Wayne G. Basler Library: Research and Writing Basics: Writing Basics

The Writing Process

The links here will provide you with information and assistance with the writing process.

Writing in College: A Short Guide to College Writing
This guide, written by Joseph M. Williams and Lawrence McEnerney of the University of Chicago, is intended to help first and second year college students write effective papers.
College Writing Guide
Includes types of academic writing, common writing pitfalls, and citations.
Tips & Tools
from the Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill. Online handouts and videos on a wide range of writing topics.

The Writing Center

The Writing Center [TWC] is located on the first floor of the Library in room L101. Writing center staff will be available to help with your essays, research, and more.

At the Writing Center, they can help with any writing assignment for any class at any stage in the process. That means they can help you:

brainstorm a topic
refine your thesis
organize a rough draft
practice paraphrasing or incorporating source material
understand a citation style like MLA, APA, or Turabian
revise your work before final submission

Schedule an Appointment

Writing Assignment Calculator

The Assignment Calculator

The Assignment Calculator is a tool to help you understand, organize, and complete a research paper. Not only does it break the process down into manageable steps, but it also helps you understand the process and budget your time appropriately. Simply enter the date you plan to start your assignment and the date it is due, and then click on Calculate Assignment Schedule. You will get the systematic breakdown of what you need to do, as well how much time to spend on each aspect of the process.

Writing Resources from SIRS Issues Researcher

Research Guide for the Critical Thinker
An editable worksheet you can download to help you through your research and writing process. Although it has content specific to SIRS, it can be used with any information sources.

Note Organizers from SIRS Issues Researcher
The Note Organizers offer a visual, digital means of organizing your research and notes. You can choose from five flow chart templates.

How to Write a Killer Thesis Statement

Shmoop. How to Write a Killer Thesis Statement by Shmoop. YouTube.

Annotated Bibliography

You may be required to create an annotated bibliography, or you may choose to make one as part of your research process. They generally contain the citation correctly formatted in the required/chosen style, followed by a summary of the resource in your own words. In addition, you may want or need to include quotes from the source that you might use in your paper, making sure to include the page number(s) where the quotes are located.

Below are some links to resources to assist you with completing an annotated bibliography.