We are continually expanding and updating our online resources. Print resources (handouts and books) are available in the Writing Center office located on the first floor across from Registration.
Dictionaries and Thesauri
- Dictionary.com
- Thesaurus.com
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus Online
- Oxford English Dictionary Online
Guides for Specific Assignments
- Writing a Case Study Analysis – Made available by Cengage Learning, this guide offers a general framework and tips for writing case analyses.
- Writing a Literature Review – Wesleyan University Libraries’ comprehensive guide to understanding what a literature review is, what it does, and how to write one.
- Writing a Response Essay - This resource, provided by St. Cloud State University, offers strategies for completing the response essay, a short paper that is assigned early and often in college courses.
- Writing a Research Paper - Longer and more involved than the response paper, the research paper is usually due at the end of a course (though we don't recommend you wait until then to begin writing it!) This resource from SUNY ESC details the stages in the process of writing the research paper.
Avoiding Plagiarism/Using Source Material
- PSU Libraries: Avoiding Plagiarism – This short tutorial defines plagiarism and demonstrates correct and incorrect use of paraphrasing and direct quotes.
- How to Paraphrase a Source – General advice and methods for paraphrasing made available by the Writing Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- Using and Framing Direct Quotations – This source, made available by the Undergraduate Writing Center at the University of Austin, discusses when to use and how to frame direct quotations. It also includes techniques for modifying quoted material.
- How to Cite a Direct Quotation Using APA – Guidelines and examples from the APA Style blog.
Practical Writing Tips
- Temple University Writing Center Handouts – These concise handouts cover a range of issues commonly faced by college writers including:
- How to structure a problem in academic writing
- How to write an effective thesis statement
- How to achieve ‘flow’ in your paper
- How to check for common grammar mistakes and much more. Several of these handouts have been printed and are available in the Penn State Great Valley Writing Center.
- DailyWritingTips.com – A professional editor shares a new writing tip daily. Posts are searchable by category.
- Grammar Girl – Popular site explaining the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of English grammar
- Time4Writing.com Grammar and Mechanics Tutorials – Created for elementary and high school students, these easy to follow PowerPoint tutorials are excellent refresher courses in basic English grammar and usage. We recommend:
- The Parts of Speech
- Subject-Verb Agreement
- Punctuation
- The Writer’s Diet – Plug your prose into this assessment tool to discover if your writing is flabby or fit.
- Beware the Zombie Noun – A fun (and funny) video animation on the perils of overloading your prose with abstract nouns.
Style Guides
- PSU Libraries APA Quick Citation Guide – A brief, useful overview of American Psychological Association (APA) documentation style. APA style is used by researchers in the social sciences, behavioral sciences, education, and business.
- Purdue OWL APA Formatting and Style Guide – Prepared by Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL), this guide demonstrates how to format a paper and document sources in APA style. It includes an easy-to-use navigation menu.
- PSU Libraries MLA Quick Citation Guide – A handy guide to Modern Language Association (MLA) style.& MLA shares much in common with Chicago, as both are used in the humanities. Since most English departments use MLA, it is usually the first style introduced to undergraduate students.
- Purdue OWL MLA Formatting and Style Guide - Prepared by Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL), this guide demonstrates how to format a paper and document sources in MLA style. It includes an easy-to-use navigation menu.
- PSU Libraries CSE Quick Citation Guide – A succinct survey of Council of Science Editors (CSE) citation style. CSE style (formerly CBE) is used by researchers in the natural and applied sciences.