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Non-Purdue College Level Instructors and Students
Summary:
This page provides links to resources for non-Purdue college level instructors and students.
For access to all OWL resources, click here. Please click on the links below to access resources for non-Purdue college level instructors and students:
Process
Starting the Writing Process - This resource contains tips for instructors and student on beginning writing.
Prewriting - This section explains the prewriting (invention) stage of the composing process. It includes processes, strategies, and questions to help you begin to write.
Writer's Block / Writer's Anxiety - This resource contains help for overcoming writer's block and a short series of exercises to help students begin writing.
Developing an Outline - This resource describes why outlines are useful, what types of outlines exist, suggestions for developing effective outlines, and how outlines can be used as an invention strategy for writing.
Paragraphs and Paragraphing - The purpose of this resource is to provide some basic instruction and advice regarding the creation of understandable and coherent paragraphs.
Research: Overview - This section provides answers to the following research-related questions: Where do I begin? Where should I look for information? What types of sources are available?
Searching Online - This section covers finding sources for your writing online. It includes information about search engines, Boolean operators, web directories, and the invisible web. It also includes an extensive, annotated links section.
Conducting Primary Research - This section includes information on what primary research is, how to get started, ethics involved with primary research and different types of research you can do. It includes details about interviews, surveys, observations, and analysis.
Evaluating Sources of Information - This section provides information on evaluating bibliographic citations, aspects of evaluation, reading evaluation, print vs. Internet sources, and evaluating internet sources.
Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing - This resource will help you become more comfortable with the uses of and distinctions among quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. This handout compares and contrasts the three terms, gives some pointers, and includes a short excerpt that you can use to practice these skills.
Avoiding Plagiarism - This resource offers advice on how to avoid plagiarism in your work—there are few intellectual offenses more serious than plagiarism in academic and professional contexts.
Transitions and Transitional Devices - This resource discusses transition strategies and specific transitional devices to help students' essays and sentences flow more effectively.
Rhetoric and Logic
Creating a Thesis Statement - This resource provides tips for creating a thesis statement and examples of different types of thesis statements.
Establishing Arguments - This section discusses the thesis statement and explains argument in writing, which includes using research to support a thesis. This resources also discusses Aristotle's logical proof: ethos, pathos, and logos and the logical fallacies.
Logic in Argumentative Writing - This resource covers logic within writing— logical vocabulary, logical fallacies, and other types of logos-based reasoning.
Rhetorical Situation - This presentation is designed for instructors to use with students to introduce a variety of factors that contribute to strong, well-organiz ed writing. This presentation is suitable for the beginning of a composition course or the assignment of a writing project in any class.
Different Kinds of Essay Genres
Writing a Research Paper - This section provides detailed information about how to write research papers including discussing research papers as a genre, choosing topics, and finding sources.
Writing About Fiction - This resource covers major topics relating to writing about fiction. This covers prewriting, close reading, thesis development, drafting, and common pitfalls to avoid.
Writing About Literature - This material provides examples and description about writing papers in literature. It discusses research topics, how to begin to research, how to use information, and formatting.
Writing About Poetry - This section covers the basics of how to write about poetry. Including why it is done, what you should know, and what you can write about.
Writing Definitions - This resource provides suggestions and examples for writing definitions.
Style and Language
Adding Emphasis in Writing - This handout provides information on visual and textual devices for adding emphasis to student writing including textual formatting, punctuation, sentence structure, and the arrangement of words.
Conciseness - This resource explains the concept of concise writing and provides examples of how to ensure clear prose.
Paramedic Method: A Lesson in Writing Concisely - This handout provides steps and exercises to eliminate wordiness at the sentence level.
Sentence Variety - This resource presents methods for adding sentence variety and complexity to writing that may sound repetitive or boring. Sections are divided into general tips for varying structure, a discussion of sentence types, and specific parts of speech which can aid in sentence variety.
Using Appropriate Language - This section covers some of the major issues with appropriate language use: levels of language formality, deceitful language and Euphemisms, slang and idiomatic expressions; using group-specific jargon; and biased/stereotypical language.
Punctuation - This resource will help clarify when and how to use various marks of punctuation. When speaking, we can pause or change the tone of our voices to indicate emphasis. When writing, we must use punctuation to indicate these places of emphasis.
Proofreading Your Writing - This section provides information on proofreading, finding and fixing common errors.
Commas - This resource offers a number of pages about comma use.
Citation
Annotated Bibliography - This resource provides information about annotated bibliographies.
MLA Formatting and Style Guide - This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (2nd ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page. MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities.
MLA Overview and Workshop - This workshop will introduce you to the Modern Language Association (MLA) Style for writing and formatting research papers.
APA Formatting and Style Guide - This resource, revised according to the 5th edition of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page. APA (American Psychological Association) is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences.
APA Overview and Workshop - This workshop provides an overview of APA (American Psychological Association) style and where to find help with different APA resources. It provides an annotated list of links to all of our APA materials and an APA overview.
Formatting in ASA - This handout covers American Sociological Association (ASA) style and includes information about manuscript formatting, in-text citations, and formatting the references page. The bibliographical format described here is taken from the American Sociological Review.
Writing and Research Help by Email - Still have questions about your writing? Haven't found what you need? Send us an email! Our staff will provide individualized writing help online.

- Navigation
- Purdue OWL
-
General Writing
- General Writing Introduction
-
The Writing Process
- The Writing Process Introduction
- Writing Task Resource List: What Do You Need To Write?
- Invention: Starting the Writing Process
- Prewriting (Invention)
- Writer's Block
- Stasis Theory
- Creating a Thesis Statement, Thesis Statement Tips
- Developing an Outline
- Reverse Outlining
- Proofreading
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Academic Writing
- Academic Writing Introduction
- The Rhetorical Situation
- Establishing Arguments
- Logic in Argumentative Writing
- Historical Perspectives on Argumentation
- Paragraphs and Paragraphing
- Essay Writing
- Conciseness
- Paramedic Method
- Reverse Paramedic Method
- Adding Emphasis
- Sentence Variety
- Using Appropriate Language
- Active and Passive Voice
- Email Etiquette
- Email Etiquette for Students
- Using Foreign Languages in Academic Writing in English
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Common Writing Assignments
- Common Writing Assignments Introduction
- Understanding Writing Assignments
- Argument Papers
- Research Papers
- Exploratory Papers
- Annotated Bibliographies
- Book Reports
- Definitions
- Essays for Exams
- Book Reviews
- Academic Proposals
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Mechanics
- Mechanics Introduction
- Higher, Lower Order Concerns
- Sentence Clarity
- Parts of Speech Overview
- Sentence Clarity Presentation
- Sentence Fragments
- Transitions and Transitional Devices
- Dangling Modifiers and How To Correct Them
- Parallel Structure
- Two-Part (Phrasal) Verbs (Idioms)
- Capitals: Help with Capitals
- Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives
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Grammar
- Grammar Introduction
- Spelling: Common Words that Sound Alike
- Numbers: Writing Numbers
- Adjective or Adverb
- How to Use Adjectives and Adverbs
- Appositives
- Articles: A versus An
- How to Use Articles (a/an/the)
- Prepositions
- Pronouns
- Relative Pronouns
- Count and Noncount Nouns
- Subject/Verb Agreement
- Verb Tenses
- Active Verb Tenses
- Irregular Verbs
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Punctuation
- Punctuation Introduction
- Punctuation
- Sentence Punctuation Patterns
- Independent and Dependent Clauses
- Conquering the Comma Presentation
- Commas
- Apostrophe Introduction
- Hyphen Use
- Quotation Marks
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Visual Rhetoric
- Visual Rhetoric Introduction
- Visual Rhetoric
- Analyzing Visual Documents
- Using Fonts with Purpose
- Color Theory Presentation
- Designing Effective PowerPoint Presentations
- Data Visualization
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Undergraduate Applications
- Undergraduate Applications Introduction
- Advice from Undergraduate Admissions Officers
- Undergraduate Application Timeline and Additional Resources
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Graduate School Applications
- Graduate School Applications Introduction
- Overview
- Researching Programs
- Statements of Purpose
- Requesting Recommendation Letters
- Writing a Research Statement
- Personal Correspondence
- Community Engaged Writing
- Media File Index
- General Writing FAQs
- Writing Center Directory
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Research and Citation
- Research and Citation Resources
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Conducting Research
- Conducting Research Introduction
- Research Overview
- Conducting Primary Research
- Evaluating Sources of Information
- Searching Online
- Internet References
- Archival Research
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Using Research
- Using Research Introduction
- Writing with Statistics
- Strategies for Fair Use
- Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
- Paraphrase Exercises
- Avoiding Plagiarism
- Writing Scientific Abstracts Presentation
- Formatting in Sociology (ASA Style)
- Resources for Documenting Sources in the Disciplines
- Citation Style Chart
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APA Style
- APA Style Introduction
- APA Overview and Workshop
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APA Formatting and Style Guide
- General Format
- In-Text Citations: The Basics
- In-Text Citations: Author/Authors
- Footnotes and Endnotes
- Reference List: Basic Rules
- Reference List: Author/Authors
- Reference List: Articles in Periodicals
- Reference List: Books
- Reference List: Other Print Sources
- Reference List: Electronic Sources
- Reference List: Other Non-Print Sources
- Additional Resources
- Types of APA Papers
- APA Stylistics: Avoiding Bias
- APA Stylistics: Basics
- APA Headings and Seriation
- APA PowerPoint Slide Presentation
- APA Sample Paper
- APA Tables and Figures 1
- APA Tables and Figures 2
- APA Abbreviations
- Statistics in APA
- APA Classroom Poster
- APA Changes 6th Edition
- General APA FAQs
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MLA Style
- MLA Style Introduction
- MLA Overview and Workshop
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MLA Formatting and Style Guide
- General Format
- MLA Formatting and Style Guide
- MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics
- MLA Formatting Quotations
- MLA Endnotes and Footnotes
- MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format
- MLA Works Cited Page: Books
- MLA Works Cited Page: Periodicals
- MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources
- MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources
- MLA Additional Resources
- MLA Abbreviations
- MLA Sample Works Cited Page
- MLA Sample Paper
- MLA Tables, Figures, and Examples
- MLA PowerPoint Presentation
- MLA FAQs
- MLA Classroom Poster
- MLA 8th Edition Changes
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Chicago Style
- CMOS Introduction
- CMOS Overview and Workshop
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CMOS Formatting and Style Guide
- Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition
- General Format
- Books
- Periodicals
- Web Sources
- Audiovisual Recordings and Other Multimedia
- Interviews, Personal Communication
- Lectures and Presentations
- Legal, Public and Unpublished Materials
- CMOS Author Date Sample Paper
- CMOS NB Sample Paper
- CMOS NB PowerPoint Presentation
- CMOS Author Date PowerPoint Presentation
- CMOS Author Date Classroom Poster
- CMOS NB Classroom Poster
- AMA Style
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Teacher and Tutor Resources
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Writing Instructors
- Writing Instructors Introduction
- Parents
- Grades 7-12 Instructors and Students
- Non-Purdue Users
- Purdue Instructors and Students
- Adult Basic Education
- Writing Across the Curriculum: An Introduction
- Creative Nonfiction in Writing Courses
- Poetry in Writing Courses
- Teaching Detailed Writing and Procedural Transitions
- Teaching OSDDP: A Guide for Professional Writing Instructors
- Email Etiquette for Professors
- Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students
-
Writing Tutors
- Writing Tutors Introduction
- Purdue Writing Lab Quick Tour
- Meeting One-on-One with Students
- Tutoring a Résumé
- Tutoring Cover Letters
- Tutoring Creative Writing Students
- Tutoring Lab Reports
- Tutoring Grammar
- Tutoring Deaf Clients
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Teaching Resources
- Teaching Resources
- Conducting an Interview Presentation
- Writing Workshops for Graduate Students
- Writing Process Presentation
- Organizing Your Argument Presentation
- Peer Review Presentation
- Visual Rhetoric Slide Presentation
- Writing a Literary Analysis Presentation
- Effective Persuasion Presentation
- Teaching and Assessing Grammar
- Analytical Research Project Presentation
- Conducting an Interview Presentation
- Job Acceptance Letter Presentation
- Invention Presentation
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Preventing Plagiarism
- Preventing Plagiarism Introduction
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Contextualizing Plagiarism
- Contextualizing Plagiarism
- Truth or Consequences
- Handout: Truth or Consequences
- The Big Picture
- Authorship and Popular Plagiarism
- Copyright and Plagiarism
- Handout: Copyright and Plagiarism
- Collaborative Authorship
- Handout: Collaborative Authorship
- Defining Our Terms
- Class Plagiarism Policy
- Comparing Policies
- Handout: Comparing Policies
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Avoiding Plagiarism
- Avoiding Plagiarism
- Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting
- Peer Summarizing
- Anonymous Paraphrasing
- Paraphrasing from Media
- Handout: Paraphrasing from Media
- Using In-text Citations
- Handout: Using In-text Citations
- Quoting Others
- Handout: Quoting Others
- Summary, Paraphrase, and Quotation in Context
- Handout: Summary, Paraphrase, and Quotation in Context
- Translingual Writing
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Writing in the Engineering Classroom
- Why Include Writing in Engineering Courses?
- Using Bloom’s Taxonomy
- Types of Writing Assignments for Engineering Courses
- Conceptual Writing Prompts
- Explain-a-Problem Writing Prompts
- How Stuff Works Writing Prompts
- Real-World Example Writing Prompts
- Design-a-Problem Writing Prompts
- Open-Ended Design Writing Prompts
- Writing Tips for Students
- Assessment and Feedback of Engineering Writing
- Research Team
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Writing Instructors
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Subject-Specific Writing
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Professional, Technical Writing
- Professional, Technical Writing Introduction
- Workplace Writers
- Effective Workplace Writing
- Audience Analysis
- Prioritizing Your Concerns for Effective Business Writing
- Parallel Structure
- Activity and Postmortem Reports
- Tone in Business Writing
- HATS: A Design Procedure for Routine Business Documents
- Basic Business Letters
- Accentuating the Positives
- Memos
- Four Point Action Closing
- Grant Writing
- Donation Request Letters
- Technical Reports & Report Abstracts
- White Papers
- Revision in Business Writing
- Business Writing for Administrative and Clerical Staff
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Writing in Literature
- Writing in Literature Introduction
- Literary Terms
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Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism
- Introduction to Literary Theory
- Moral Criticism, Dramatic Construction
- Formalism
- Psychoanalytic Criticism
- Marxist Criticism
- Reader-Response Criticism
- Structuralism and Semiotics
- Postmodern Criticism
- New Historicism, Cultural Studies
- Post-Colonial Criticism
- Feminist Criticism
- Gender Studies and Queer Theory
- Ecocriticism
- Critical Race Theory
- Critical Disability Studies
- Writing About Fiction
- Writing About Literature
- Writing in Literature (Detailed Discussion)
- Writing About Poetry
- Image in Poetry
- Poetry: Close Reading
- Writing about World Literature
- Writing About Film: Terminology and Starting Prompts
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Writing in the Social Sciences
- Writing in the Social Sciences Introduction
- Social Work Literature Review Guidelines
- Writing in Psychology: Experimental Report Writing
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Writing in Engineering
- Engineering Project Documentation
- Writing in Engineering Introduction
- Writing Engineering Reports
- Handbook on Report Formats
- Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS)
-
INDOT Workshop Resources for Engineers
- Introduction
- Readability Presentation
- Readability Handout
- Paramedic Method Presentation
- Paramedic Method Handout
- Adjectives Presentation
- Adjectives Handout
- Intra-Paragraph Organization Presentation
- Intra-Paragraph Organization Handout
- Verb Use Presentation
- Verb Use Handout
- Macro Level Cohesion Presentation
- Macro Level Cohesion Handout
- Micro Level Cohesion Presentation
- Micro Level Cohesion Handout
- Concise Language Presentation
- Eliminating Unnecessary Words Handout
- Parallelism Handout
- Document Design Presentation
- Poster Design Handout
- Group Work Presentation
- Group Work Handout
- Writing Proposals Handout
- Annotated Sample Documents
- Mechanical Engineering Writing Enhancement Program
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Creative Writing
- Creative Writing Introduction
- Fiction Writing Basics
- Pattern and Variation in Poetry
- Pattern and Variation: Aural
- Pattern and Variation: Visual
- Characters and Fiction Writing
- Poetry Writing
- Creative Nonfiction
- Professional Resources for Creative Writers
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Healthcare Writing
- Healthcare Writing Introduction
- Medical Journalism
- SOAP Notes
- Patient Education Materials
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Writing as a Veterinary Technician
- Writing as a Veterinary Technician
- Patient Signalment, Client Information
- History, Presenting Chief Complaint
- Current Health Status, History
- Past, Birth, and Referral History
- Patient Assessment
- Technician Evaluation
- Interventions
- Rationale for Interventions
- Continued Patient Reassessment
- Desired Resolutions
- Progress Notes
- Discharge Planning
- Legal Issues of Documentation
- Sample Care Plan Example
- Writing as a Professional Nurse
- Journalism and Journalistic Writing
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Writing in the Purdue SURF Program
- Writing in the Purdue SURF Program Introduction
- SURF Workshop Resources Introduction
- SURF Workshop Resources: Problem Statements
- SURF Workshop Resources: Designing Scientific Research Posters
- Writing in Art History
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Professional, Technical Writing
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Job Search Writing
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Preparing an Application
- Preparing an Application Introduction
- Tailoring Employment Documents For a Specific Audience
- Tips and Terms
- Writing the Personal Statement
- Job Skills Checklist
- Action Verbs to Describe Skills, Jobs, and Accomplishments in Employment Documents
- Example Employment Documents
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Job Search Letters
- Job Search Letters Introduction
- Letters Concerning Employment
- Model Letters for Various Purposes
- Cover Letters 1: Quick Tips
- Cover Letters 2: Preparing to Write a Cover Letter
- Cover Letters 3: Writing Your Cover Letter
- Cover Letters Workshop
- Academic Cover Letters
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Résumés and CVs
- Résumés and CVs Introduction
- Introduction
- Résumé Sections
- Using Two Pages or More
- Scannable Résumés
- Résumé Design
- Scannable Résumés Presentation
- Management Résumés
- Résumé Workshop
- Reference Sheets
- Writing the Curriculum Vitae
- Sample Résumés
- Résumés for Military Veterans
- Video Résumés
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Preparing an Application
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English as a Second Language
- ESL Instructors, Tutors
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ESL Students
- ESL Students Introduction
- US Higher Education: A Local Introduction
- Tips for Writing in North American Colleges
- Plagiarism and ESL Writers
- Writing for Global Business Audiences: An Introduction
- Writing for an Indian Business Audience
- Writing for a Chinese Business Audience
- Understanding Writing Assignments
- Writing for a North American Business Audience
- Key Concepts for Writing in North American Colleges
- Audience Considerations for ESL Writers
- Combining Sentences
- Nominalizations and Subject Position
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Prepositions
- Prepositions
- Prepositions of Direction—To
- Prepositions of Direction—Onto
- Prepositions of Direction—Into
- Prepositions of Spatial Relationship—A
- Prepositions of Spatial Relationship—B
- Prepositions of Spatial Relationship—F-O
- Prepositions of Spatial Relationship—T-W
- Prepositions of Time, Place, and Introducing Objects
- Pronouns
- Punctuation
- Paraphrasing and Summary
- About the OWL
- Purdue OWL Vidcasts