Frequently Asked Purdue OWL Questions (FAQs)
Welcome to the Purdue OWL
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Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.
Please contact the Purdue OWL Director if you would like to add a question to the FAQs or if you have a question that is not answered on this page.
What if I can't find something I need? How do I search the OWL?
To search the Purdue OWL, you may also go to the OWL homepage and use the search box at the top right of the page. Lastly, you may visit our Site Map.
Where are the Purdue OWL writing resources?
The Purdue OWL writing resources are located in the online part of the Purdue OWL. To locate specific resources, use the search box or select the links in the major resource areas at the top of Purdue OWL pages or the navigation bar on the left. You may also visit our Site Map.
How can I inform my students about the services that the writing lab has to offer?
As long as you follow our fair use policy, you may provide links to the Purdue OWL in your course website and/or syllabus. Please note that the Purdue OWL is only open to Purdue University students, faculty, and staff.
How can I inform my students about the Purdue OWL?
As long as you follow our fair use policy, you may provide links to the Purdue OWL in your course website and/or syllabus. Please note that the Purdue OWL is a free writing resource for educational purposes. It does not offer one-to-one tutorials or classes.
Where is information on the Writing Lab at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA?
Purdue OWL information is located in the "on-campus" area of the Purdue OWL.
Can I use Purdue OWL resources?
As long as you follow our Fair Use Policy, you are free to use Purdue OWL resources. Read our Fair Use Policy.
How do I print OWL resources?
- Scroll to the bottom of the Purdue OWL page
- Select Full Resource for Printing
- Print from your Internet browser
How do I save Purdue OWL resources?
The best way to save Purdue OWL resources is to convert them to Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need Adobe Professional or an open-source PDF converter to do this.
- Select the Full Resource for Printing button at the bottom of Purdue OWL resources.
- Select Print from your Internet browser, but rather than printing to a machine, select the Save as a PDF option.
Once you have saved the Purdue OWL resource as a PDF, you may print or save it. You may also cut and paste text from the Purdue OWL into word processing applications, but be sure to follow our Fair Use Policy when you do this.
Do you offer editing/proofing services?
We do not offer editing services, but Purdue students, faculty and staff are welcome to make an appointment in the lab to have a tutor guide them through revision techniques.
Do you offer automatic citation applications?
Our online resources include a widget connected to an outside vendor who provides that service. The citation (MLA, APA, CMS) resources we offer are guidelines; we do not maintain an online application that will automatically generate citations for your work or convert citations from one citation style to another.
Do you offer online tutoring or real-time English or writing instruction?
No. Purdue students, faculty and staff are welcome to make an appointment in the Purdue OWL to have a tutor guide them through revision techniques, but we do not offer instruction in learning English.