Requesting a Reference
During your studies, you may ask for a reference from your Department. This reference request could be for an application for further study, job opportunity or a voluntary position.
Students are encouraged to read this guidance carefully before requesting a reference.
References in this Department are written by the Learning and Teaching Team and your Academic Tutor/Dissertation Supervisor collaboratively.
To request a reference, we ask students to contact either their Academic Tutor/Dissertation supervisor directly via email.
When requesting a reference, you will need to provide the following information in the email:
Your name
Your student registration number
The programme you are studying/studied
Positions you are applying for/ post-graduate degree you are applying for (we are happy for students to cite up to five various institutes that we can expect to hear from)
Date you need this reference by
Where do you need us to send this reference/ whether the institution will send a portal link directly to us.
On receiving your request, a letter will be provided containing the following information:
- Intro headings (student’s name, DoB, programme name, start and completion dates)
- First paragraph (length of the programme, programme name, specify it is taught in English, and a short line about the skills the programme delivers. For Digital Media and Society students, we will also mention the themed route you have chosen to take as part of your degree programme)
- Second paragraph (Degree classification and any achievements, for e.g. a dissertation prize, extra-curricular activities)
- Third Paragraph (a personal statement from either your Academic Tutor/Dissertation Supervisor; this will be a final recommendation about your suitability for the position you are applying for.
- Signature and date
In your email, please specify whether you require a second reference. The second reference will be written solely by the Learning an Teaching team and will differ from the first reference due to a comment about your attendance record attained throughout your degree. When you submit your application to an admissions page, our details can be entered as:
The Learning and Teaching Team
Department of Sociological Studies
E-mail: sociological.studies@sheffield.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)114 222 6403
We aim to provide the reference within 15 working days. This is dependent on the complexity and number of requests we receive. Please make sure you allow enough time for a response when making requests.
In many cases, references will be provided directly to the organisation requesting them (e.g. by email attachment or online completion). If a reference is provided to you directly to pass on to the relevant organisation then, under no circumstances, should you modify the reference in any way. To do so is classed as an act of serious misconduct by the University and will result in disciplinary action.
If you need a copy of how you are progressing in your studies, you can request a Summary of Results, from the Student Services Information Desk (SSiD), which will show any confirmed and uploaded marks recorded on central records ahead of the release of a formal Transcript at the end of your studies. AFTER your official results have been released, you can access your final transcript through Gradintelligence (please wait until you have received instructions to use Gradintelligence).