The Writing Development team at the University of Lincoln is there to support students in all aspects of academic writing, including:
- Understanding and planning your assignment
- Assignment structure and paragraph structure
- Academic argument and critical thinking
- Introductions and conclusions
- Strategies for editing and proof-reading
- Understanding your feedback
- Revision and exam techniques
University of Lincoln students can book a support session the Library Writing Development Page.
Team Members
Daren Mansfield
Considering potential new strategies for learning at university when I meet new people is a highlight of the job here at Lincoln. Recognising that every student approaches study in a different way, it’s always interesting to engage a student in a conversation about their study skills strategies. Among my other interests are neurodiversity, internationalisation of higher education, cultural aspects of education, wellbeing, mental health and widening participation. One of the best books I have read recently about writing development is Quigley’s (2019) exceptional Closing the vocabulary gap, which says that vocabulary is the difference between rich and poor in terms of socioeconomic status. The linguist David Crystal prompts us to challenge this world order:
Education is the process of preparing us for the big world, and the big world has big words. The more big words I know, the better I will survive in it. Because there are hundreds of thousands of big words in English, I cannot learn them all. But all this doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t try to learn more’.
The thesaurus and dictionary are your friends for life. Take them on holiday, to work, study or wherever life may lead you. Often it is stumbling across the unexpected which gives rise to new ideas, new projects. These two companions open many doors in your writing journey.
Graham Freestone
I’ve been working in an academic library now for over 20 years. My background is in philosophy, which can be very handy when looking at the logical structure of students’ work. My pedagogical interests are also often fueled by philosophy and include:
i) Making academic concepts clear and understandable by trying to relate them to the audience through example.
ii) Recognising the way in which academic work is not just created from reason but requires, what I think of as an ‘animating principle’. This phenomenon has many faces and can be known as ‘quality’, ‘your voice’ of just ‘motivation’. I believe pursuing this as an equal principle to reason is integral in helping students improve their work.
Molly Brooks
As an MA English literature student at the University of Lincoln, working as a Student Writing Advisor during the 23/24 academic year has been a highlight of my experience at Lincoln. I believe that within academia, our greatest successes arise from when we learn from each other.
Being both an avid reader and postgraduate student, writing is at the core of everything I do. The ability to clearly present your ideas and access academic content is what every student deserves; though literacy is inherent within all of us, academia often throws us challenges that together we can overcome.
My personal interests include Romantic and Early Victorian literature, I am currently working on a dissertation project surrounding women and ageing in Romantic poetry, including work from Dorothy Wordsworth and Anna Seward among others. My research involves primary material from the Romantic period (1750-1850) as well as engagement with Age Studies.
Cheryl Cliffe
My University of Lincoln journey started in 2000 when I saw an advert in the Lincolnshire Echo for a Sunday Service Adviser role at the University. This was my gateway into a stimulating environment that cultivated personal and professional development. Over the next two decades, I graduated with a BA and MA in English, became a qualified Librarian and gained a teaching qualification in Higher Education.
The most fulfilling part of my career has always been the opportunity to help students to navigate through the expectations of university in order to reach their full potential. I say expectations, as students often seek explanation and clarity about what their tutors want from them: what should academic writing look like and what exactly is critical thinking all about? Understanding these expectations goes a long way towards achieving academic success.
Holly Parker
I first joined The University of Lincoln in 2011 and I think it’s safe to say that Lincoln has become a fixture in my life since then. During the last 13 years, I completed my BA (Hons) in English, an MA in 21st Century Literature and will soon complete my PhD at the University. Since 2019, I’ve also worked as an Associate Lecturer, Exam Invigilator and for the Writing Development team at Lincoln, and have completed an FHEA teaching qualification here as well.
For me, the biggest privilege of working in academia is having the ability to question, research and consider new ideas. When I teach, I tell students that my job isn’t to just give you the answers, but to give you the space and skills to consider new perspectives, theories and interpretations. University is a place of ideas, and having space to explore these and figure out what you are passionate about is incredibly important. Working in the Writing Development team then gives me the variety of talking to a wealth of people about their work. When someone books an appointment with us, I love being able to talk though their academic ideas and arguments with them; giving people the skill and confidence to articulate and explore their ideas is something that goes well beyond academia and is just what we’re here for.