Stella Cottrell was formerly Director for Lifelong Learning at the University of Leeds and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning, Teaching and Student Engagement at the University of East London, UK. She supports students from diverse backgrounds, such as those with dyslexia and mature, international and disabled students. Her publications for staff and students have sold more than a million copies worldwide. First published in 1999, The Study Skills Handbook is now in its 5th edition. Stella has authored a number of study skills guides as part of the Macmillan Study Skills series including Critical Thinking Skills, Skills for Success and The Macmillan Student Planner (previously published as The Palgrave Student Planner). In the June 2011 edition of Education Bookseller, Victor Glynn characterised Cottrell's books as "concise, clearly laid out and covering a wide range of subjects." List of publications * First published as The Palgrave Student Planner 2005-6 and every year subsequently; rebranded as The Macmillan Student Planner in 2019–20. The Study Skills Handbook The Study Skills Handbook was first published on 12 August 1999. The philosophy behind the book can be summarised as saying that most students could perform well in higher education with the right strategies, attitudes and pacing to suit their circumstances and previous educational background. Whether they were successful at study in the past or not, Stella contends that all students benefit from taking an individualised approach that suits them, as they are now, and looking with fresh eyes at each new challenge. Critical self-reflection and active solution-seeking are emphasised throughout the book. Cottrell's aim is for students to personalise and contextualise strategies, rather than taking advice wholesale. Themes Prominent themes in The Study Skills Handbook include: Critical thinking Active, participatory learning Self-evaluation Personal reflection Personalised learning The importance of knowing how learning, intelligence and memory work Self-management and personal effectiveness Identifying your learning style Applying personal skills to academia and vice versa Shaping your degree for personal development and future employability The book featured activities and self-evaluations as well as cartoons intended to appeal to visual learners. Customised editions of The Study Skills Handbook have been published for Queen's University Belfast, The University of East London, Middlesex University and Coventry University. Subsequent development The Study Skills Handbook was developed out of Stella Cottrell's experience of working with students. Subsequent editions have been developed using feedback from students and lecturers who have used the book. The current, fifth,