These are online versions of pamphlets we have available in the Center for Teaching and Learning. They offer answers to frequently asked questions about writing and address common student writing problems.
Tackling the Research Paper by Dan Shaw
When writing a research paper, many students don't know where to begin. This section features a slide presentation that guides you through the process of writing a research paper.
Editing the Needless Word
Often writing is hampered by the use of excessive words. Remove them to make your papers more readable and interesting.
What is Plagiarism?
Most student plagiarism (the act of claiming another writer's ideas or words as one's own) is unintentional. Learn how to avoid this dangerous pitfall through proper techniques for using evidence from sources.
Punctuating the End of Quotations
This is one of those punctuation areas in which our friends, the British, throw us off. Learn how an American punctuates clauses and sentences ending with a final quotation mark.
The Semicolon
Oh, the misunderstood semicolon. How often it is mistreated, abused, distorted, mistaken for a comma or a period or colon. Help save the semicolon! Read this document.
Nominalizations
Nominawhat? Learn how you can dramatically improve your writing by changing these clumsy nouns into strong verbs.
Some thoughts on Style
Style is where we really enter into the joy of writing. Learn how to make paragraphs flow, sentences sing, words vibrate off the page. Step right in to a new world of writing!
Ellipses...
Having problems whittling down that unwieldy quotation? Look here to find out how.