Free e-book - Help Yourself to a Better Degree

Students often ask us which is the best book to buy to help them develop their skills for study. We say - why spend your money on generic guides when you can download an e-book written specially for University of Reading students - and it's absolutely free!

Help Yourself to a Better Degree brings together all the advice, explanations, strategies and tips in our popular series of Study Guides. It includes guidance on key topics like essay and report writing, giving presentations, preparing for exams and managing your time and workload. There are chapters specially aimed at Masters students and research postgraduates. It can be downloaded for Kindles, e-book readers, smartphones and tablet PCs, and as a PDF file to keep on your laptop or home computer.

Downloading the e-book

The e-book is free to download exclusively for Reading students via the Study Advice Blackboard Organisation. Instructions for enrolling and accessing this are on our Study Advice on Blackboard page.

You will be able to choose from the following options:

• Kindle version (for Kindles and smartphones with Kindle Apps downloaded)
• E-pub version (for e-book readers, tablets and smartphones)
• PDF version (for any device with PDF reader software) 

Please note that you may need to download an e-book reader App to read the book on a smartphone, but there are free Apps available for both iPhones and Android phones.

To read a PDF file, you will need a PDF reader (again, there are free downloads from Adobe.)

More information on everything you need to download and use the e-book can be found on the Blackboard page.

The Annual Fund

The production of this free ebook was made possible by a grant from the Annual Fund. The Annual Fund was established in 2004 to raise money to enhance the student experience.

• This project showcases the aims of the Annual Fund by:
• enabling better access for students to professional, research-informed advice and guidance
• maximising the opportunities for student success in study
• offering students an economical alternative to expensive study skills books
• utilising new technologies and practices to provide advice on study

More information on Our Annual Fund.