Skip to Main Content

Success at Master's Level

Improve your postgraduate academic skills, with tips on critical reading, clearer arguments, addressing complexity, and writing with authority.

Success at Master's - Summary

In your writing at master’s level, tutors expect to see a wide range of skills and features encompassing criticality, complexity, applied thinking, and excellent writing.

We have highlighted the following aspects in this guide:

Developing criticality:

  • Evaluating evidence
  • Identifying weaknesses
  • Acknowledging limitations
  • Developing the argument

Applied thinking:

  • Application to the real world
  • Consider transferability
  • Identifying implications
  • Recommending solutions

Addressing complexity:

  • Exploring causes
  • Analysis of factors
  • Synthesis of evidence
  • Presenting complexity

Academic language:

  • Academic voice
  • Helpful signposting
  • Cautious language
  • Authoritative language

Now continue to develop your skills by looking at the additional resources linked from this guide, or booking a session.

Review this resource

Before you move on, please give us some quick feedback about this resource: Give feedbackthree stars selected out of five


Adsetts Library
Collegiate Library


Sheffield Hallam University
City Campus, Howard Street
Sheffield S1 1WB


Sheffield Hallam Signifier