Research Guides: FIRST YEAR SEMINAR RESOURCES: Writing & Citing

Refworks & Other Citation Resources

Purdue OWL Writing Resources

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers by Joseph Gibaldi; Modern Language Association of America Staff
Call Number: Reference - LB2369 .G53 2009
ISBN: 9781603290241
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Widely adopted by universities, colleges, and secondary schools, the MLA Handbook is the guide millions of writers have relied on for over half a century. The seventh edition, taken out of print by the MLA in spring 2016 upon publication of the eighth edition, provides the MLA's previous recommendations on documentation style for use in student writing. Please note that copies of the seventh edition of the MLA Handbook include a code for accessing an accompanying Web site. The Web site is no longer available.
Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus by Christine A. Lindberg (Compiled by); Erin McKean (Editor)
Call Number: Reference - PE1591 .L625 2004
ISBN: 0195170768
Publication Date: 2004-10-21
This brand new thesaurus from Oxford, the most trusted name in reference, is the first to be developed by writers, for writers. In addition to the more than 300,000 synonyms and 10,000 antonyms found in the thesaurus, each of our distinguished editorial board members (including David Auburn, Michael Dirda, David Lehman, Stephin Merritt, Francine Prose, Zadie Smith, Jean Strouse, David Foster Wallace, and Simon Winchester)has contributed frank, funny, thoughtful, and, most of all, word-wise mini-essays on words that they particularly love, hate, admire, or are just plain puzzled by. Even more helpful for writers in search of the perfect word, this new thesaurus contains nearly two hundred word banks, collections of nouns to add exact detail to your writing. (Was it just bread, or was it chapatti, rye, dal, or pita?) Brand-new word spectrums show where your word falls in a linebetween two polar opposites (passable is three-quarters of the way from beautiful to ugly). Other features include quick guides to easily confused words; helpful, real-world usage guidance to tricky sticking points of grammar and word choice; and careful, expert distinctions among awkward synonyms. All Oxford American dictionaries use an easy-to-use respelling system to show how entries are pronounced. It uses simple, familiar markings to represent common American English sounds. The Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus will unlock the power of language and is certain to be the thesaurus that says on the desk--and stays open.
A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker; Nancy Sommers
Call Number: Reserve Room - PE1408 .H2778 2011
ISBN: 9780312601430
Publication Date: 2010-10-25
A Writer's Reference, the most widely adopted handbook in the United States, continues to be groundbreaking in its simplicity, offering the right content in an accessible format. New coauthor Nancy Sommers's own research, campus travel, and classroom experience keep the handbook in tune with the needs of academic writers. In a trusted quick-reference format, the seventh edition delivers advice on all the right topics: working with sources, revising with comments, preparing a portfolio, and more. A Writer's Reference offers unprecedented flexibility with several versions to choose from — a handbook that's truly at your service. Read the preface.
Writing with Power by Peter Elbow
ISBN: 9780195120172
Publication Date: 1998-07-09
A classic handbook for anyone who needs to write, Writing With Power speaks to everyone who has wrestled with words while seeking to gain power with them. Here, Peter Elbow emphasizes that the essential activities underlying good writing and the essential exercises promoting it are really not difficult at all. Employing a cookbook approach, Elbow provides the reader (and writer) with various recipes: for getting words down on paper, for revising, for dealing with an audience, for getting feedback on a piece of writing, and still other recipes for approaching the mystery of power in writing. In a new introduction, he offers his reflections on the original edition, discusses the responses from people who have followed his techniques, how his methods may differ from other processes, and how his original topics are still pertinent to today's writer. By taking risks and embracing mistakes, Elbow hopes the writer may somehow find a hold on the creative process and be able to heighten two mentalities--the production of writing and the revision of it. From students and teachers to novelists and poets, Writing with Power reminds us that we can celebrate the uses of mystery, chaos, nonplanning, and magic, while achieving analysis, conscious control, explicitness, and care in whatever it is we set down on paper.
Cite Right by Charles Lipson
Call Number: Stacks - PN171 .F56 L55 2011
ISBN: 9780226484631
Publication Date: 2011-05-15
Thousands of students have turned to veteran teacher Charles Lipson for no-nonsense advice on how to cite sources properly--and avoid plagiarism--when writing their research papers. This new edition of Cite Right, the popular overview of all major systems of citation, has been updated to reflect the most current versions of Chicago, MLA, APA, and other styles, and to discuss citation methods in the rapidly changing context of the Internet, digital publishing, and e-books. Best of all, it's very easy to use. Lipson first explains why it is so important to use citations--and to present them accurately--in research writing. He then outlines the main citation styles students and researchers are likely to encounter in their academic work: Chicago; MLA; APA; AAA (anthropology and ethnography); CSE (biological sciences); AMA (medical sciences); ACS (chemistry); physics, astrophysics, and astronomy;and mathematics, computer science, and engineering. New sections have been added on IEEE and ASCE styles, often used in engineering. Each style is presented simply and clearly with examples drawn from a wide range of source types crossing all disciplines, from the arts and humanities to the sciences and medicine. The second edition has also been updated to include a discussion of the merits and pitfalls of citation software, as well as new examples showing proper citation style for video blogs, instant messages, social networking sites, and other forms of digital media. Based on deep experience in the academic trenches,this thoroughly revised edition is intended to appeal to anyone--student, professional, or academic--who needs an efficient, authoritative guide for citing sources across a wide range of disciplines.
Pocket Keys for Writers by Ann Raimes
Call Number: Reserves, 3 days - PE1408 .R165 2013
ISBN: 9781111833015
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
POCKET KEYS FOR WRITERS gives students big writing help in a small package. This indispensable pocket-style handbook covers the essentials of the writing process--taking students through the research process to the mechanics of writing and using punctuation to the evaluation and documentation of both print and electronic source materials. Concise, up-to-date, and practical, this edition is easier to use than ever before, designed to help students find the material they need when they need it. This edition of POCKET KEYS FOR WRITERS features an increased focus on academic writing and includes a new chapter on the writing process and new sections on multimodal composition. It teaches students how to find, analyze, and cite visual arguments and to create multimedia arguments. A gatefold at the back of the text offers a ready reference for students doing research.
Vernacular Eloquence by Peter Elbow
Call Number: Stacks - P301 .E48 2012
ISBN: 9780199782505
Publication Date: 2012-01-13
Since the publication of his groundbreaking books Writing Without Teachers and Writing with Power, Peter Elbow has revolutionized the way we think about writing. As a theorist, teacher, and uncommonly engaging writer himself, he has long championed our innate ability to write effectively. Now, in Vernacular Eloquence, Elbow turns his attention to the role of the spoken word in writing. He begins by questioning the basic cultural assumption that speaking and writing are two very different, incompatible modes of expression, and that we should keep them separate. The book explores themany linguistic and rhetorical virtues of speech - spontaneity, naturalness of expression, fluidity of thought - to show that many of these virtues can usefully be brought to writing. Elbow suggests that we begin the writing process by "speaking" our words onto the page, letting the words and ideasflow without struggling to be "correct." Speaking can help us at the later stages of writing, too, as we read drafts aloud and then revise until the language feels right in the mouth and sounds right in the ear. The result is stronger, clearer, more natural writing that avoids the stilted, worried-over quality that so often alienates (andbores) the reader. Elbow connects these practices to a larger theoretical discussion of literacy in our culture, arguing that our rules for correct writing make it harder than necessary to write well. In particular, our culture's conception of proper writing devalues the human voice, the body, andthe linguistic power of people without privilege. Written with Elbow's customary verve and insight, Vernacular Eloquence shows how to bring the pleasures we all enjoy in speaking to the all-too-often needlessly arduous task of writing.
The Oxford Essential Guide to Writing by Oxford (Editor)
Call Number: Stacks - PE1408 .K2728 2003
ISBN: 0195167457
Publication Date: 2003-08-07
Whether you're composing a letter, writing a school thesis, or starting a novel, The Oxford Essential Guide to Writing offers expert advice on how to think more creatively, how to conjure up ideas from scratch, and how to express those ideas clearly and elegantly. No matter where you findyourself in the writing process - from the daunting blank page to the rough draft that needs shaping to the small but important questions of punctuation - you'll find what you need in this one handy, all-inclusive volume.

Writing and Citing Resources

MLA Sample Research Paper

MLA Sample Paper from Purdue Online Writing Lab.

MLA Sample Research Paper 1 Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007). This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Sample Research Paper 2 (with Illustration) Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006). This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Sample Research Paper 3 - Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006). This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Argumentative Paper

MLA Sample Argumentative Paper 1 - Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007). - This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Sample Argumentative Paper 2 - Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006). This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Sample Argumentative Paper 3 - Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004). - This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Sample Argumentative Paper 4 - Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010). - This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Sample Argumentative Paper 5 - Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006). - This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Sample Argumentative Paper 6 - Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010, 2007).
This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Literature Paper

MLA Sample Literature Paper - Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007).
This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Sample Literature Paper With Secondary Sources - Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007).
This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Analysis Paper

MLA Sample Analysis (rhetorical) Paper 1 - Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007).
This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Sample Analysis (rhetorical) Paper 2 - Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Sample Analysis (rhetorical) Paper 3 - Source: Diana Hacker (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006).
This paper has been updated to follow the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Review Paper

MLA Sample Review Paper - Source: Hacker Handbooks (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011).
This paper follows the style guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. (2009).

MLA Literature Paper

Annotated Bibliography

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography

Questions for Evaluating and Annotating Any Source

Annotation examples - Examples for Informative/Descriptive Annotation and Critical Annotation.

Annotated Bibliography Samples from OWL (Online Writing Lab) - Samples for APA, MLA and Chicago Manual Style.

Annotated Bibliography Sample

APA Resource

APA Style Tutorial - Pay attention to slides 13-16 which are specific to in-text citations and slides 17-25 for the reference list

APA Style - The official APA site.

APA Formatting and Style Guide--Purdue University - Helpful website from the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University.

Diana Hacker's Guide for APA - Diana Hacker's guide provides information and examples on in-text citations, reference lists, and includes an annotated sample paper.