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General Writing

· The Writing Process

· What Do You Need to Write?

· Invention

· Prewriting Introduction

· Prewriting Questions

· More Prewriting Questions

· Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block

· More Writer's Block Strategies

· Stasis Introduction

· Stasis and Research

· Stasis for Teamwork

· Thesis Statement Tips

· Outline Components

· How to Outline

· Types of Outlines

· Reverse Outlining

· Beginning Proofreading

· Proofreading for Errors

· Proofreading Suggestions

· Revising for Cohesion

· Steps for Revising

· Academic Writing

· Rhetorical Situations

· Elements of Rhetorical Situations

· Aristotle's Rhetorical Situation

· Text

· Author and Audience

· Purposes

· Setting

· Example 1

· Example 2

· Example 3

· Conclusion

· Strong Thesis Statements

· Research and Evidence

· Organizing Your Argument

· Rhetorical Strategies

· Logic

· Using Logic

· Fallacies

· Logic in Writing

· Does Logic Always Work?

· Improprieties

· On Paragraphs

· Paragraphing

· Essay Writing

· Expository Essays

· Descriptive Essays

· Narrative Essays

· Argumentative Essays

· Conciseness

· Eliminating Words

· Changing Phrases

· Avoid Common Pitfalls

· Paramedic Method

· Reverse Paramedic Method

· Visual-Textual Devices

· Punctuation Marks

· Choice and Arrangement

· Sentence and Clause Arrangement

· Variation

· Sentence Types

· For Short, Choppy Sentences

· For Repeated Subjects or Topics

· Similar Sentence Patterns or Rhythms

· Appropriate Language: Overview

· Levels of Formality

· Group Jargon

· Deceitful Language and Euphemisms

· Stereotypes and Biased Language

· Appropriate Pronoun Usage

· Active and Passive Voice

· Active Versus Passive Voice

· More about Passive Voice

· Choosing Passive Voice

· Changing Passive to Active Voice

· More Suggestions

· Verbs: Voice and Mood

· Email Etiquette

· Email Etiquette for Students

· Common Writing Assignments

· Understanding Writing Assignments

· Argument Papers

· Body Paragraphs

· Rebuttal Sections

· Conclusions

· Writing a Research Paper

· Genre and the Research Paper

· Choosing a Topic

· Identifying Audiences

· Where do I Begin?

· Exploratory Papers

· Organizing an Exploratory Essay

· Annotated Bibliographies

· Annotated Bibliography Example

· Annotated Bibliography Samples

· Book Reports

· Definitions

· Essays for Exams

· Book Reviews

· Academic Proposals

· Conference Proposals

· Presenting Conference Papers

· Journal Abstracts

· Submitting the Journal Abstract

· Book Proposals

· Academic Proposals

· Submitting an Undergraduate Journal Article

· Mechanics

· HOCs and LOCs

· Sentence Clarity

· Parts of Speech Overview

· Sentence Clarity Presentation

· Sentence Fragments

· Transitions

· Transitional Devices

· Correcting Dangling Modifiers

· Parallel Structure

· Two-Part (Phrasal) Verbs (Idioms)

· Separable Phrasal Verbs

· Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

· Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

· Help with Capitals

· Gerunds

· Participles

· Infinitives

· Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives

· Grammar

· Common Words that Sound Alike

· Writing Numbers

· Adjectives and Adverbs

· Avoiding Common Errors

· Adjectives with Count and Noncount Nouns

· Adjective or Adverb?

· Appositives

· A versus An

· Using Articles

· Time, Place, and Introducing Objects

· To, On (to), In (to)

· Prepositions of Location: At, In, On

· Spatial Relationships

· Using Pronouns Clearly

· Pronoun Case

· Introduction to Defining Clauses

· Relative Pronouns in Non-Defining Clauses

· Defining vs. Non-Defining

· Basic Rules

· Plurals, Articles, and Quantity Words

· Count, Noncount Nouns with Articles, Adjectives

· Subject-Verb Agreement

· Sequence of Tenses

· Passive Verb Tenses

· Active Verb Tenses

· Verb Tense Consistency

· Verbs with Helpers

· Active Verb Tenses

· Irregular Verbs

· Commonly Confused Verbs

· Punctuation

· Punctuation Overview

· Punctuation in Sentences

· Sentence Punctuation Patterns

· Independent and Dependent Clauses

· Run On Sentences

· Comma Slide Presentation

· Commas: Quick Rules

· Extended Rules for Commas

· Commas After Introductions

· Commas vs. Semicolons

· Commas with Nonessential Elements

· Apostrophe Introduction

· Hyphen Use

· Using Quotation Marks

· Extended Rules for Quotation Marks

· More Quotation Mark Rules

· Quotation Marks with Fiction

· Quotation Mark Exercise and Answers

· Visual Rhetoric

· Visual Rhetoric: Overview

· Visual Rhetoric: Text Elements

· Visual Rhetoric: Color

· Visual Rhetoric: Images

· Analyzing Visual Documents

· Elements of Analysis

· Organizing Your Analysis

· Fonts with Purpose

· Font Features

· Font Personality

· Additional Font Tips

· Color Theory Presentation

· PowerPoint Quick Guide

· Before You Start

· Design Principles

· Practical Guides

· Undergraduate Applications

· Advice from Undergraduate Admissions Officers

· Graduate School Applications

· Overview: Planning Timeline

· Overview: Process and Materials

· Overview: After you Apply to Graduate School

· Researching Programs: An Introduction

· Research Programs: Practical Considerations

· Researching Programs: Profiling Your Research Interests

· Researching Programs: Profiling Faculty

· Statements of Purpose: Overview and Before You Draft

· Statements of Purpose: Drafting Your Statement

· Statements of Purpose: After You Finish a Draft

· Graduate School Applications: Requesting Recommendation Letters

· Media File Index

· Workshops and PowerPoints

· Sample Papers

· Sample Employment Documents

· Purdue OWL Vidcasts

· Purdue OWL Podcasts

· Contrast

· Alignment

· Repetition

· OWL Mail General Writing FAQs

Research and Citation

· Conducting Research

· Where do I begin?

· Online vs. Print

· Sources

· Primary Research

· What is Primary Research?

· Research Ethics

· Pitfalls of Primary Research

· Interviewing

· Surveying

· Interview and Survey Questions

· Observing

· Analysis

· Analyzing Primary Data

· Overview

· Evaluating Bibliographic Citations

· Evaluation During Reading

· Print vs. Internet

· Overview

· The Internet and Search Engines

· Search Engines and Directories

· Searching with a Search Engine

· Searching with a Web Directory

· Search Engines

· Search the Invisible Web

· Other Useful Sites

· Other Search Strategies

· Internet References

· Dictionaries and Manuals

· Online References

· Indexes for Writers

· Online Libraries

· Online Books and E-texts

· Online News Sources

· Purdue Library Database Tutorials

· Using Research

· Introduction

· Quick Tips

· Descriptive Statistics

· Writing with Descriptive Statistics

· Basic Inferential Statistics

· Writing with Inferential Statistics

· Statistics and Visuals

· Key Terms

· Strategies for Fair Use

· Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

· Paraphrasing

· Paraphrasing: Sample Essay

· Paraphrasing

· Paraphrasing Exercise

· Paraphrasing Exercise Answers

· Overview

· Documenting Electronic Sources

· Online Guides

· Overview

· Is It Plagiarism?

· Safe Practices

· Plagiarism Exercise

· Best Practices for Teachers

· Scientific Abstracts Presentation

· Manuscript Formatting

· In-Text (Citation) References

· References Page Formatting

· Manuscript Writing Style

· Overview

· Complete Discipline Listing

· Citation Style Chart

· APA Style

· APA Workshop

· 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

· OWL Mail APA FAQs

· MLA Style

· MLA Overview and Workshop

· 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: 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 Undergraduate Sample Paper

· MLA Classroom Poster

· OWL Mail MLA FAQs

· Chicago Manual 16th Edition

· Chicago Manual of Style 16th Edition

· General Format

· Books

· Periodicals

· Web Sources

· Film and Television

· Interviews, Personal Communication

· Lectures and Presentations

· Public and Unpublished Materials

· CMS Author Date Sample Paper

· CMS NB Sample Paper

· CMS NB PowerPoint Presentation

· CMS Author Date PowerPoint Presentation

· CMS Author Date Classroom Poster

· CMS NB Classroom Poster

Teacher and Tutor Resources

· Writing Instructors

· Parents

· Grades 7-12 Instructors and Students

· Non-Purdue Users

· Purdue Instructors and Students

· Adult Basic Education

· Introduction

· WAC Programs

· Further Reading

· Writing in Nursing Bibliography

· Science Writing Bibliography Essay

· Creative Nonfiction

· The Personal Memoir

· Literary Journalism

· Lyric Essays

· Assignments

· Poetry in Writing Courses

· Mid to Advanced Level Courses

· Sample Assignment

· Additional Resources

· Detailed Writing and Procedural Transitions

· Summary and Description

· Deliverables and Evaluation

· Activities

· Resources for Instructors

· Sample Deliverables

· Email Etiquette for Professors

· Writing Tutors

· Lab Quick Tour

· Meeting One-on-One with Students

· Tutoring a Résumé

· Tutoring Cover Letters

· Tutoring Beginning Poets

· Tutoring Creative Writers

· Pitfalls for Fiction Writers

· Helpful Resources

· Metaphors in Creative Writing

· Tutoring Grammar

· Rationales for Tutoring Grammar

· Strategies for Tutoring Grammar

· Teaching Resources

· Conducting an Interview Presentation

· Job Acceptance Letter Presentation

· Invention Presentation

· Preventing Plagiarism

· Contextualizing Plagiarism

· Plagiarism Attitude Scale

· Handout: Plagiarism Attitude Scale

· 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

· 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

Subject Specific Writing

· Professional, Technical Writing

· Workplace Writers

· Rhetorical Awareness

· Applying User-Centered Design

· Glossary and References

· Participatory Design

· Overview

· Development Stage

· Reading and Action Stage

· Higher Order Concerns

· Later Order Concerns

· Parallel Structure

· Tone

· HATS

· Accentuating the Positives

· The Basic Business Letter

· Sample Letters

· Audience and Purpose

· Parts of a Memo

· Format

· Sample Memo

· Four Point Action Closing

· Writing Report Abstracts

· Reports, Proposals, and Technical Papers

· Purpose and Audience

· Organization and Other Tips

· Revision

· Revising for Clarity

· Tailoring Language

· Organization and Correctness

· Writing in Literature

· Terms

· Introduction to Literary Theory

· Moral Criticism, Dramatic Construction

· Formalism

· Psychoanalytic Criticism

· Marxist Criticism

· Reader-Response Criticism (1960s-present)

· Structuralism and Semiotics

· Postmodern Criticism

· New Historicism, Cultural Studies

· Post-Colonial Criticism

· Feminist Criticism

· Gender Studies and Queer Theory

· Close Reading

· Developing a Thesis

· Pre-Writing

· Introduction

· Literature Topics and Research

· Formatting

· Overview

· The Prompt Paper

· General Research Papers

· Conducting Research

· Reading Criticism

· Building an Argument

· Reading a Novel or Story

· Reading a Poem

· Reading a Play

· Writing About Poetry

· Image in Poetry

· Images and Their Uses

· Exercises

· Poetry: Close Reading

· Writing in the Social Sciences

· Social Work Literature Review Guidelines

· Writing in Psychology Overview

· Rhetorical Considerations and Style

· Experimental Reports 1

· Experimental Reports 2

· Tables, Appendices, Footnotes and Endnotes

· Sources for More Information

· APA Sample Paper: Experimental Psychology

· Writing in Engineering

· Engineering Reports

· Introduction

· Purposes and Types

· Reports and Memos

· Report Checklist

· Report Sections

· The Report Body

· Abstracts and Executive Summaries

· Mechanical Elements

· Design Notebook

· Project Charter

· Travel Writing

· 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

· Memo Writing

· 90-Second Semicolon Vidcasts

· Report Writing

· Creative Writing

· Fiction Writing Basics

· Fiction Writing Basics 2

· Fiction Writing Basics 3

· Pattern and Variation

· Pattern

· Variation

· Sound and Meter

· Meter and Scansion

· Poetic Feet, Line Length

· Sound and Rhyme

· Other Matters of Sound

· Visual Patterning

· Visual Variation, Exercises

· Medical Writing

· Introduction

· Original Scholarly Article

· Revised Article

· Reporting on Conference Presentations

· Journalism and Journalistic Writing

· Introduction

· AP Style

· Media Ethics

· The Inverted Pyramid

· Writing Leads

· Writing in Nursing

· Three General Rules

· Writing in the Field

· List of Nursing Resources

· 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 in the Purdue SURF Program

· SURF Workshop Resources Introduction

· SURF Workshop Resources: Problem Statements

· Problem Statements PowerPoint Presentation

· Problem Statements Handout Instructions

· Problem Statements Handout 1: Situating Your Work

· Problem Statements Handout 2: Reading a Project Poster

Job Search Writing

· Preparing an Application

· Tailoring Documents

· Determining Audience

· Addressing Audience

· Tips and Terms

· The Personal Statement

· Examples

· Advice from Admissions Officers

· Top 10 Rules and Pitfalls

· Job Skills Checklist

· Action Verbs

· Action Verb List

· Sample Documents

· Job Search Letters

· Employment Letters

· Request For a Reference

· Follow-Up Letter

· Inquiry Letters

· Follow-Up After No Response

· Acceptance Letter

· Rejection Letter

· Requesting Further Negotiations

· Letter When You are Rejected

· Thank You Letters

· Model Reference Request

· Model for Negotiations

· Model for Reply to Rejection

· Model for Inquiry Letter

· Model for Rejecting a Job Offer

· Model for Acceptance Letter

· Model for Reference Request Letter

· Model for Interview Follow-Up

· What Is a Cover Letter?

· Quick Content Tips

· Quick Formatting Tips

· Showing Off Knowledge of Company

· Before Sending the Letter

· Researching Job Positions

· Reading Job Ads

· Researching Companies

· Communicating with Insiders

· Using University Career Centers

· Addressing Qualifications

· Cover Letter Headings

· Addressing Cover Letters

· Cover Letter Introductions

· Cover Letter Body Paragraphs

· Cover Letter Closings

· Introduction

· What to Include

· Formatting and Organization

· Academic Cover Letters

· Academic Cover Letter Sample

· Résumés and Vitas

· Introduction

· Contact Information Section

· Education Section

· Work Experience Section

· Using Two Pages or More

· Introduction

· General Guidelines

· Résumé Design

· PowerPoint Presentation

· Management Résumés

· Résumé Workshop

· Education Section

· Experience Section

· Honors and Activities Section

· Skills Section

· PowerPoint Presentation

· Reference Sheets

· Writing the CV

· Sample Résumés

· Skills Résumé Sample

· Chronological Résumé Sample

· Functional Résumé Sample

· Interactive Résumé

English as a Second Language

· ESL Instructors, Tutors

· ESL Orientation Presentation

· ESL Teacher Resources

· ESL Instructors and Students

· ESL Students

· A Cultural Introduction

· Tips for Writing in North American Colleges

· Tips for Writing in North American Colleges: Directness

· Tips for Writing in North American Colleges: Objectivity

· Tips for Writing in North American Colleges: Reasonability

· Tips for Writing in North American Colleges: Conciseness

· Tips for Writing in North American Colleges: Revision

· Plagiarism and ESL Writers

· Writing for Global Business Audiences: An Introduction

· Writing for an Indian Audience

· Writing for a Chinese Audience

· Samples

· Writing for a North American Audience

About the OWL

· OWL Information

· OWL Fact Sheet

· Frequently Asked Questions

· How to Use the OWL

· Navigating the New OWL

· Terms and Conditions of Fair Use

· OWL Art 1

· OWL Art 2

· OWL Art 3

Current OWL Exercises