Writing Support
The Writing and Learning Commons offers free one-on-one writing tutoring for students at any level and at any point in the writing process. Secure the time you want by clicking the "Get Tutoring" button to make an appointment. To make the most of your session, bring the instructor鈥檚 prompt for the assignment and a paper copy of your draft.
Learn how to make an appointment with this guide.
Below is a menu of writing resources. To find your way around, think about what tools you most need.
Writing Resources
Below is a menu of writing resources. To find your way around, think about what tools you most need.
Assignment Strategies:
Summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting
Sentence-Level Resources (Grammar)
Fragments, Run Ons, Comma Splices
Resources for Graduate Students
Resumes and Cover Letters
The Writing and Learning Commons supports four major citations styles: APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, and AMA.
There are many other formats, however. While they are not commonly used at 星空传媒, you may occasionally need to use one of the following styles:
- (ACS)
- (ASA) and (AAA)
- The Associated Press (AP) stylebook (copies available in the WaLC)
- for legal citation
- (CSE)
- (IEEE)
- and
Many citation styles are based on the Chicago Manual of Style, so when in doubt about a particular rule in your discipline, it is often appropriate to default to Chicago rules.
For help with RESEARCH in a particular major, try the Hunter Library with specific advice for many departments and specific courses.
Writing a summary requires you to read closely and paraphrase accurately for readers without access to the same article. The process below will help you write a concise, clearly organized summary.
Scan the article for the 鈥渂ig picture鈥�
- Read the title and note the names of the authors: what does the title tell you about the authors鈥� thesis or main point?
- Read the introduction: find the authors鈥� thesis statement or main point, often the last sentence or two in the introduction.
- If your article has no headings, read the first sentence in each body paragraph.
- If your article has headings, identify which headings are major headings and which are subheadings.
- If the article describes a research study that the authors conducted, look for the details of the study like a methods and results section.
- Read the concluding paragraph(s): find the authors鈥� restated thesis statement (it should be similar to the thesis statement in the introduction).
Rewrite the material
When you are confident that you understand the authors鈥� main point, rewrite it as your own sentence without looking at the original. Start your new sentence by identifying your authors as the source of the information, for example: According to Hardie and Peterson (2009), visiting the Writing and Learning Commons is like providing your paper with a dress rehearsal before the big performance, when your instructor starts reading your paper.
Read the article in full
As you read each major section or paragraph, sum up its message in a sentence or two. If a section has been subdivided, first compose a sentence that sums up the introduction to the section, and then compose a sentence or two that sums up each subsection. Your accurate rewording and summation of the authors鈥� sections and subsections will form the body of your summary.
Write the first draft
Use your notes to write a first draft of your article summary. Although your notes may repeat some information because it repeats in the original article, an effective summary will mention information once, in the order in which it makes sense for a summary. Pay close attention to your instructor鈥檚 word/page limit and assignment guidelines. Strict summaries do not contain specific examples or details from the article or comments by the summary writer because, by definition, summaries communicate condensed information about the original article in a short space. Save your ideas for assignments that invite you to analyze or critique.
Check your draft against the original article for accuracy
- Do you accurately sum up the main idea of the article into a meaningful first sentence of your own words?
- Do you accurately re-word the authors' supporting points using the same sections/subsections as the original but without repeating information?
- Do you quote important terms when appropriate?
- Does your summary make sense as a stand-alone text?
Revise
Revise, checking for conciseness, accuracy, control, and sound sentence and paragraph structure (topic sentences and supporting facts).
How to Summarize
Summarizing involves condensing the writer鈥檚 ideas into their essence using your own
words. Use summaries when you want to briefly discuss an extended section of a text.
A summary is your "sum" of the writer鈥檚 thinking. Summaries vary in length, but are
rarely more than twenty percent of the length of the original.
Summaries also include abstracts, but abstracts are a different style of writing (see the WaLC鈥檚 website for more advice on those.) When you need to summarize:
- Read the section straight through from beginning to end. Look up unfamiliar words. Make sure you understand what you are reading. You cannot translate information you do not understand.
- Minimize the screen, or turn the text over. Without looking at the original, write your summed up understanding of the section. (Not peeking at the text forces you to use your own words.)
- Read the original text a second time to check the accuracy of your rewording. Your new sentences will become the body of your summary.
- Using your new sentences, write a first draft of your summary.
- Begin your summary with the original writer鈥檚 name, for example, in APA you might write: According to Deford (2000),....(See page 4 for examples from various formats.)
- Check your draft against the original source: Have you accurately communicated the main idea and supporting points?Have you followed the same order or sequence of ideas that the original writer used? Have you discussed the author鈥檚 most important concepts or terms in your own words?
- Would your summary make sense to a reader other than yourself, especially one who has not read the original source but wants to understand what it says?
- Revise and recheck against the original. Record the page number(s) in case you need them later.
How to Paraphrase
When you paraphrase effectively, you are restating the writer鈥檚 words in your own
words without condensing anything. Paraphrasing works well for discussing one point
from an article or book. A good paraphrase is roughly equivalent in length to the
original.
When you need to paraphrase:
1. Read the section carefully. Look up unfamiliar words.
2. Turn the original over and write down your understanding of the text. Consider beginning your paraphrase with the writer鈥檚 name, for example: "In Talk, Marguerite Del Guidice argues that..."
3. Reread the original and check your rephrasing for accuracy. Rearranging the writer鈥檚 words or just changing a few words is not paraphrasing.
4. Record the page number(s) for your in-text citation if required. All paraphrases must be cited.
How to Quote
When you quote, you are transcribing the writer鈥檚 words completely and accurately. Quoting does not work well if you use it only because you find it hard to paraphrase a writer鈥檚 material. Quoting does work well when the writer has made his or her point so articulately that your point is strengthened by including a quotation.
Follow the guidelines in any writer鈥檚 handbook to learn the various ways of introducing
quotations. ALL QUOTATIONS MUST BE INTRODUCED. Try introducing your quotation with
the writer鈥檚 name, and be sure to enclose all quoted material within quotation marks.
Page numbers stand outside the quotation marks but inside the period. Several examples
follow:
MLA formatting
Karen Elizabeth Gordon writes in her introduction to The Well-Tempered Sentence, "However frenzied or disarrayed or complicated your thoughts may be, punctuation tempers them and sends signals to your reader about how to take them in" (ix).
APA formatting
Gordon (1993) says of the exclamation point, "What a wild, reckless, willful invention! How could we possibly live without it! Who needs words when we have this flasher!" (p. 1).
Turabian formatting
Karen Elizabeth Gordon thinks of the comma as "a delicate kink in time, a pause within
a sentence, a chance to catch your breath.
[At the bottom of the page, the following footnote would appear:
1. Karen Elizabeth Gordon, The New Well-Tempered Sentence: A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993), 21.]
Remember, quote strategically to emphasize your point and NEVER quote simply because
you are unwilling to do the hard work of paraphrasing or discussing the material.
EXCEPTION: If you are writing a paper for a literature class, the guidelines are different. Frequent
quoting of your primary source (story, poem, novel, creative essay, or play) is important
to provide your reader with direct evidence. In other words, you are bringing pertinent
parts of the text into your paper to show that your interpretation is sound and based
on the writer's actual words. For more detailed information on writing about literature,
see our Literary Papers resource.
Remember, your reader (i.e., your professor) is truly engaged and wants to learn what you have discovered. Take the time to make your research interesting and legitimate.
Examples of Summarizing, Paraphrasing and Quoting
Original text from the Journal of Sport Management:
One of the most contentious debates surrounding the indirect effects of athletics
concerns its impact upon non-athletic gifts to universities. The major improvements
of programs at Northwestern in 1995 and Georgia Tech in 1991 prompted speculation
and some anecdotal evidence supporting the argument that athletic success contributes
to additional general giving. However, this evidence and the proposition behind it
has often met strong rebuttal. The reasons behind the challenges are easy to understand;
the likely impacts of athletics on general giving are much harder to unambiguously
assess than are the types of effects we have discussed to date (athletic department
revenues and expenses, media coverage). Moreover, the cause-effect relationships can
be quite ambiguous. Some benefactors are interested in both athletics and general
university welfare but have a fixed amount of money they are willing to donate. In
such cases, increased athletic success may help steer these donors toward athletic
giving and away from general gifts.
On the other hand, greater exposure for a university, whatever its source, may help spur giving across many fronts. The effect that is expected to dominate (athletic vs. general giving) cannot be theoretically determined. Comparisons across empirical studies are complicated by the use of different dependent variables, use of different variables to account for athletic success, different control variables, and a lack of investigation of lag relationships. For example, Baade and Sundberg (1996) try to explain gifts per alumni for 167 schools over an eighteen-year period, Grimes and Chressanthis (1994) consider annual gifts for one school over a thirty-year time frame, and McCormick and Tinsley (1990) estimate the relationship between athletic gifts and general giving. Even if effects are determined using comparable methods for different institutions, the answer as to whether athletic success and athletic giving reduce or increase general giving may depend on the specific university in question as well as the specific circumstances surrounding its athletic success (e.g., how "big" and how novel the success was.). (Goff, 2000, pp. 92-93)
Sample Summary:
According to Goff (2000), there is no conclusive evidence about the relationship between
athletic success and general donations to universities. Athletic success increases
a university鈥榮 exposure, which may attract general gifts, or may instead increase
donations only to athletics, to the detriment of other areas. Determining the effect
athletic success has on general giving has proved to be challenging and occasionally
controversial. Goff explains there is no consistent method for studying this phenomenon,
and that the unique variables at different schools further complicate the results
of any study.
Sample Paraphrase of Paragraph 2:
Goff (2000) points out that athletic success may initiate increased giving to the
university as a whole, but some benefactors may only have an allotted amount of money
for such purposes. In the event that a benefactor is equally interested in the university鈥檚
athletic achievements and the university as a whole, he or she could choose to donate
money in either direction. Since the athletic success highlighted the athletic department,
a benefactor could naturally gravitate toward furthering the success of that department.
In contrast, the athletic success also reflected well on the university as a whole,
and a benefactor could therefore choose to donate money to one or more university
departments. The effect athletic success has on general giving is thus highly variable
and difficult to study.
Sample Quotations:
Goff (2000) contends that "one of the most contentious debates surrounding the indirect
effects of athletics concerns its impact upon non-athletic gifts to universities"
(p. 92).
Goff (2000) maintains that when studying athletic success and general gifts, "the cause-effect relationships can be quite ambiguous." (p. 92).
Here is a short self-help quiz to help students learn how to recognize different forms of sentence-level plagiarism.
Have your students print out and sign the Plagiarism Certificate (PDF) available at the end of the test.
Note: Occasionally, some Mac browsers may fail to upload the Plagiarism Certificate. If you get an error message at the end of this quiz and you cannot print out the Plagiarism Certificate, we suggest you simply print out the error message itself and give it to your instructor. (Instructors, please note that a student cannot get to this error message without successfully completing the entire Plagiarism Quiz.)
An abstract is a quick-reference guide to your paper that can help your readers know what to expect and decide whether or not to read the entire document. In the abstract, you need to introduce the research/experimental problem, describe your main findings/results, and show the significance or implications. 星空传媒 Graduate School recommends an abstract length for theses and dissertations of 250-500 words. For academic classes and journal publications, the limit is frequently 100-200 words. Regardless of word limit, your abstract should be clear, concise, and accurate.
Depending on whether your research is experimental or non-experimental (theoretical), the sections of your document will vary. Consequently, the distribution of information within your abstract will also vary. Your abstract should strictly follow the structure of your paper. For each section, you will write a sentence or two that best summarizes the main point. See the examples below to learn how much you should write about each section of your paper.
Experimental research paper:
Background Nearly a third of employers find their employees do not meet expectations of adequate written communication (Read, 2004, B7). College writing centers, like 星空传媒's Writing and Learning Commons (WaLC), offer a non-threatening place for students to improve their writing and their papers. Hypothesis This study seeks to quantify the benefits received by the WaLC's clients. Methodology In addition to interviews about their experiences, students' average grades (n=50; GPA=2.87) on written coursework were compared before and after a single WaLC appointment. Results 82% of students (n=41) improved their written coursework by at least one letter grade, and 96% of students (n=48) indicated that they found the appointment useful and would return for future assignments. Conclusion This study found that students not only benefit scholastically from writing tutoring but also are willing to return to the WaLC on their own. Writing centers like this need support and funding to continue improving the communication skills of future employees. (155 words)
Non-experimental research paper:
Thesis At best, calls for accountability in America's higher education system have produced mixed results. Background information Standardized testing has been the norm in K-12 schools for nearly twenty years but has only recently become evident in post-secondary education. Various systems in place tend to evaluate quantitative data rather than assess student learning. Focus and scope A review of current literature about different kinds of assessment, how other countries handle accountability, and examples of student-centered accountability can point to possible solutions for this recent call for standardized assessment. Supporting evidence Research based on the programmatic perspective makes up the majority of accountability studies, which are primarily performance-based and overly simplistic. In Europe, however, a pluralist perspective has dominated, particularly in England. In America, some schools have found success with electronic portfolios that demonstrate the quality of student work. Conclusion Since graduation and retention rates do not present an accurate picture of an institution, America's higher education system should consider adopting a pluralist approach like that found in Europe. (159 words)
Verbs are the action of your sentences. Here are some active verbs that you can use!
"Shows, displayes, illustrates"
References a piece of evidence.
Example" "This graph shows the wage disparities based on race and gender."
"Reflects, relates to"
Introduces an idea that's tangentially related to another one.
Example: "This statement reflects the speaker's interest in worker's rights.
"Clarifies, elucidates"
References something that is being explained more simply.
Example: "This answer clarifies the candidate's stance on drilling regulations."
"Explains, defines"
Gives a description of an idea
Example: "As Smith explains on page 6,'鈥�."
"Opposes, contrasts"
Talk about ideas that are in disagreement
Example: "Flores opposes this idea when he says, '鈥︹��"
The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to concisely and accurately give readers an understanding of the content and usefulness of the listed texts. Depending on the compiler鈥檚 purpose, an annotated bibliography may or may not include subjective words or opinions.
Use the steps to compile an annotated bibliography.
Look at Examples
Consider these three examples. Note the differences in each documentation style: MLA, APA, and Chicago.
Example 1: MLA Style*
Ward, Annalee R. Mouse Morality: The Rhetoric of Disney Animated Film. Austin, TX: Texas UP, 2002. Print.
In this forthright book, communications Professor Annalee Ward questions the Disney corporation's motives in teaching a very slanted sort of morality. She analyzes the moral content of The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Hercules, and Pocahontas. In her critique of The Lion King, Ward says that although when Simba and Nala are young, Nala is the "quicker and stronger" of the two, as adults they find themselves in the stereotypical gender roles, where "[Nala's] role is strictly that of helpmate" (19). Suitable for a high school audience. Pref., Notes, Index, 181 pp.
*The first line of each entry is flush with the left margin. The second line and any subsequent lines are indented 陆 inch. Use the MS Word Format Paragraph function to create hanging indentations. (Formatting issues on our website prevent us from using the hanging indent.)
Example 2: APA Style
Watts, S. (1997). The magic kingdom: Walt Disney and the American way of life. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Steven Watts, Department of History chair at the University of Missouri, presents a thorough account of the clashes and controversies, as well as the many colorful triumphs, of Walt Disney as creator of the Mouse, studio chief, family man, and dreamer. This book also explores the connection between global events, such as World War II, and happenings in Disney's fantasy world. The work focuses on Disney's "bold moves in animation, live- action films, and the [then] new medium of television" (Watts, 1997, p. 285).
Example 3: Chicago Style
Cornell, T.J. The Beginnings of Rome. London: Routledge, 1995.
True to its name, this book offers excellent accounts for the early Roman state. While covering some of the same topics discussed in Bloch鈥檚 The Origins of Rome, Cornell covers every major aspect of Roman life from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars that raged from 1000 BC to 264 BC. Cornell begins by examining the sources we use for determining how things were in the early Roman period. He then goes into a somewhat lengthy discussion about the origins of Rome, followed by the rise of the Roman city-states, early reforms, and the beginnings of the Roman Republic. This, like Bloch鈥檚 work, is an in-depth look at the early Roman states that gives the reader a full view of what early Rome looked like and how it functioned.
Analyze the Content
Summarize and analyze the content of the sources, one by one, defining the purpose, main topics, scope, and significant features. List this information on the corresponding note card. Significant features might include the use of illustrations, footnotes, examples, and bibliographies, as well as the suitability of the material to the intended audience. To determine the purpose, main points and scope, scan the table of contents, the introduction and conclusion, headings, and bullet points, etc.
Format the Entry
Format your entry like the examples above. Use our MLA, APA, and Chicago formatting guides to appropriately cite each source; those guides can be found here.
WaLC Thesis Tutoring
WaLC writing tutors are trained to work with you to make your writing better. However, the WaLC is not designed to edit your thesis or proofread your entire draft. If you would like thesis help, contact the Writing and Learning Commons in the beginning stages and decide on a schedule to work with a writing tutor for an hour at a time throughout your process.
In addition to on-campus writing tutoring, 星空传媒 students have access to BrainFuse, an online tutoring option. To gain access to BrainFuse, contact Distance and Online Programs at distance@wcu.edu.
Thesis Writing Workshop
Thesis Writing 101: Tips and Tricks for a Successful Thesis
This presentation gives an overview of the thesis writing process from choosing an
advisor and a topic to writing and revising a long written project. Participants will
actively brainstorm and discuss their ideas, fears, and writing habits. After the
workshop, students should have a basic understanding of the components of a thesis
and the tasks they should prepare for as they begin their research.
Visit our Workshop page to request this presentation (please allow two weeks between the time of your request and your preferred workshop date).
the Prezi for this workshop.
Books on Thesis Writing
The Writing and Learning Commons (WaLC) has a library of resources available for graduate students. Visit us in Belk 207 and ask our Writing Manager about browsing our selection:
Joan Bolker, Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day
Yvonne Bui, How to Write a Master's Thesis
Irene Clark, Writing the Successful Thesis or Dissertation
Joyner, Rouse, and Glatthorn, Writing the Winning Thesis or Dissertation
Lunenburg and Irby, Writing a Successful Thesis or Dissertation
David Madsen, Successful Dissertations and Theses
Evelyn Ogden, Completing Your Dissertation in Two Semesters or Less
Waring and Kearins, Thesis Survivor Stories
星空传媒 Graduate School
Don't forget... the Graduate School has a plethora of resources just for you! More Information.
Research Papers
Develop a manageable focus by creating a useful research question. Read your assignment carefully to make sure your topic is appropriate for the assignment. Is your topic too small and specific, or is it too broad and unwieldy? Consider the differences among the following topics: the global consequences of climate change (too big), the effect of climate change on the anopheles mosquito (too small), and the effect of climate change on the spread of malaria (just right).
A good way to develop a manageable topic is by creating an interesting question related to your assignment that you can answer within the page requirement. Choosing a focused question within a broad research assignment, a question you actually want to answer, makes researching not only more manageable but more compelling.
Good research involves collecting a few sources more than the minimum requirement, so that later you can choose the best sources to answer your research question. Remember to capture all potentially useful information for your bibliography: authors, titles, volume and issue numbers for periodicals, dates of publication, and page numbers or their equivalent (section headings on a website, for example). Know which documentation style your instructor requires: MLA, APA, Turabian, or AMA.
When choosing sources, be aware of the differences between primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are "original works of art or literature or are evidence provided directly by an observer of an event" (Palmquist 148). Secondary sources, on the other hand, "comment on or interpret an event, often using primary sources as evidence" (150). These distinctions are important to consider because primary sources allow you to reach your own conclusions; whereas, secondary sources offer you the conclusions of other researchers, including their unacknowledged biases or hidden purposes (150). If appropriate to your assignment, include as many primary sources as possible to make your argument more persuasive.
Wikipedia can be a good place to start, but using library resources will transform you from a pseudo-researcher into a legitimate researcher. Visit Hunter Library鈥檚 Research Help and Reference page for assistance. If you prefer to talk with someone in person, visit the Reference Desk, to the left of Java City Caf茅. Reference librarians are friendly, knowledgeable, and able to help you navigate a variety of useful resources. Most importantly, consulting a reference librarian saves you from wasting time and energy on unproductive searches. A reference librarian also can help you adjust your research question if finding sources becomes problematic.
Summarizing and paraphrasing works well for most research papers because explaining information and ideas in your own words demonstrates that you understand the material. Exceptions to this guideline include literature papers and history papers that require numerous quotations from primary texts.
Effective paraphrasing requires careful reading of the original material, looking up words you don鈥檛 understand, and writing your paraphrase while you are not looking at the original. For more detailed guidelines on to how take effective notes, read the Writing and Learning Commons' resource on Avoiding Plagiarism.
Using your research question, consider the categories of information your reader will need to understand and appreciate your educated response. Common categories include background information; reasons to support or not support a position, evidence for or against a position, examples, and the 鈥渨ho, what, where, when, and why鈥� of a situation or event. Spending time categorizing your notes will help you write your paper faster and better.
Try out one of the strategies below:
Using note cards, write down one summarized, paraphrased, or quoted point per note card. Clearly identify each information note card at the top with a short version of its category, source, and page number. You may also consider using a color code system to organize your note cards by topic/category. Move your cards around on a table to illustrate the structure of your paper.
If you prefer using colored highlighters and a photocopy of an article or chapter, assign one color to each of your categories, and then read your photocopy, categorizing information by color as you go.
If you prefer to store your notes electronically, create a Word folder for your paper and then create one Word document for each category, titling the document by its category. As you read your sources, type each summarized, paraphrased, or quoted point and its citation information into its appropriate Word document. Store all documents in the folder.
A working thesis statement tentatively answers your guiding research question. A working thesis statement might read, 鈥淏uddhism can offer several surprising strategies to the 21st Century American college student.鈥�
As you revise your paper through different stages, you may adjust your working thesis. Our final Buddhism thesis might read, 鈥淎lthough Buddhism developed in a particular time and place, it still offers surprisingly useful strategies to the American Millennial college student.鈥�
An outline is simply a way to organize your thoughts before you begin to write your first draft鈥攁 roadmap as formal and detailed or as informal and rough as you like. Here, your note categories come in handy. Put yourself in your reader鈥檚 position and use your common sense. What does the reader need to know first before moving on to the next topic?
Writing your paper is a work in progress. The first sentences on the computer screen should not be perfect as soon as you write them. If you have allowed yourself enough time, your paper can be revised and fine-tuned multiple times. Give the draft to your instructor or visit the Writing and Learning Commons. Call 227-2274 or make your appointment online in plenty of time to see a tutor; crunch times come at mid-semester and end of semester. Do not be surprised if you are invited to make major adjustments to your paper or if entire sections of your paper need to be rewritten. Revising is a normal process for successful researchers/writers. Finally, review your paper for punctuation, grammar, and spelling errors before you print your final draft.
Works Cited:
Palmquist, Mike. The Bedford Researcher: An Integrated Text, CD-Rom, and Web site. Boston: Bedford/St. Marin's, 2003. Print.
Singh, Simon. Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe. New York: Harper Collins, 2004. Print.
