Writing Guides
Writing Resources by Topic
Academic Essays
- Essays
- The Writing Process
- Prewriting Strategies
- Abstract
- Research Papers
- Revising Content
- Revising Organization
- Editing and Proofreading
Thesis Statements
Related Links
- Writing Classification/Division Essays »
Mt. San Antonio College - Writing Tips: Essay Builder »
actden (Digital Education Network) - Writing a Basic Essay »
Kathy Livingston - Rhetoric and Composition »
- Argumentative Essays »
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Avoiding Plagiarism
Related Links
- Plagiarism Resource Site »
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Resource Site - How to Recognize Plagiarism »
Indiana University Bloomington
Citing/Documenting Your Sources
- Why are There Different Citation Styles?
- Quick Guide: Citation Chart
- Incorporating References
- Annotated Bibliographies
MLA (Modern Language Association)
APA (American Psychological Association)
- APA Format References Page
- Using APA Format »
- APA Style Blog: help online »
- APA Style: It's the Little Things... »
- Citing a website in APA
- Citing a website with missing elements in APA
- APA Overview Power Point (ppt)
Chicago/Turabian Style
Other Citation Styles
- AAA Citation Style »
AAA - American Anthropological Association - ACS Citation Style »
ACS - American Chemical Society - AIP Citation Style »
AIP - American Institute of Physics - AMA Citation Style »
AMA - American Medical Association - APS Citation Style »
APS - American Physical Society - APSA Citation Style »
APSA - American Political Science Association - ASA Citation Style »
ASA - American Sociological Association - CSE Citation Style »
CSE - Council of Science Editors - CBE Citation Style »
CSE - Council of Biology Editors - CBE Citation Style »
CSE - Council of Biology Editors - I-EEE Citation Style Manual »
I-EEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - I-EEE Complete Citation Style Guide »
I-EEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - LSA Style »
Linguistic Society of America - Medicine (Vancouver) Citation Style »
Vancouver Style
Helpful Guides
- Ultimate Guide to Citation Style »
Buisness Training Schools - List of Style Manuals »
Bedford St.Martins
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Study Strategies
Related Links
- The Annotated Bibliography »
Cornell University - How to Read a Primary Source »
Bowdoin College - Taking Notes from Lectures »
University of Minnesota, Duluth - The Learning Toolbox: Notetaking »
James Madison University Special Education Program - Dictionary and Reverse Dictionary »
Could be used as a Dictionary or to help with finding a word you are looking for.
Dissertations
KU Writing Center Resources
Related Links
- How To Write A Dissertation »
Purdue University - Thoughts on Dissertation Proposal Writing »
- The Holy Grail: In Pursuit of the Dissertation Proposal
- Sample Dissertation Proposals »
- Demystifying the Dissertation Proposal »
- Writing Your Dissertation »
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Dissertation Calculator »
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities - Writing A Thesis or Dissertation
Yale - Choosing a dissertation topic »
Academic Coaching & Writing - Dissertation Research Blog from the Regents Center Library at KU Edwards »
- The Thesis Whisperer (with tips for students working on theses or dissertations) »
ESL Learners
Suggested Resources
Oxford University Press
Oxford Advanced Learners' Dictionary »
Oxford's Learner's Dictionary allows you to type any word and learn about its definition, the different parts of speech in which it can be used, and how it is commonly used in speech and writing. It also shows idioms, and includes a list of synonyms.
Dave's ESL Cafe
Dave's ESL Cafe for Students and Teachers »
Dave's ESL Cafe has a variety of resources both for ESL learners and teachers. There are links to grammar help and practice quizzes, language instruction jobs, places to upload a resume, teacher and student forums, a bookstore, and even podcasts.
Purdue University OWL
Writing for an American Academic Audience »
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Transitions for ESL »
Suzy McAnsh & Ken Pennington, Finnish Virtual University
Learn English effectively »
How to Learn English Effectively is a website that offers advice and encouragement as well as methods for mastering English through everything from dictionaries to pronunciation. The site includes links to discussion forums and articles and resources. Language learners can also read Tom's Blog, which answers questions about English language learning and other languages.
Academic Writing in English
Academic Writing in English »
Academic Writing in English covers various aspects of paper writing including cohesion, grammar, punctuation, and style. Each link includes links to other elements of paper writing such as topic sentences or contrastive connectors. The site opens up with a discussion of the definition of academic writing.
Grammar and Usage
Suggested Resources
Edufind
Grammar by Topics »
This guide will help you answer grammar questions you have. It is well ogranized by topics for easier search.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Writing Techniques Handbook »
This handbook offers guidance for comma use, thesis statements, resumes, abstracts, and more.
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Writer's Handbook »
The Writer's Handbook helps in getting started with assignments like research papers, reviews, and literary analysis papers. There is also information about writing style, citations, grammar, and punctuation.
Rutgers University
Resources for Writers and Writing Instructors »
This page provides a list of websites and other resources for writers, most resources are annotated.
Interactive Grammar Review
Grammar Bytes! »
Grammar Bytes offers definitions of grammar terms, practice exercises, presentations, and quick grammar tips. This site is helpful for teachers and students.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Grammar Handbook »
This Handbook explains basic grammatical rules on parts of speech, clauses, sentences, and other common usage questions.
Capital Community College
Guide to Grammar & Writing »
This Guide answers common writing questions at many stages of writing. There are essay examples to complement discussions on thesis statements, tone, and conclusions.
Oxford Online Punctuation Guide
Guide to Grammar & Writing »
This Guide will help you with punctuation rules.
Literature Reviews
Related Links
The Writing Process
KU Writing Center Resources
- The Writing Process
- Prewriting Strategies
- Outlines
- Essays
- Revising Content
- Revising Organization
- Editing and Proofreading
- Paraphrase and Summary
Related Links
University of North Carolina
"Reverse Outline" »
This video demonstrates how to do a reverse outline.
George Mason University
Writing Resources »
George Mason University
Editing and Proofreading Checklist »
Michigan State University
Transition Words »
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Twelve Common Errors to Watch Out For »
This list includes brief examples and explanations for common editing problems.
University of Wisconsin–Madison
How to Proof Read »
This resource provides a list of proofreading tips.
Theses
KU Writing Center Resources
Related Links
Personal and Professional Writing
Academic Job Search Materials
Applications for both tenure-track and non-tenure-track academic jobs call for certain materials, such as cover letters, teaching statements, writing statements, and writing samples. Find resources, advice, and explanations related to these genres below.
KU Writing Center Resources
Suggested Resources
Purdue University Owl
Academic Cover Letters »
This page outlines the academic cover letter.
Columbia University
Academic Cover Letters »
Specific guidelines and a generic template for the academic cover letter.
The Professor Is In Blog
Academic Cover Letters »
A former tenured professors gives advice to academic job applicants
The Professor Is In Blog
Research Statement »
A former tenured professor gives advice to academic job applicants.
The Professor Is In Blog
Teaching Statement »
A former tenured professor gives advice to academic job applicants.
The Professor Is In Blog
Teaching Statement »
A former tenured professor gives advice on how best to organize and structure the teaching statement.
University of Michigan
Teaching Statement »
In-depth advice, guidelines, FAQs, and a rubric for evaluating teaching statements.
The Professor Is In Blog
Postdoc Applications »
A former tenured professor gives advice on how to create application materials for a postdoc position.
Chronicle of Higher Education
Writing Sample »
Advice on how to choose and edit the writing sample as well as the Teaching Statement.
Conference Presentations
Suggested Resources
Colin Purrington
Designing conference posters »
This is a great guide on how to design your poster and make it stand out.
Claremont Graduate University
Presenting Conference Papers »
This page outlines some concerns specific to students presenting papers in the Humanities.
DoctorZen.net
This site contains links and blog posts about creating better academic posters.
Funding Applications
Grant writing is a useful skill for students, staff, and faculty, as well as for anyone working at a non-profit organization. Grants are similar to contracts and exist between a funding organization or institution and a group or individual. Often grants are specific sources of money awarded for particular activities. Fellowships provide funding to individuals for a variety of reasons, such as travel or dissertation completion and research proposals allow scholars to explore a particular hypothesis. Funding proposals of all types necessitate creating concise project summaries and tailoring all application materials to the funder. Please click on the type of funding opportunity below to learn more.
Suggested Resources
Research Proposals
Research proposals are common in academia and normally present a research question or hypothesis that, if investigated, will add to the body of knowledge in a certain field. Though the outcome might be unclear at the beginning of the research, the main goal of such a project is to disseminate the knowledge gained. These proposals tend to involve a more specialized, scholarly writing style and be longer than problem grant applications. They often include an in-depth literature review and showcase the principal investigator’s credibility. Anyone submitting research proposals should find grant information targeted to this particular type of funding as the expectations and documents required can differ greatly from a more “typical” grant.
Research Proposals and Problem Grants (Writing Center PPT)
Bibliography and Resources (Writing Center Word pdf)
The Professor is in blog: research proposal template
The Professor is in blog: how to state the larger issue and begin your research proposal
The Professor is in blog: how to explain your research topic’s significance
Social Science Research Council: overview of research proposal writing
Chronicle of Higher Education: list of what not to do, especially useful for the sciences
Problem Grants
Problem grants are extremely common in the non-profit world and normally include a problem statement outlining a community issue or need. The main goal of such projects is improvement in the lives of a specific group of people. Problem grant applications must anticipate any possible problems up front and demonstrate the likelihood of much more immediate results than in a research proposal. Such applications should also address sustainability of the program after funding has expired. Problem grant documents often involve an explanation of the background, history, and mission of the organization asking for funding. These types of funding applications are quite prevalent and are what most people refer to when they talk about “grants.”
Grant Writing Basics: Advice for Beginners (Writing Center pdf doc)
Research Proposals and Problem Grants (Writing Center PPT)
Bibliography and Resources (Writing Center pdf doc)
Foundation Center: standard, complete overview of the grant process, offering multiple resources
Chronicle of Higher Education: how to write the 5 sections of a problem grant
Chronicle of Higher Education: myths and tips for grant writing in academia
Hall Center: multiple links covering the entire grant process
Fellowships
Fellowships are frequently found in academia and normally provide funding to an individual: to conduct a research project, to complete a degree, to travel, etc. Fellowships can be offered on the departmental, university, state, national, or international level. Requirements, eligibility, and documentation can differ widely but must always be tailored to the granting organization’s mission and focus. Often a personal statement, explaining the fellowship applicant’s background and qualifications, and a project proposal are necessary. Fellowships can be an excellent way for students to fund some or all of their education. If unsure where to begin, students should check with their advisor, department, or school to locate the most appropriate support services and funding opportunities. In addition, potential applicants should pay attention to fellowship and funding information in journals and newsletters in their field of study.
KU Hall Center: funding opportunities for graduate students
Foundation Center: fee-based database for grants to individuals
On-Campus Resources
Graduate Writing Program: graduate-level course in grant writing
Office of Research: databases and bulletins detailing funding opportunities
Resumes & CVs
Suggested Resources
University of Kansas Career Center
Resumes and Cover Letters
Comprehensive resources and examples for professional resume and cover letter writing.
Purdue University OWL
Workplace Writing »
This guide provides links to resources for workplace writers and people writing during the job search process.
Dartmouth Graduate Studies
Writing Your Curriculum Vitae »
This page outlines everything you need for your CV.
University of South Florida
This page gives advice on alternative academic careers and transforming CVs into resumes.
Scholarship & Admissions Essays
Suggested Resources
University of Michigan
Sample Scholarship Essays
This page has examples of winning personal essays.
University of Kansas
Writing Scholarship Application Essays
This handout provides a sample outline for a scholarship essay.
Colgate University
Personal Essays for Grad School »
This page gives a list of questions for brainstorming and editing your first draft of personal statements.
Purdue University
The Personal Statement »
This page suggests questions for the pre-writing process to help you start writing a personal statement.
Writing in Your Courses
Related Links
- Business Writing Revision »
Purdue University OWL - Scientific Reports »
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - How to Write a Project Proposal »
This guide offers a detailed outline for a project proposal, as well as explanations for each step in the process.
- Tips for Writing History Papers »
Boston College - Reading, Writing, and Researching for History »
Bowdoin College - Writing the History Paper »
Dartmouth Writing Program - Writing a good history paper »
Hamilton College - Writing a history paper »
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Sciences »
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students »
Virginia Tech - Writing Technical Articles »
Colombia University - Scientific Posters »
Eastern Kentucky University - Creating Effective Poster Presentations »
North Carolina State University - History: Writing about History »
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill - History Writing Guide »
Boston University - Scientific Reports »
University of Wisconsin, Madison - Psychology with Style »
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point - KU Medical Center »
KUMC
