Learning Resources (Downloadable)

📚 Research & Writing Cheat Sheets

By Dr Simon H Walker | GCU | SCE Consultants | Dr Si: Learning, Lectures & Laughs

Welcome to your one-stop hub for practical, no-nonsense academic support. Below you’ll find a series of Research and Writing Cheat Sheets designed to make complex tasks clearer, quicker, and a little more human.

🔍 What Are These Cheat Sheets?

These downloadable resources are distilled academic guides for students, early career researchers, and seasoned academics alike. Each cheat sheet unpacks key stages of the research and writing process—from forming your question to submitting your proposal—into structured, friendly, and focused formats.

They’ve been tested in seminars, one-to-one supervisions, and grant writing sessions across disciplines.

✏️ How to Use Them

  • Download or print the sheets to use while writing or revising.
  • Use in class or group study—great for seminars and workshops.
  • Pair with your institution’s official guidance for best results.
  • GCU students: Fully mapped to the Applied Research in Social Science assessment structure.

🛡️ Disclaimer

These cheat sheets are intended as supportive academic tools and not as replacements for official academic or ethical guidance. Always cross-check with your module handbook, supervisor, or funder requirements.

They’re written to be accessible, but they still require your critical thinking and personalisation.

© Copyright Notice

All materials on this page and the cheat sheets themselves are © Dr Simon Harold Walker, 2025.

You are welcome to use, adapt, and share them for educational and non-commercial purposes only, provided appropriate credit is given and materials are not modified without permission.

Commercial use or reproduction without written consent is strictly prohibited.

🔗 More from Dr Si

Have fun, stay curious, and keep writing things that matter.

Downloadable Resources:

Research Cheat Sheet –

Research Cheat Sheet 2025Download

The Research Cheat Sheet is a single-page, step-by-step academic guidance tool created to help students and researchers navigate the full research process—from idea to finished paper—with clarity and confidence.

📄 What It Covers

It breaks the research journey into six easy-to-follow phases:

  1. THE QUESTION
    → How to define and sharpen your research question, including literature review and hypothesis.
  2. THE PREPARATION
    → Planning your project, selecting methodology, checking ethics, and figuring out resources.
  3. RESEARCH PROCESS
    → Practical tips for conducting your study—ethics, record-keeping, and working with supervisors.
  4. THE ANALYSIS
    → Organising and cleaning your data, identifying patterns, and connecting findings to your question.
  5. THE EVIDENCE
    → Turning analysis into digestible findings using tables, visuals, and clear explanation.
  6. THE PRESENTATION
    → Writing it all up in the correct academic structure, linking sections, and polishing your draft.

🧠 What Makes It Different?

  • Simple but smart: No jargon, no fluff—just what you need to know, when you need to know it.
  • Actionable: Each phase includes a checklist of what to do and think about.
  • Encouraging: It’s written with warmth, humour, and the understanding that research is hard work.

🛠️ Who Should Use It?

  • Undergraduate and postgrad students tackling dissertations or research projects
  • Early career researchers writing their first papers
  • Lecturers or supervisors who want a teaching tool
  • Anyone who’s ever looked at a blank Word doc and whispered, “now what?”

Writing Up RP – Cheatsheet

Writing Up Cheat Sheet 2025Download

The Writing Up a Research Proposal Cheat Sheet is your friendly, fuss-free guide to crafting a strong, structured, and convincing research proposal—especially tailored to students, early career researchers, and anyone facing the dreaded “3,000-word pitch.”

📄 What It Covers

This cheat sheet walks you through exactly what goes into a great research proposal, using plain English and an easy-to-follow layout:

  1. THE STRUCTURE
    → Covers the full GCU-approved structure: Title, Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review, Aims, Methodology, Ethics, and Conclusion.
  2. THE LINKAGE
    → Shows how to build logical flow between sections using bridging phrases and internal signposting.
  3. THE EXPLANATION
    → Introduces the STATE – DEBATE – RELATE technique for writing clear, compelling arguments.
  4. THE EVIDENCE
    → Explains how to use and cite research to support your ideas, not just list sources.
  5. THE PRESENTATION
    → Details how to format your work, meet submission standards, and avoid simple but costly mistakes.
  6. THE FINAL PUSH
    → A reminder to step back, redraft, and seek peer feedback before you hit ‘submit’.

🧠 Why It’s Useful

  • Mapped to GCU Assessment Criteria: Designed with the Applied Research in Social Science assignment in mind.
  • Real-world framing: Written to reflect what actual reviewers and funders look for.
  • Smart but supportive: Empowers students to write academically without sounding robotic.
  • Useable for any discipline: While based on social science, it’s flexible enough for broader research contexts.

🛠️ Who Should Use It?

  • Final year undergraduates writing proposals for dissertations
  • Postgraduate students preparing funding or research approval documents
  • Supervisors and tutors supporting students with proposal writing
  • Anyone who has ever Googled “what even IS a methodology section?”

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