Resources

This page is meant to provide a list of useful writing-related resources for members of the Wake Forest University community. We hope to make changes as new resources come to our attention and old resources become unavailable, so please consider this a “living” web page that will remain under continuous development.

General Writing Improvement

Strategies for Essay Writing at the Harvard College Writing Center: An extensive website devoted to several specific topics about academic writing, from developing a thesis to transitioning.

General Writing Resources at the Purdue OWL: Contains information on grammar, mechanics, expectations of academic writing, and applying to undergraduate and graduate programs, among other helpful sections.

750words.com: A cloud-like website for creative writing that stores approximately three pages of text per day. The goal is to break writing into smaller, more manageable “chunks.” The service costs $5/mo.

Handouts

Do-It-Yourself Writing Support from the Writing Resources Center at William & Mary: Contains several pdf handouts on grammar, writing style, special topics, and oral communication.

Tips & Tools from The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill, an extensive collection of pdf handouts on a wide range of writing topics.

We also have copies of our own handouts that we have in the Writing Center available here.

Grammar and Mechanics

Grammarly: Grammarly is an online editing system that provides detailed explanations about rules, word choice, and even contains an anti-plagiarism component. A membership costs $30/month, but the website also has free guidebooks. They also have a great blog.

The Oatmeal:  The Oatmeal is a humorous online comic that explains common grammatical mistakes, such as semicolons and the difference between “i.e.” and “e.g.” Please note that, given its humorous tone, some may find the comics offensive.

Style Guides and Citation

Citation Guides at ZSR Library: The ZSR Library at Wake Forest’s page that contains links to citing in MLA, APA, Chicago, and Turabian. It also contains manuals on scientific styles and other uncommon style guides.

Research and Citation Resources at the Purdue OWL: Contains extensive information on MLA, APA, and Chicago styles, as well as information on conducting and using research more generally.

Research Papers

Harvard Guide to Using Sources: According to the introduction, “the Guide introduces you to the fundamentals of using sources in academic papers,” from locating to citing sources.

Subject-Specific Resources

The Science of Scientific Writing” by George Gopen and Judith Swan, American Scientist

English Solutions for Research Writing: Checklist for Journal and Conference Papers Based on an Experimental Research Design” (pdf) by Adam Turner, Hanyang University

Writing Guidelines as an Engineer or Scientist by Michael Alley, Penn State

Subject-Specific Resources at the Purdue OWL: Contains resources for writing in various disciplines such as technical writing, literature, the social sciences, engineering, medical writing, and journalism.

Brief Guides to Writing in the Disciplines at the Harvard College Writing Center: These pdf files provide “concise introductions to the essential features of writing in several concentrations,” such as history, philosophy, English, and psychology.

ESL Student Resources

ESL Student Resources at the Purdue OWL: The Purdue OWL contains a very helpful website for ESL students that discusses writing for various audiences, tips for academic writing, and grammar. Use the navigation menu along the lefthand sidebar of the screen to view the different sections.

ELL/ESL Student Resources at Empire State College, State University of New York: Contains links to several web sites for ESL students, as well as information on TOEFL preparation.

Statements of Purpose & Personal Statements

Wake Forest Center for Career and Professional Development: Contains tips for job applications and graduate school applications, including how to write personal statements, cover letters, and resumes.

Writing the Personal Statement at the Purdue OWL

How to Write a Statement of Purpose for Graduate School at The Princeton Review

Steps to Success: Writing a Winning Statement of Purpose” (pdf), UCLA Graduate Division: For students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

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