. You can also use
‘scholarly caution’ in this section, employ words such as ‘perhaps’ and ‘possibly’ in
association with your ideas. Do not be afraid to mention unresolved points or to raise
them in the tutorial.

12.Consult your Tutor about whether you should include a bibliography at the end of the
essay, listing all the books you have read or otherwise found information in, when
preparing your essay.

1
Unless you have alternative exam arrangements agreed.
10
Solving a set of problems

Everyone takes a different amount of time to solve a set of problems; but, as a guide, you
should allow at least 8-10 hours for the process. If it is a topic that you find particularly
difficult, it would be wise to allow longer. The type of problem set will vary considerably.
You may be presented with a set of maths problems, reaction equations, or questions which
will need a written paragraph to answer them. If you are unsure on how they need to be
answered, ask your Tutor for advice.

Here are some general guidelines that apply to all subjects:

1. Read the problems thoroughly. This should be done as soon as possible after they are
set so that you can ask your Tutor about any sections which you do not understand.

2. The problems may relate to a specific set of lectures or a chapter in one of the key texts.
Your Tutor will be able to advise you on where to look for information. Spend some
time reading the relevant texts or lecture notes, to help you to clarify the ideas in your
mind.

3. Annotate your lecture notes or create supplementary notes if this helps you, but do not
lose sight of the task in hand.

4. Set your work out neatly. Do not overcrowd a page; writing on one side of the paper
allows you to take notes during the tutorial. If you are quoting a formula, ensure it is
clearly separated from the text or your other workings. Ensure you leave enough space
around the text to allow your Tutor to add comments, as their feedback is essential to
improving your work.

5. Write legibly or type your work. Remember that you will have to write your answers
by hand for your examinations so it can be a good way of practising for exams to do so
for some hand-writing of your tutorial work.

6. Include all your workings unless your Tutor has specifically said not to. If you are
uncertain how many of the intermediary steps to include, ask your Tutor.

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Citing references

There is no exaggeration in saying that every subject cites references in different ways.
Individual journals within a very specialist field will also vary enormously from numbered lists
to alphabetical list, with different permutations of bold and italic type. Footnotes are used
extensively in some subjects but are never used in others. You should ask your Tutor for
guidance on this issue, and check the guidance in your Course Handbook, as there are too
many different styles to enumerate here. However, when you need to refer to a text, you
should include the following information:

1. Author’s name, generally in the format of ‘surname, initials’;

2. Year of publication;

3. Title of chapter or paper;

4. Title of book or journal;

5. For books: publisher, edition number;

6. For journals: volume, issue and page numbers of articles.

Two examples:

“Two distinct outbreak patterns have been reported for microdochium patch disease on
golf turf, suggesting that Microdochium nivale may not be the sole disease-causing
organism (Gange & Case, 2003).”

Gange, A.C. & Case, S.J. (2003). Incidence of microdochium patch disease in golf putting
greens and a relationship with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Grass and Forage Science.
58 (1): 58–62.

This myth, told originally by the ancient Greeks, describes a blessed island ‘beyond the
north wind,’ a paradise of plenty, a land of perpetual Spring ‘with a delightful climate,
exempt from every harmful blast,’ where everyone was healthy and happy.53
53
Pliny, Natural History, 4, 12, 26.

If you record this kind of information whilst you are doing your preparatory reading it will be
easy to reorganise into the format preferred by your Tutor. Ask your Tutor for advice on
citing references as each subject area can vary.

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Getting the most from a tutorial

The main aim of tutorials is to provide a forum for the discussion of ideas. A tutorial may
begin with the Tutor explaining some of the more difficult concepts and placing them into
the context of the discipline; but this should develop into a two-way exchange of ideas,
resulting in the student coming to a new understanding of the subject matter. This may seem
like a daunting prospect at first, and some of your early tutorials will almost certainly involve
your Tutor helping you bridge the gaps between your school experience and your university
course. However, as you begin to take in new concepts and ideas you should be able to
engage in debate with your Tutor and tutorial partner.

Use the opportunities presented by the tutorial to increase your in-depth understanding of
the subject. Question your Tutor until you understand each concept in full. Make sure you
take good notes, but do not spend the whole tutorial writing. It may be more productive to
write down general headings in the tutorial and add in full notes immediately afterwards
while the ideas are fresh in your mind: this will help you to develop your critical
understanding of the topic in a constructive way.

Another aim of the tutorial is to improve your written work by developing the organisation
of your ideas and concepts, and strengthening the force of your arguments. Your Tutor will
be able to suggest ways to improve your work and, through the tutorial itself, provide you
with a framework for your studies. You can also learn from your fellow students when
reading essays, debating points, or working through a problem on the board. By observing
their techniques you can incorporate the most successful into your own repertoire.

Here are some good general rules for getting the most from your tutorials:

1. Always prepare the work you have been asked for. Additional work may help you to
gain different perspectives, but it can also be counterproductive if it is untargeted.

2. Always hand in the work on time.

3. If you have any difficulties with the work, contact the Tutor in advance. Hand in your
work with an explanatory note if necessary.

4. Always arrive for the tutorial in good time.

5. If you have a problem in attending the tutorial, let your Tutor know well in advance.
Tutors will try and adjust meetings to accommodate illness or other similar difficulties,
but they have busy schedules and cannot alter arrangements merely for your
convenience.

6. Always actively participate in the tutorial. Remember to take a pen and paper. You
will not gain the full benefit of your Tutor’s experience if you treat it like a personal
13
 lecture. Ask your Tutor to explain any concepts that you are unsure of and be prepared
for a debate!

7. Do not worry about disagreeing with your Tutor: so long as your argument is well-
reasoned they will respect your opinions. You should also be prepared to discuss ideas
with your tutorial partners both inside and outside of the tutorial. Be prepared to
speak up in a discussion and enjoy yourself!

8. The input your Tutor gives you will depend on how you approach the tutorial. This is
the benefit of the tutorial system, which is the most flexible method of teaching. Your
Tutor can respond to your needs for clarification and your opinion on the subject. This
means that you may cover different subject matter to a fellow student who has
produced work to the same title.

9. You must attend scheduled tutorials, so always have your diary/personal organiser
with you when you arrange them.

10.If you are experiencing particular difficulties with your work or feel that for one reason
or another you are not best suited to your tutorial partner, make a separate
appointment with your Tutor to discuss this. If you feel reluctant to speak to your
tutor, then arrange to talk to the Warden.

11.After your tutorial, take a few minutes to write down what you have learned while it
is still fresh in your mind.

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Making the most of lectures

In 0th Week of each Term, your Tutor will advise you about the lecture programme – which
lectures, and how many, you should be attending in a week. You should also be able to look
up the lecture lists on the web at:

http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/lectures

In most subjects, lectures form an integral part of the course and are viewed as
complementary to tutorials and classes. In a few subjects they are intended to be the main
form of teaching. Lectures also have the following advantages:

1. The lecturer is often more up-to-date than the textbooks or your Tutor (they have
access to a wider range of source material and the latest ideas, often because they are
doing the research themselves). In subjects where the source material is diverse and
scattered, the lecturer will have spent time and energy on searching out material,
sifting it, and ordering it. Why repeat all that hard work yourself?

2. The lecturer may have a different viewpoint or a different way of explaining things
from any text or your Tutor (and you may learn more from comparing different
approaches than by relying on a single source).

3. The lecturer may just be very good at making their subject interesting, exciting and/or
relevant.

4. The lecturer may be so well known in your subject that it is interesting to hear them
live and find out what sort of person they are.

5. Examiners may use the lecture courses to decide on the sorts of things they will set
questions on and the depth of knowledge they expect in the answers (i.e. use the
lectures to define the exam syllabus), as well as basing specific questions on material
that they know has been covered in detail and is available to all students (unlike
material covered in college tutorials).

Take lectures seriously and get into the lecture habit early. These are a good way of meeting
your contemporaries in your subject from other colleges, and of hearing their Tutors holding
forth. You may later regret having missed the chance of hearing Dr Smith or Professor Jones
on your subject.

Take notes during lectures, if only to help you concentrate on what is being said. However,
the first priority is to understand what is going on. Do not try to take overly-detailed, hurried
notes during the lecture. Take down major points and the overall thread of the argument.

15
Do you feel that you are not getting anything out of the first lecture or two? Even so, it is
worth persevering. You may have done the work already – but you will probably understand
the subject better for having gone over it twice. You may feel that the lectures are not
relevant to work you are doing at present – but they may be relevant to work that you will
be doing in the next term or next year. You may have difficulty understanding what is going
on – but even if you understand only 10 per cent of the ideas, that still gives you a 10 per
cent start if you have to tackle the subject later in tutorials or classes. You may find the
lecturer boring – but that does not devalue the content: give lectures a chance to warm up
before you decide to drop them. In the sciences, don’t drop any lectures lightly. Scientists
will also be busy with practical classes, so should appreciate the time-saving aspects of
lectures all the more!

Every lecturer has their own way of organising information, but you are likely to encounter
two types of lectures and you will develop a different style of note taking for each. In the
first kind, the lecturer gives an overview of the subject material and in the second kind you
will be given an introduction to specific techniques. Often the second kind of lecture is more
structured than the first. Be prepared to change the way you take your notes during the
course of the lecture. It is often worthwhile to read through your notes immediately after
the lecture so that you can highlight the key points and annotate where necessary. Some
students re-write all their lecture notes afterwards, but you need to consider whether this is
an effective use of your time.

16
Managing your workload

Effective time management is one of the most important skills to develop during your time
at Oxford. University is not like school, where your time was well structured by your teachers.
Here, you need to devise your own timetable. In order to succeed at Oxford you will need to
be hard-working and well-organised. These are extremely valuable skills to employers and
will also help you to cope with the challenges involved in your later working life.

When you first arrive it can be daunting to see the number of lectures, tutorials, seminars,
classes, and practicals that you need to attend. You need to remember to allow yourself
“thinking time” so that you can digest the information you are being given and make a note
of questions you would like to ask your Tutor. Of course, it is also important to allow
yourself time to relax and enjoy the opportunities presented by life as a student in Oxford.
But how can you balance these demands?

A few tips

 Buy a diary/personal organiser and notepad. Enter all of your academic commitments
into this diary so you can see where you need to be and when. Keep an up-to-date copy
of this information in your room (lots of places give away free wall planners at the start of
term – Freshers’ Fair is a good source for your first one), then you can book in times for
major tasks – such as preparing for tutorials or writing up your laboratory notes. Being
organised will help you to make the most of your relaxation time, because you should
have fewer of those nagging feelings that you should be somewhere else.

 Keep on top of your filing. You may wish to begin with a single large folder with coloured
paper dividers for each subject, but you will soon find that your work out-grows this. It
may prove useful to have a file for each unit of your course, each with three sections:
(1) lecture notes; (2) tutorial work and notes; (3) Practicals or Miscellaneous.

 It is worth considering when you are at your most productive to get the most out of your
work. Most people have a time of day when they know they produce their best work. Try
to schedule preparation work for tutorials during your most productive part of the day
and use your less productive times for more routine tasks such as checking your emails.

Remember to include breaks in your schedule. It is important to take a break away from your
desk if you are becoming unproductive – a five-minute break may be enough to get you back
into optimal working mode. If you have problems deciding what to do when, consider
whether the task is important or unimportant, urgent or non-urgent. Do not be afraid to put
a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on your door or to ignore your mobile phone and emails when you
are working – everyone understands the need for periods of uninterrupted work!

17
Remember that amidst the social, sporting, and other College and University attractions, your
first and over-riding responsibility is your academic work, and you should expect this to take
the majority of your time.

The key to success is planning your days, and sticking to your plan!

Using your vacations

Both on the academic and non-academic side, you’re likely to find yourself very pressed for
time in Oxford during the eight weeks of Full Term. You can remove some of this pressure
by making good academic use of the vacations. In a number of subjects the vacation is the
time for reading large amounts of essential texts; in others, it is the time for extended essays
or projects. It is most important not to neglect this work since failure to cover the texts or
other preparatory work in vacations can seriously impede your tutorial work in the following
term.

Vacations are also a very good time for general background reading and for tidying up work
left over from the previous Term. Your Tutor may also set specific vacation work. If you leave
this until you come back to Oxford at the beginning of the next Term, then you will just create
more problems for yourself. You need to plan your vacation work before you leave Oxford
to make sure that you have available all the information and resources that you need (e.g.
borrowing books you need from Oxford libraries or arranging the use of a library close to
where you will be staying during the vacation). You will be able to borrow books from most
libraries for the whole vacation, though libraries are also typically open throughout the
summer and Easter vacations if you find you are missing anything.

Of course, we are aware that vacations are important for seeing family and friends, re-
charging your batteries, and probably earning some money. But you should be aware that
you will need to set aside a reasonable proportion of them for your academic work.

18
Feedback on performance

Feedback from your Tutors is one of the most effective ways to develop your study skills
whilst at Oxford. Most of the feedback on your work will be given orally during tutorials, and
some will appear as marks or corrections annotated on your submitted work. Your Tutor
may not give precise grades for each essay or set of problems; constructive criticism and
advice is more helpful than placing you in a league table. If you would like more detailed
feedback during term, ask your Tutor. Each person who has taught you during term will write
an end-of-term report on your performance, which your College Tutor will normally discuss
with you at a meeting at the end of each term, and which later on will be available to you
privately online via the Colleges’ OxCORT reporting system.

Your progress will also be monitored through two kinds of “Collections”.

1. “Collections” are practice examinations that are set at the start of term. In 0th Week,
Tutors regularly set examinations which are designed to test either or both of: (a) work
done in the previous term, and (b) vacation work done to prepare for the term ahead.
At the end of term, your Tutors will give you notice of what sort of Collections you will
be set, and you should plan your vacation work accordingly. Collections are taken
under exam conditions – i.e. invigilated, timed, and in silence – in Hall and the Conduit
Room. The timetable is e-mailed to students in -1st Week. Tutors will make every
effort to return marked Collection scripts by the end of 2nd week.

Collections are valuable for consolidating a topic through revision, giving continuous
exam practice through your time at Oxford, and providing you with an idea of the
standard of your work in relation to the standards used in University exams.

2. In addition you will have “Report Reading” with your College tutors. Like
“Collections”, “Report Readings” are compulsory.

19
Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the copying or paraphrasing of other people’s work or ideas into your own work
without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in
manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition.

Collusion is another form of plagiarism involving the unauthorised collaboration of students

(or others) in a piece of work.

Cases of suspected plagiarism in assessed work are investigated under the disciplinary
regulations concerning conduct in examinations (if plagiarism is detected in University
exams) or under the College’s Academic Discipline Procedures (if plagiarism was committed
as part of your termly college work). Intentional or reckless plagiarism may incur severe
penalties, including failure of your degree or expulsion from the University and College.

Plagiarism is not tolerated either within College or the University as a whole. If you are
unsure how to acknowledge the source you should first speak to your tutor and refer to the
section above entitled ‘Citing references’.

The University monitors a range of essay sources (e.g. online databases and personal essay
writing services) and penalties for plagiarism are severe.

The regulations apply to all work either in examination conditions or not, and any submitted
material may be checked for plagiarism, whether it has been done in examination conditions
or not.

The University regulations on plagiarism can be found in the Conduct in Examinations section
of the Essential Information for Students (Proctors’ and Assessor’s Memorandum)
https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/student-handbook?wssl=1 , to which every
student has access. Please see the Appendix of this Study Guide, below, for the further
information on the University’s definition of plagiarism.

For further information you may wish to look at:

http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills/plagiarism

You may also find some of these website resources useful:

– Oxford University Weblearn Site

https://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/portal/hierarchy/skills/plag
– PlagiarismAdvice.org guides to referencing
https://www.plagiarism.org/article/preventing-plagiarism-when-writing
– Williams College advice on paraphrasing: http://web.williams.edu/wp-etc/acad-
resources/survival_guide/CitingDoc/ParaphrasingAPA.php

20
– A tutorial and self-test from Indiana University School of Education
https://www.indiana.edu/~tedfrick/plagiarism/

21
Study Support

There are a large number of books with advice on how to develop your study skills.

The College Library has a Study Skills section, which contains books on a wide range of general
issues as well as subject specific texts and your Departmental or Faculty Library will have
similar materials available.

For a description of Oxford tutorials, including their content and purpose, see:

Palfreyman, D. (ed) (2001) The Oxford Tutorial: ‘Thanks, you taught me how to
think’ OxCHEPS.

Blackwell’s Bookshop publishes a range of leaflets on different aspects of study, including

‘How to write essays’, ‘Reading for study’, ‘Improve your memory’, ‘Citing references’ and
‘Taking notes from lectures’. Blackwell’s sells these, and a good selection of other books and
guides, in its Education section in the Norrington Room.

Oxford University Student Union (Oxford SU) offers comprehensive advice as well as provides
an extensive range of information resources to help with study and revision skills. See their
website for further information: https://www.oxfordsu.org/

The University also has a useful section on revision and exams, including coping with
anxiety or insomnia:
https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills/revision?wssl=1

Specfic Learning Difficulties

If you have a SpLD (e.g dyslexia or dyspraxia), there is a range of support that the University
and College can offer. We do encourage you to come forward, as several students do every
year, so we can work out the best ways to offer any help you need.

If you have already diagnosed with a SpLD then we strongly advise that you let your College
Tutor know so appropriate support can be provided. You should also make an appointment
to see the Academic Registrar (tuition@new.ox.ac.uk). The Academic Registrar is the College
Disability Coordinator and can request alternative arrangements for University exams,
College Collections, and any study support you may require. If your existing report does not
meet University standards, we will arrange for you to be reassessed.

Alternative Examination Arrangements

Alternative examination arrangements can be put in place for candidates with disabilities,
including Specific Learning Difficulties. You should contact the College’s Disability
Coordinator (tuition@new.ox.ac.uk) as early in your first term at Oxford as practicable, or as

22
 soon as possible after your needs arise if this is later, to discuss possible alternative
arrangements.
The deadline for the College submitting a request for Alternative Examination Arrangements
is Friday of Week 4 during the term before the examinations take place. Therefore, the
College needs to know of your difficulties as far in advance of Week 4 as possible, so that
alternative arrangements can be discussed and assessments made in order to find the fairest
set of recommendations to fit your situation. If you would like to look up more information
about disability support at Oxford, please see:
https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/disability?wssl=1

Just because you have had extra time, or other alternative arrangements, in exams at
school does not mean that you automatically will have that at Oxford: you should contact
the Academic Registrar in your first term at Oxford to discuss your arrangements.

Welfare support

If you have academic or personal issues that you would like to discuss with someone, the first
point of contact is your tutor. Every student also has access to the College’s welfare team.

The Cox and Salvesen Fellows

The two Cox and Salvesen Fellows are Daniel Harkin and Katie McKeogh. They are happy to
talk to all New College students and are a good first port of call for information about services
and support available within College and the university. To make an appointment:

 Daniel and Katie may be contacted via the Porters Lodge on (01865-2)79555
 Email welfare@new.ox.ac.uk

The Chaplain
Revd Dr Erica Longfellow is the College Chaplain. She works alongside other welfare officers
to provide pastoral care for all members of New College, regardless of any religious affiliation.
She is very experienced in all aspects of student wellbeing and can be contacted at
erica.longfellow@new.ox.ac.uk or by phone via the Porters' Lodge (01865 2)79555.

The Home Bursar

Gez Wells is available to chat to students and talk about personal matters, domestic issues
or concerns around life in College.
 drop into his room (4 OB, through his PA's Office)
 call (01865 2)79560
 or email gez.wells@new.ox.ac.uk

JCR Welfare Officers

The JCR and MCR committees have elected welfare officers who can refer students to the
right people for advice and guidance.

23
Students can approach the University Counselling Service independently and in complete
confidence. Full details of University-run welfare schemes are detailed at:
http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/counselling. The Counselling Service is located at 3
Worcester Street (near the Gloucester Green coach station). You can ring the University
Counselling Service on 01865 270300 or email them at
(counselling@admin.ox.ac.uk).

OUSU also runs a full range of support: https://www.oxfordsu.org/wellbeing/student-

advice/
Nightline, run by students, offers support and advice between 8pm and 8am from 0 th to 9th
Weeks on (01865) 270270 (just dial 70270 from any University telephone); further
information is available at: https://oxfordnightline.org/

If you do experience difficulties, there really are many sources of help: so, please, never be
afraid to ask.

24
APPENDIX

University definition of Plagiarism

Reproduced from:
http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills/plagiarism

Plagiarism is the copying or paraphrasing of other people’s work or ideas without full
acknowledgement. Intentional plagiarism may incur severe penalties, including failure of
your degree.

Why does plagiarism matter?

All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form,
is covered under the term plagiarism. Collusion is another form of plagiarism involving the
unauthorised collaboration of students (or others) in a piece of work. Plagiarism is a breach
of academic integrity. It is a principle of intellectual honesty that all members of the academic
community should acknowledge their debt to the originators of the ideas, words, and data
which form the basis for their own work. Passing off another’s work as your own is not only
poor scholarship, but also means that you have failed to complete the learning process.
Deliberate plagiarism is unethical and can have serious consequences for your future career.

Why should you avoid plagiarism?

You have come to university to learn to know and speak your own mind, not merely to parrot
the opinions of others. At first it may seem very difficult to develop your own views, and you
will probably find yourself paraphrasing the writings of others as you attempt to understand
and assimilate their arguments, however, it is important that you learn to develop your own
voice. You are not necessarily expected to become an original thinker, but you are expected
to be an independent one - by learning to critically assess the work of others, weigh up
differing arguments and draw your own conclusions.

You should not avoid plagiarism for fear of disciplinary consequences, but because you aspire
to produce work of the highest quality. Once you have grasped the principles of source use
and citation, you should find it relatively straightforward to steer clear of plagiarism.

What to avoid

The necessity to reference applies not only to text, but also to other media, such as computer
code, illustrations, graphs etc. It applies equally to published text drawn from books and
journals, and to unpublished text, whether from lecture handouts, theses or other students’

25
essays. You must also attribute text or other resources downloaded from websites. Various
forms of plagiarism include:

Verbatim quotation without clear acknowledgement

Quotations must always be identified as such by the use of either quotation marks or
indentation, with adequate citation. It must always be apparent to the reader which parts of
your assessment are your own work and where you have drawn on someone else’s ideas and
language.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing the work of others by altering a few words and changing their order or by
closely following the structure of their argument, is plagiarism because you are deriving your
words and ideas from their work without giving due acknowledgement.

Even if you include a reference to the original author in your own text you are still creating a
misleading impression that the paraphrased wording is entirely your own. It is better to write
a brief summary of the author’s overall argument in your own words than to paraphrase
particular sections of his or her writing. This will ensure you have a genuine grasp of the
argument and will avoid the difficulty of paraphrasing without plagiarising. You must also
properly attribute all material you derive from lectures.

Cutting and pasting from the Internet

Information derived from the Internet must be adequately referenced and included in the
bibliography. It is important to evaluate carefully all material found on the Internet, as it is
less likely to have been through the same process of scholarly peer review as published
sources.

Collusion

This can involve unauthorised collaboration between students, failure to attribute assistance
received, or failure to follow regulations on group work projects. It is your responsibility to
ensure that you are entirely clear about the extent of collaboration permitted, and which
parts of the work must be your own.

Inaccurate citation

It is important to cite correctly, according to the conventions of your discipline. Additionally,

you should not include anything in a footnote or bibliography that you have not actually
consulted. If you cannot gain access to a primary source you must make it clear in your
citation that your knowledge of the work has been derived from a secondary text (for

26
example, Bradshaw, D. Title of Book, discussed in Wilson, E., Title of Book (London, 2004), p.
189).

Failure to acknowledge

You must clearly acknowledge all assistance which has contributed to the production of your
work, such as advice from fellow students, laboratory technicians, and other external
sources. This need not apply to the assistance provided by your tutor or supervisor, nor to
ordinary proofreading, but it is necessary to acknowledge other guidance which leads to
substantive changes of content or approach.

Professional agencies

You should neither make use of professional agencies in the production of your work nor
submit material which has been written for you. It is vital to your intellectual training and
development that you should undertake the research process unaided.

Auto-plagiarism

You must not submit work for assessment which you have already submitted (partially or in
full) to fulfil the requirements of another degree course or examination, unless this is
specifically provided for in the special regulations for your course.

What happens if I am suspected of plagiarism?

The regulations regarding conduct in examinations apply equally to the ‘submission and
assessment of a thesis, dissertation, essay, or other coursework not undertaken in formal
examination conditions, but which counts towards or constitutes the work for a degree or
other academic award’. Additionally, this includes the transfer and confirmation of status
exercises undertaken by graduate students. Cases of suspected plagiarism in assessed work
are investigated under the disciplinary regulations concerning conduct in examinations.
Intentional or reckless plagiarism may incur severe penalties, including failure of your degree
or expulsion from the university.

If plagiarism is suspected in a piece of work submitted for assessment in an examination, the

matter will be referred to the Proctors. They will investigate the claim and summon the
student concerned for interview. If at this point there is no evidence of a breach of the
regulations, no further action will be taken. However, if it is concluded that an intentional or
reckless breach of the regulations has occurred, the Proctors will refer the case to one of two
disciplinary panels. Visit student conduct for information on disciplinary procedures.

Does this mean that I shouldn’t use the work of other authors?

27
On the contrary, it is vital that you situate your writing within the intellectual debates of your
discipline. Academic essays almost always involve the use and discussion of material written
by others, and, with due acknowledgement and proper referencing, this is clearly
distinguishable from plagiarism.

The knowledge in your discipline has developed cumulatively as a result of years of research,
innovation and debate. You need to give credit to the authors of the ideas and observations
you cite. Not only does this accord recognition to their labours, it also helps you to strengthen
your argument by making clear the basis on which you make it. Good citation practice gives
your reader the opportunity to follow up your references, or check the validity of your
interpretation.

Does every statement in my essay have to be backed up with references?

You may feel that including the citation for every point you make will interrupt the flow of
your essay and make it look very unoriginal. At least initially, this may sometimes be
inevitable. However, by employing good citation practice from the start, you will learn to
avoid errors such as sloppy paraphrasing or unreferenced quotation.

It is important to understand the reasons behind the need for transparency of source use. All
academic texts, even student essays, are multi-voiced, which means they are filled with
references to other texts. Rather than attempting to synthesise these voices into one
narrative account, you should make it clear whose interpretation or argument you are
employing at any one time (whose ‘voice’ is speaking).

If you are substantially indebted to a particular argument in the formulation of your own, you
should make this clear both in footnotes and in the body of your text, before going on to
describe how your own views develop or diverge from this influence.

It is not necessary to give references for facts that are common knowledge in your discipline.
If you are unsure as to whether something is considered to be common knowledge or not, it
is safer to cite it anyway and seek clarification. You do need to document facts that are not
generally known and ideas that are interpretations of facts.

Does this only matter in examinations?

Although plagiarism in weekly essays does not constitute a University disciplinary offence, it
may well lead to college disciplinary measures. Tutorial essays traditionally do not require
the full scholarly apparatus of footnotes and referencing, but it is still necessary to
acknowledge your sources and demonstrate the development of your argument, usually by
an in-text reference. Many tutors will ask that you do employ a formal citation style early on,
and you will find that this is good preparation for later project and dissertation work.

28
Unintentional plagiarism

Not all cases of plagiarism arise from a deliberate intention to cheat. Sometimes students
may omit to take down citation details when copying and pasting, or they may be genuinely
ignorant of referencing conventions. However, these excuses offer no protection against a
charge of plagiarism. Even in cases where the plagiarism is found to have been unintentional,
there may still be a penalty.

It is your responsibility to find out the prevailing referencing conventions in your discipline,
to take adequate notes, and to avoid close paraphrasing. The advice contained in your subject
handbook will help you learn how to avoid common errors. If you are undertaking a project
or dissertation you should ensure that you have information on plagiarism and collusion. If
in doubt about referencing, paraphrasing or plagiarism, ask your tutor.

Examples of plagiarism

The following examples demonstrate some of the common pitfalls to avoid. These examples
use the referencing system prescribed by the History Faculty but should be of use to students
of all disciplines.

Source text

From a class perspective this put them [highwaymen] in an ambivalent position. In aspiring
to that proud, if temporary, status of ‘Gentleman of the Road’, they did not question the
inegalitarian hierarchy of their society. Yet their boldness of act and deed, in putting them
outside the law as rebellious fugitives, revivified the ‘animal spirits’ of capitalism and became
an essential part of the oppositional culture of working-class London, a serious obstacle to
the formation of a tractable, obedient labour force. Therefore, it was not enough to hang
them – the values they espoused or represented had to be challenged.

(Linebaugh, P., The London Hanged: Crime and Civil Society in the Eighteenth Century
(London, 1991), p. 213. [You should give the reference in full the first time you use it in a
footnote; thereafter it is acceptable to use an abbreviated version, e.g. Linebaugh, The
London Hanged, p. 213.]

Plagiarised

1. Although they did not question the inegalitarian hierarchy of their society,
highwaymen became an essential part of the oppositional culture of working-class
London, posing a serious threat to the formation of a biddable labour force. (This is a
patchwork of phrases copied verbatim from the source, with just a few words changed
here and there. There is no reference to the original author and no indication that
these words are not the writer’s own.)

29
 2. Although they did not question the inegalitarian hierarchy of their society,
highwaymen exercised a powerful attraction for the working classes. Some historians
believe that this hindered the development of a submissive workforce. (This is a
mixture of verbatim copying and acceptable paraphrase. Although only one phrase has
been copied from the source, this would still count as plagiarism. The idea expressed
in the first sentence has not been attributed at all, and the reference to ‘some
historians’ in the second is insufficient. The writer should use clear referencing to
acknowledge all ideas taken from other people’s work.)

3. Although they did not question the inegalitarian hierarchy of their society,
highwaymen ‘became an essential part of the oppositional culture of working-class
London [and] a serious obstacle to the formation of a tractable, obedient labour
force’.1 (This contains a mixture of attributed and unattributed quotation, which
suggests to the reader that the first line is original to this writer. All quoted material
must be enclosed in quotation marks and adequately referenced.)

4. Highwaymen’s bold deeds ‘revivified the “animal spirits” of capitalism’ and made them
an essential part of the oppositional culture of working-class London.1 Peter Linebaugh
argues that they posed a major obstacle to the formation of an obedient labour force.
(Although the most striking phrase has been placed within quotation marks and
correctly referenced, and the original author is referred to in the text, there has been
a great deal of unacknowledged borrowing. This should have been put into the writer’s
own words instead.)

5. By aspiring to the title of ‘Gentleman of the Road’, highwaymen did not challenge the
unfair taxonomy of their society. Yet their daring exploits made them into outlaws and
inspired the antagonistic culture of labouring London, forming a grave impediment to
the development of a submissive workforce. Ultimately, hanging them was insufficient
– the ideals they personified had to be discredited.1 (This may seem acceptable on a
superficial level, but by imitating exactly the structure of the original passage and using
synonyms for almost every word, the writer has paraphrased too closely. The
reference to the original author does not make it clear how extensive the borrowing
has been. Instead, the writer should try to express the argument in his or her own
words, rather than relying on a ‘translation’ of the original.)

Non-plagiarised

1. Peter Linebaugh argues that although highwaymen posed no overt challenge to social
orthodoxy – they aspired to be known as ‘Gentlemen of the Road’ – they were often
seen as anti-hero role models by the unruly working classes. He concludes that they
were executed not only for their criminal acts, but in order to stamp out the threat of

30
 insubordinacy.1 (This paraphrase of the passage is acceptable as the wording and
structure demonstrate the reader’s interpretation of the passage and do not follow
the original too closely. The source of the ideas under discussion has been properly
attributed in both textual and footnote references.)

2. Peter Linebaugh argues that highwaymen represented a powerful challenge to the

mores of capitalist society and inspired the rebelliousness of London’s working class.1
(This is a brief summary of the argument with appropriate attribution.)

1 Linebaugh, P., The London Hanged: Crime and Civil Society in the Eighteenth Century
(London, 1991), p. 213.

31
Acknowledgements
New College would like to thank the Academic Dean and Academic Registrar of Exeter College
for their kind permission to adapt their Study Guide.

2019 edition

32
Notes
Notes