Show all Citation Style Disciplinary and program specific Planning & Organizing Research Strategies Sentence-level and paragraph concerns
It’s vs. Its The difference between “its” and “it’s” can be confusing because they are said exactly the same way…
Guidelines for clarity and concision Many people believe academic writing is confusing and dense, that it suffers from a lack…
Dialogue punctuation With dialogue, specific punctuation is needed. Most often, commas and periods go within the quotation marks, but there…
Contractions While contractions are used in everyday speech, there are certain situations where you can use them effectively and other…
Comma usage Comma usage is a skill and an art. Before a coordinating conjunction (and, or/nor, but, so, for, yet)…
Cohesion: The known-new contract When we say writing is cohesive, we mean that relationships between ideas are easy for a…
Clauses & sentences Sentences can be multiple clauses or just one, depending on the type. Dependent clauses A dependent clause…
Capitalization guide Sometimes it can be hard to tell when to capitalize words. As this guide shows, the difference between…
British vs. American English There are many differences between British and American punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Neither version is more…
Brief guidelines for article usage: a, an, the In English, articles (a, an, the) are like adjectives. They come before…
Basic sentence pattern in English In English, our sentences usually operate using a similar pattern: subject, verb, then object. The…
Adjectives vs. adverbs (“beautiful” vs. “beautifully”) Adjective An adjective modifies only words that are nouns. It can come before the…
Contributor: Logan Miller With the Internet’s ever-expanding repository of information, appraising potential sources has become an increasingly important skill. Evaluating…
Contributor: Tony DeFilippo When searching online databases, you often get too many or too few results. Identifying keywords or phrases…
A discussion board is a “space” where students can further delve into classroom content. It can promote collaboration, and offer…
“Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” – Stephen King Descriptive writing is a powerful…
An annotated bibliography, in its purest form, is simply a list of sources and a description of each source…
These strategies can apply no matter why you’re working remotely—whether your class is partly or fully online, you have to…
Contributed by: Kaitie Christensen and Nathan Lachner Working backwards to reach your goal An essay should express continued thought…
Revision implies a “re-seeing” of your text, not just a quick clean up. To effectively revise, or re-see, writers should focus…
Contributor: Aaron Smale During the revision process, it is often necessary to check for understanding within your paper to ensure…
Contributor: Sierra Becze Prewriting can be a useful way to organize thoughts, ideas, and questions to prepare for a writing…
When writing an essay, it’s important to think about which aspects you would like to include in your paper. For…
Outlining helps to organize thoughts and create a sense of refined structure to written texts. By following these simple steps…
Contributor: Aly Sicat Pre-lab When you’re trying to figure out ideas for your core classes, but your brain seems…
Contributors: Derrian Goebel Narrowing a research topic is moving from a general topic, like global warming, to a tighter research…
Contributed by: Cameo Flores Why multimodality is useful With increasingly different types of communication used today, we must meet the…
Contributed by: Cameo Flores Types of learners Multimodalism is primarily used for genre awareness studies and for flexible teaching methods. Knowing what types…
When asked to write a synthesis essay, many students question the word “synthesis.” What does it mean to synthesize? Well…
There are plenty of reasons why instructors encourage peer review, but here are a few that are relevant to you…
When considering your argument or the arguments of others, writers and readers need to be aware of logical fallacies. Logical…
The book ends of a paper, the introduction and conclusion should be powerful and effectively written. Introductions Most importantly, introductions…
When writing a college-level paper, you will often be required to reference sources in order to support the main point/purpose…
For research papers, literature reviews, or longer essays, a concept matrix can be an effective resource in organizing research. A…
HOC and LOC in revising Higher order concerns Higher Order Concerns (HOC) should be the priority during revision because they…
You’ve survived your first week of college classes and have been inundated with what seems like a million different rules…
Editing begins while you are still working on your first draft. It has to do more with revising the logistics of…
Exploratory papers are NOT argument papers. An exploratory assignment is usually given so that students find ways to branch out…
Generally, most introductions in academic writing aim to invite readers into a discussion by presenting the necessary context. Additionally, introductions…
Contributor: Aaron Smale When drafting an effective research paper, how the paper ends is often just as important as how…
An argument paper is one in which the author takes a specific stance on a topic and attempts to sway…
Modern American Five Part Essay As a teaching tool, these arguments are often about students learning to support claims with…
A thesis must always demonstrate an argument. If you are not trying to prove something and persuade your audience to…
A counterargument involves acknowledging standpoints that go against your argument and then re-affirming your argument. This is typically done by…
Some courses will ask you to post in an online discussion board, and discussion boards are the primary way many…
Usually when it comes to writing, mathematics and statistics probably aren’t the first things that come to mind. However, quite…
Contributors: UWC Staff Meeting the audience When making a demand, what is the first thing that you consider? The best…
Students are often asked to write arguments beginning in their English classes, but don’t realize that argumentation strategies can be…
Reading, like writing, is an active process. Reading involves three major phases: previewing, reading, and reviewing. Participating in all three…
Contributors: UWC Staff Note taking while reading Key ideas: Good note taking skills start before the class begins. It is…
The research essay can be scary when you are struggling to find resources. Many are frustrated by the search for…
A research paper IS/DOES: Require many reliable sources to back up your thesis/claim. Take up a position and support it…
There comes a time in every author’s life when he must decide whether a source is worthy enough to be…
Writing assignments at the university level often require an academic voice. There are certain aspects of academic voice that are…
If you’re in college, chances are you have written a rhetorical analysis of a piece of writing before. Analyzing the…
Social work papers should Address all parts of the prompt. Be concise and clear. Formatting Writing in APA 12 pt…
Psychology papers should Address all parts of the prompt. Use research and empirical evidence to support all points. Be concise…
Accountants spend one third of their time writing, according to a survey conducted by Nellermoe, Weirich, and Reinstein (1999, as…
Understanding assignments If you receive an assignment and are unsure of expectations, criteria, etc., a writing consultant can help you…
Consultant contributor: Viviane Ugalde Using an interview can be an effective primary source for some papers and research projects. Finding…
Contributor: Aaron Smale For many college papers, a prompt will ask questions related to readings and class discussion, asking you…
Adapted from Corrigan (1998) Sometimes it is difficult to know how to best approach writing about television, film or web…
Passive and active voice Passive and active voice simply refer to the relationship of the subject to the verb. In…
Formality This includes not writing in the first person and avoiding emotionally charged language. This contributes to your credibility as…
By Bailey M. Gamberg What is a resume? A resume is a personal document highlighting someone’s qualifications for a job…
Quote integration is arguably one of the most difficult parts of essay writing; however, it does not need to be…
Contributor: UWSC Staff Ever read a restaurant review or movie review? These types of reviews are evaluations of businesses…
Contributor: Aaron Smale In creative writing, how involved the reader feels with a story can strengthen the clarity, pacing, suspense…
A literature review synthesizes and analyzes previous research in a field to inform an audience and establish background knowledge. Literature…
According to the Royal Literary Fund, a literature review has four main objectives: Survey the research in a given field…
Adapted by Rendle Williams from the Unified Style Sheet for Linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language, so linguistics papers…
When it comes to essays for Core Humanities, even the most literature-inclined students may struggle to write one of the…
Your cover letter should accomplish the following: Clearly route your cover letter and resume to the right person for the…
Statement of purpose The focus of a statement of purpose is typically what you have accomplished academically in the past…
MUS 121 typically uses concert reviews as a primary medium of writing. Concert reviews are structured as follows. Introduction Introduce…
A business report is a collection of data and analyses that helps make relevant information easily accessible to a company…
A business report is a collection of data and analyses that helps make relevant information easily accessible to a company…
Written by: Chloe Collier One’s tense will vary depending on what one is trying to convey within their paper or…
What is a primary source? Primary sources are direct, first-hand accounts that describe a particular time period or event. Examples…
The HESI A2 examination stands for Heath Education Systems Incorporated Admissions Assessment and acts as a way to test a…
The HESI A2 examination stands for Heath Education Systems Incorporated Admissions Assessment and acts as a way to test a…
When you’re an undergraduate, writing at the graduate level may seem intimidating. Maybe your upper-level course professors say they expect…
Your personal statement is an opportunity for an admissions or review committee to get to know you, the “you” that…
The education application essay is part of the application process for acceptance into the teacher preparation program at the College…
Contributor: Logan Miller A summary table allows you to compare common research methods, findings, limitations, etc. You can order the…
What is a diversity statement? Diversity statements are becoming common as part of graduate school applications and even for some…
Creative writing is unique for a few reasons. This guide addresses things unique to writing fiction. Character There are multiple…
Creating a resource for students can be somewhat intimidating, whether you have been on staff for one semester or five…
When analyzing a song there are words that, if understood, can help with development of listening charts. The listening charts…
Contributed By: Nina Machin What is a literature review? A literature review is a comprehensive study and interpretation of the…
What part of the process are you on? I’m just starting Things to do Research Read about each program and…
Biology 192 focuses on writing in the sciences, and creating approachable, readable lab reports, so it’s important to learn some…
The ability to write a clear, concise laboratory report is an important skill that must be learned to succeed in…
By Logan Miller Often, we’re tasked with citing common sources that are nevertheless receive no mention in our chosen style…
Writing as a science student can seem like the most arduous and boring task on the planet. Whether you don’t…
If you ever write any sort of research paper, you are likely to need an abstract. But what is an…
Most sources you come across for will follow the basic structure for an MLA citation. Even sources you might think…
Note: Always confirm with your instructor about special instructions or exceptions. General guidelines Margins should be set to 1 inch…
The punctuation for integrating academic quotes is a little different than dialogue punctuation. When a quotation ends a sentence and…
Core Elements of MLA Citations Writing a citation in any style can feel daunting at first, but the MLA 9th…
All second-line indentations are one-half of an inch. This is known as a hanging indent. APA: American Psychological Association—References Gladwell…
Although Chicago style can appear intimidating, it’s nothing more than a comprehensive guide for writing within the humanities and liberal…
Formatting in different styles can impact how a paper is received. What is CSE? CSE stands for the Council of…
Headings Heading level Style Level 1 Centered, Bolded, Capitalized like a book title Text begins as a new paragraph…
There are two types of in-text citations in APA format: parenthetical and narrative. Parenthetical citations include the author(s) and the…
In APA format there are five levels of headings that create degrees of importance in relation to each other…
References in American Medical Association (AMA) are quite similar to those in APA in terms of their structure. This style…
Note: Many of the guidelines concerning document formatting, especially of the title page and subheadings, that have been provided in this…
Something often overlooked when learning to write in American Medical Association (AMA) style is that AMA requires the use of…
Contributed By: Najwa Jabir This ACS Format pertains to formal reports for organic chemistry research publications, Chemistry 347, and Chemistry…
Back to resource page Accurately citing to avoid plagiarism Just what is plagiarism? Plagiarism, put simply, is taking credit for…