Online Writing Resources
We have compiled the following resources to support all students in their writing.
Interested in one-on-one writing assistance? Peer writing consultants are available for undergraduate and graduate students, and can work with students at every stage of the writing process. Click here for a guide to scheduling an appointment in TutorTrac.
Academic writing
Quick reads:
- Common Syntax Errors You Should Avoid
- Characteristics of Academic Style in Writing
- Formal and Informal Language
- How to Write Clear, Concise, and Direct Sentences
- “They Say, I Say” Templates: Writing Moves
- Words That Should Not Be Used in an Academic Paper
Longer guides:
- The Right Way to Write: An Academic Writing Guide for Students
- Grammar for Academic Writing
- Your Profs Will Thank You If You Avoid These 10 Writing Mistakes
Citation
- APA Citation: The Basics (PowerPoint file will download)
- How to Create a Reference Page and Citations in MS Word
- The Purdue OWL: Citation Chart
- The Quote Sandwich: How to Quote in an Academic Paper
Cohesion and flow
Quick reads:
- Achieving Flow in Academic Writing
- Cohesion in Writing
- Does My Writing Flow?
- Revising for Style – Cohesion and Coherence
- Transitional Words and Phrases
- Transitions and Coherence
- Using Transitional Expressions
Longer guides:
- Achieving Coherence in Academic Writing
- Cohesive Devices for Writing a Composition
- Creating Good Transitions (PowerPoint file will download)
- Explicit/Implicit Relationships Within and Between Sentences
- Understanding Coherence and Cohesion
Conducting research
Quick reads:
- Getting Your Research Started: Choosing a Topic
- Research Questions: Identifying What You Know and Don’t Know
- Creating a Search Statement
Longer guides:
Digital literacy
Quick reads:
Longer guides:
- Challenging the Credibility of Online Information
- Evaluating Web Content (PowerPoint file will download)
- The “CARS” Approach to Website Evaluation
Grammar
Conditionals:
Coordination and Subordination:
Modifiers:
Nouns:
Parallelism:
Sentence Fragments and Run-ons:
- Avoiding Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices
- Fragments, Run-ons, and Comma Splices
- Run-ons and Comma Splices
Tenses and Agreement:
- Avoiding Shifts in Tense, Person, and Voice (PowerPoint will download, must right-click on link and select “Open in new window”)
- Present Perfect in Academic Writing
- Present Perfect: “just,” “yet,” “still,” and “already”
- Present Tense vs. Progressive Tense
- Sentence Agreement: Indefinite Pronouns
- Tense Shift
- The 20 Rules of Subject Verb Agreement
- The Rules for Subject Verb Agreement: Simply Explained
- The Subjunctive in Noun Clauses
- When Should We Use the Present Perfect Simple Tense?
Verbs:
Hedging
Paraphrasing
- A Guide to Paraphrasing
- How to Paraphrase or Quote Sources Correctly
- Paraphrasing Graphic Organizer (Word doc will download)
- Paraphrasing Worksheet
- Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting
- The Paraphrasing Checklist
Parts of an Essay
Quick reads:
- Developing Body Paragraphs
- Guidelines for Writing a Summary with APA In-Text Citations
- Write a Three-Prong Thesis Statement
- Paragraph Structure and Clarity
- Thesis Statement vs. Topic Sentence
Longer guides:
- Index of Writing Templates
- Paragraphs and Topic Sentences
- Strong Body Paragraphs
- Writing a Conclusion
Punctuation
Quick reads:
- Brackets, Dashes, and Hyphens
- Colons and Semicolons
- Eight Basic Comma Rules
- How to Correctly Punctuate Bulleted Points
- Parentheses and Dashes
- Quotation Marks
- Reported Speech
- Semicolons
Longer guides:
Reading
Quick reads:
- Critical Reading vs. Critical Thinking
- How to Read an Academic Paper
- Reading Comprehension Strategies
- Reading to Write
- Six Reading Myths
- Skimming and Scanning: The Basics
Longer guides:
- Critically Reading Journal Articles (PDF file will download)
- Reading Strategies
- Thinking About How You Read
Rhetorical
- Logos, Ethos, Pathos, and Kairos – What the heck?
- Rhetorical Analysis Thesis Statements
- Rhetorical Analysis
- Tweak Your Speech: Rhetoric and Star Trek
Writing Genres
Analytical Essays:
Case Studies:
Compare and Contrast Essay:
Critical Analysis:
Literature Reviews:
Problem-Solution Essays:
Research Papers:
Research Proposals
- Steps to Follow in Writing a Research Proposal
- Research Proposal Example 1
- Research Proposal Example 2
Response Papers:
Rhetorical Analysis Essays:
- How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay
- Rhetorical Analysis Sample Essay
- Sample Rhetorical Analysis
- Writing a Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Summaries:
- Descriptive vs. Informative Summary
- Guidelines for Writing a Summary with In-Text Citations
- How to Write a Summary Response Essay
- How to Write a Summary of an Article
- Summarizing a Scholarly Journal Article
Writing Process
Quick reads:
- Proofreading, Revising, and Editing: What’s the Difference?
- The Basic Outline of a Paper
- The Writing Process: The Five Qualities of Good Writing
Longer guides:
