Author
Ayusha Joshi
Guides on academic writing, referencing and study method.
Specialisms
What Ayusha covers
- academic writing
- referencing and citation
- academic integrity
Published
Guides by Ayusha Joshi
- Study skills7 min read
Debate topics that actually produce a debate
Sixty debate topics grouped by level and subject, plus the test for whether a motion will produce a real debate and how to build a case for either side.
- Study skills7 min read
Speech topics, and how to pick one that works
Fifty speech topics for persuasive, informative and short-notice speaking, plus how to choose one for your audience and structure it so people remember it.
- Writing7 min read
Personal essay topics, and how to write one that is not a diary
Forty personal essay prompts, plus what separates a personal essay from a diary entry: a specific moment, honest reflection, a point beyond you.
- Referencing9 min read
Which Harvard does your university actually use?
Harvard is not one style. How Cite Them Right, Leeds, Coventry and Australian AGPS Harvard differ, and how to find which one your department wants.
- Referencing7 min read
APA 7: everything that changed from APA 6
Every change from APA 6 to APA 7 with before-and-after examples: no publisher location, up to 20 authors, et al. from three, and the new DOI format.
- Study skills8 min read
The first six weeks: a study system that survives the semester
What to set up in your first six weeks at university: a note system, a reading method, a reference manager, and the deadlines nobody warns you about.
- Writing6 min read
Is this sentence grammatically correct? How to check your own writing
How to check whether a sentence is grammatically correct, the six errors behind most academic writing mistakes, and a free checker that uploads nothing.
- Referencing8 min read
Citing clinical guidelines, NICE and drug formularies
How to reference NICE guidelines, the BNF, WHO documents and Cochrane reviews in Vancouver, APA 7 and Harvard — sources no generator can handle.
- Subject skills10 min read
How to write a nursing reflective essay
How to write a nursing reflective essay that analyses rather than narrates: Gibbs' cycle stage by stage, the 20/80 rule, anonymisation, an example.
- Subject skills9 min read
IRAC and ILAC: how to answer a law problem question
How to structure a law problem question using IRAC or ILAC, with a worked example, the difference between them, and why essay-style answers cap marks.
- Writing6 min read
Adviser or advisor? 30 spellings students get wrong
Adviser or advisor, practice or practise, affect or effect, and 27 more pairs students get wrong — with the rule and the UK, US and AU variations.
- Referencing9 min read
OSCOLA footnotes: ibid, short forms and pinpoints
The OSCOLA footnote mechanics that cost law students marks: when to use ibid, how to build a short form, how to pinpoint, and where the marker goes.
- Business10 min read
How to write a case study analysis
How to analyse a business case study: reading for the decision, choosing frameworks that earn marks, and writing a recommendation with a cost and owner.
- Study skills6 min read
How to balance chemical equations
The method for balancing chemical equations by inspection, worked combustion and redox examples, the fraction trick, and a free step-showing balancer.
- Study skills6 min read
What is a specialised cell? Structure, function and examples
What a specialised cell is, how differentiation produces them, and eight worked examples showing how each cell's structure fits its function.
- Study skills10 min read
How to revise for university exams, according to the evidence
Retrieval practice, spacing and interleaving beat re-reading and highlighting in controlled studies. What works, what does not, and a six-week plan.
- Referencing8 min read
Notes–bibliography or author–date? Picking your Chicago system
Chicago has two citation systems that are not interchangeable. How to tell which your course wants, how each is formatted, and how to convert.
- Study skills6 min read
Should homework be banned? What the evidence says on both sides
The research on homework splits by age: little benefit in primary school, a real effect in secondary. Both cases argued, plus the equity argument.
- Dissertation10 min read
How to choose a dissertation topic you can actually finish
The four-part feasibility test every dissertation topic must pass, how to narrow a broad interest into a question, and the signs a topic will fail.
- Dissertation9 min read
Writing a research proposal: structure and worked example
What a research proposal must contain, how long each section should be, and a worked example. Includes the two sections that decide whether it is approved.
- Dissertation8 min read
Psychology dissertation topics that pass ethics
Forty psychology dissertation topics by subfield, each feasible at undergraduate level, plus the ethical filter that rules topics out early.
- Dissertation9 min read
How to write a methodology chapter
What a methodology chapter must contain, methodology versus methods, how to justify every choice, and how to write limitations that strengthen it.
- Referencing7 min read
The referencing mistakes that cost the most marks
The referencing errors markers penalise most: unattributed paraphrase, mismatched in-text citations, inconsistent Harvard, and fixing a similarity score.
- Business9 min read
How to write a PESTEL analysis (with an Apple example)
How to write a PESTEL analysis that earns marks: the six dimensions, how to evidence and rank factors, and a worked Apple example.
- Career8 min read
How to write a CV in the UK
UK CV format explained: two pages, no photo, personal profile, quantified achievements and ATS-safe formatting. Includes how a UK CV differs from a US resume.
- Career6 min read
How to write a character reference
What a character reference must contain, how it differs from an employment reference, and a worked example. Includes court and rental character references.
- Writing10 min read
Reflective writing: how to do it properly
How to write a reflective essay that analyses rather than narrates: Gibbs' cycle explained, the 20/80 rule, topics and a worked example.
- Writing9 min read
Essay structure: how to build an argument
How to structure a university essay: an arguable thesis statement, paragraphs built on topic sentences, integrating evidence, and essay length.
- Dissertation8 min read
How to write a dissertation abstract (with examples)
What a dissertation abstract must contain, how long it should be, and three worked examples across disciplines, with the six-element structure.
- Dissertation7 min read
How to write a dissertation conclusion
The five-part structure of a strong dissertation conclusion, how long it should be, what to leave out, and how it differs from the discussion.
- Dissertation9 min read
How to structure a literature review
How to organise a literature review thematically, how long it should be, and how to synthesise sources into an argument instead of summarising them one by one.
Work with us
Every tutor is named, qualified and accountable
We publish who writes our guides and who teaches our sessions, because you should be able to check before you spend anything.