While completing your online degree or certificate, you’re most likely going to use the Internet for the majority of your research. Just about anybody can post to the Web, so it’s important that you’re critical of the sources you decide to use. Cross-check your information on several different sites before validating.

Also, if the information is taken from a Web site that has no clear professional or scholarly affiliation, check if the information is supported by hyperlinks to the original source or references for the writing. If so, you should click on these links and use those Web sites as a reference rather than the original site.

Source: Bright Hub

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Say you’re not the type who wants to learn yet another piece of software that syncs with your cell phone, work and home e-mail. Never fear – the good old daily/weekly/monthly planner is still in existence in every office supply store in the country.

You may be thinking, “isn’t that a little old school?”  Why, yes it is. And, that’s the point. Sometimes taking it back to the purest way of doing something keeps you focused.It could be as simple as a color code system for the date blocks: green for tests, pink for quizzes, orange for papers – etc. Keep it with you at all times and even add in your personal stuff so you’ve got everything in one place.

(Source: Evolve.com)

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You’re a college student, probably juggling studies with work and other obligations. You even may be guilty of staying up all night to cram for a test or finish a paper. If only you could get some sleep!

Sleep deprivation has some bad side effects, including decreasing your ability to focus on course work or anything else. Even if you can set aside a decent number of hours to crash, what if you can’t fall asleep?

Here are some ideas that may help you get the rest you need, perform better in school and feel better:

1. Follow a consistent bedtime routine. While there may be exceptions, try to stick with a consistent bedtime.
2. Give yourself time to prepare for sleep with a nighttime routine. Don’t expect your best sleep to come immediately after turning off the computer and hitting the sack. While this works for some blessed few, you need time to wind down.
3. Consider reading part of a novel or other non-academic book before you go to sleep. If you can immerse yourself in a story, rather than the last page you read about statistics or the Crimean War, it might help you reduce stress and thinking about worries.
4. Try to get a full night’s sleep every day. For some, that’s eight or nine hours, others wake up refreshed after six. Figure out what works best for you.
5. Do we need to say this? Don’t drink coffee, tea, sodas — or eat chocolate (ouch!) — within several hours of bedtime. Caffeine is not a good way to end the day.
6. If you have too much to do — and literally not enough hours in a day to accomplish what you need — consider what changes you can make to reclaim enough time to feel rested and not stressed 24/7. What could you remove from your list of tasks or activities that are overloading you?
7. If you can, keep TVs out of the bedroom, and leave the computer behind, too. Sleep in a quiet, dark room that’s not too warm.
8. Hungry before you go to bed? Try a glass of milk or a small healthy snack.
9. Don’t work out, run, jog, or do the Stairmaster before bed. Cranking up your heart rate before crashing isn’t a great way to prepare for sleep. 
10. Get up at the same time every day. There’s no such thing as “catching up on your sleep.” Staying on schedule is the best way to feel rested.