Author sees first of three books in academic series hit library shelves across the UK

An author and senior lecturer at Wrexham Glyndwr University has seen her first book on the subject published – and is set to bring out two further works this year.

Helen Coleman was asked to write the book, called ‘Polish Your Academic Writing’ as part of a series of skills guides from academic publisher SAGE Publishing.

Another book from Helen – ‘Your Super Quick Guide to University’ – is due out in April with a third, looking at her specialism of statistical research and methods, expected this Winter.

“I have had a long standing relationship with SAGE Publishing, who are a really lovely company – when the opportunity came up to work with them on these books, it was just brilliant,” she said:

“SAGE have created this series of texts, which are all about supporting students in their first months at university – the idea is these books equip them with some of the tools they can use to progress and to gain confidence.

“When they asked me if I could do this, I knew it would be a great opportunity to get the work we do here at Glyndwr with our students noticed – and that it would be exciting for our students too!

“It’s something that helps me to support our students and build their confidence – it all means we can be there to guide them as they develop as a person at university.

“It is a concise book of all the good bits of advice, which I have been given and those, which I wish I had been given when I started university. Writing it has been a really lovely experience.”

Helen, who is originally from Middlesbrough, has taught at Glyndwr for a decade. She is both a Time to Change champion and a Dignity at Work advisor at the university, and among a growing number of Glyndwr’s academic staff whose work can be found on the university’s bookshelves.

She has also discovered her academic writing guide popping up in university libraries across the UK – and even seen it making bookselling charts online.

She added: “As you might expect, it’s at the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford which is one of the oldest libraries in Britain and one of the country’s legal deposit libraries. I’ve also heard there are copies at the University of Durham – my old university – too!

It has found itself on a bestsellers list on Amazon for its subject category – and my second book is selling well on pre-orders too.

However, what it’s really about is the students – if any of these books gives one student a little more confidence and helps them realise their strengths, then that is the main thing for me.”

Jai Seaman, Publisher for Study Skills & Research Methods at SAGE, added: “SAGE is committed to providing clear, concise and accessible learning resources that give students the confidence and skills to succeed at university.

“The Super Quick Skills series helps them build key academic and life skills they can instantly apply, using practical activities, short summaries and eye catching visuals designed to instantly engage.”

More information about Helen’s work on SAGE Publishing, can be found here.