One of the challenges students face is learning to comply with writing style guide expectations as they write papers in college. Resources for writing following guidelines including APA, MLA and Chicago Manual of Style are covered in this lens.
Even in the business world, writing style guides can play an important role in creating consistent branding. Style guides for journalists are also important. These and other writing resources, such as grammar sites are also here.
Tools for Citing Sources
- Knight Cite
- Citation generator for APA, MLA and Chicago Manual of Style - formatted citation of sources used.
- APA Guide
- Step by step APA instructions
My recommended Del.icio.us! Links
Useful for students
Quick References for Style Guides
- APA Style Guide Quick Reference
- APA Style Guide Quick Reference
- Modern Language Association (MLA): Format, Bibliography, Style, Convention
- Founded in 1883 by teachers and scholars, the Modern Language Association (MLA) promotes the study and teaching of language and literature.
- The Writers Block. Writing resources for the students at PVCC
- Communications and Humanities | PVCC
The Categories: Grammars, Style Manuals, and Writers' Guides Dictionaries and Thesa
Style Guides on Amazon
The Essentials of MLA Style: A Guide to Documentation for Writers of Research Papers
Amazon Price: $8.80 (as of 09/06/2008)
The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers (14th Edition)
Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
Pocket Guide to APA Style
Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
Franklin Covey Style Guide for Business and Technical Communication
Amazon Price: $29.97 (as of 09/06/2008)
American Medical Association Manual of Style : A Guide for Authors and Editors (AMA)
Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting
Amazon Price: $38.21 (as of 09/06/2008)
When Words Collide: A Media Writer's Guide to Grammar and Style (with InfoTrac®) (Wadsworth Series in Mass Communication and Journalism)
Amazon Price: $60.25 (as of 09/06/2008)
Read Me First! A Style Guide for the Computer Industry (2nd Edition)
Amazon Price: $32.70 (as of 09/06/2008)
More of my Del.icio.us! Writing Links
Special Style Guides
- Plain Language Principles and Thesaurus for Making HIPAA Privacy Notices More Readable
- Patient-friendly, HIPAA-Compliant style guide for medical authorization and disclosure documents.
- The Economist Full Style Guide
- Full Style guide from The Economist
- Basic Legal Citation (LII 2006)
- Research and Documentation Online
- This list of Research and Documentation specialty style guides describes four commonly used systems of documentation: MLA, used in English and the humanities; APA, used in psychology and the social sciences; Chicago, used in history and some humanities; and CSE, used in biology and other
- Design Observer: writings about design & culture
- Michael Bierut
This is My Process"As you walk past cobbler shop, hook (A) strikes suspended boot (B), causing it to kick football (C) through goal posts (D). Football drops into basket (E) and string (F) tilts sprinkling can, (G) causing water to soak coat tails (H). As coat shrinks, cord (I) ope
Writing Resources on Amazon
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Amazon Price: $9.60 (as of 09/06/2008)
Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace (2nd Edition)
Amazon Price: $14.28 (as of 09/06/2008)
Strategies for Successful Writing: A Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader and Handbook (7th Edition)
Amazon Price: (as of 09/06/2008)
Writing Essays About Literature: A Guide and Style Sheet
Amazon Price: $60.25 (as of 09/06/2008)
The Areas of My Expertise
Amazon Price: $11.20 (as of 09/06/2008)
Grammar Blog
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University Resources for Academic Programs
- ASU Thesis/Dissertation Preparation: Using Style Guides
- Using Style Guides The Importance of the Style Guide
Writers of theses, dissertations, or their equivalents must follow a standard... - ASU Thesis Format Guide Table of Contents
- Step by step process for ASU Thesis Submission from Arizona State University Graduate Studies Department
- Writers' Resources
- GCC Writers' Resources On-Campus Help, Library Resources, Guide to Composition, Sample Essays, Literature Web Source-Based Writing Writing Guides, Finding Topics and
Sources, Plagiarism, Copyright, Evaluating Sources Documentation Guides All Styles
Essay Writing How to Write an Essay - EditorialStyle030204
- Resources
Contents
Index
The Department
of University Publications is charged with setting University editorial
style and keeping publications consistent so that they present a positive
image of the University. Editorial style helps all divisions, depart - George Orwell: 12 Writing Tips
- George Orwell: 12 Writing Tips
New Word of the Day
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For Writing Teachers
- TRC Writing Project Grid
- The Teaching Resources Center Writing Project
by Andy Jones
This is an excellent collection of links to content about writing in an easy to use table format.
semantics, inc.
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DMOZ Links
- Focusing on Words
- Subscription-based site for vocabulary development, showcasing the Latin and Greek roots of English words.
- The Economist Style Guide
- Guide based on the style book given to all journalists at The Economist.
- The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing
- Popular, award-winning online writing guide. Authoritative help with research, style, structure, major citation styles, mechanics, and revision.
- 11 Rules of Writing
- Concise guide to some of the most frequently violated rules of writing, punctuation, and grammar.
- Acronym Finder
- Searchable database of 80,000+ acronyms and meanings. Covers: common acronyms, computers, technology, government, telecommunications, and military acronyms.
- WordWizard
- Portal for word lovers. Learn about word meanings, slang, quotations, insults, and famous authors. Wordwizard offers a round trip across the English language.
- Bartleby.com: Strunk's Element of Style (1918)
- For use in English courses in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature. It aims to give in brief space the principal requirements of plain English style.
- Writing For Multimedia
- Michael Butzgy's style guide for multimedia.
- Cliche Finder
- Special tool word-searches 3,300 cliches.
- Cliche
- List of 2000 English cliches with some statistical and literary notes on their use.
- Paradigm Online Writing Assistant
- Help in discovering, organizing, revising, and editing informal, thesis, argumentative, and exploratory essays.
- Online Classes in Rhetoric, University of Minnesota
- The University of Minnesota offers a number of Internet correspondence courses in rhetoric. Sign up here.
- Rhetorical Figures
- From alliteration to zeugma, and everything in between, all the figures of speech are here.
- Word Fugitives
- An interactive column by The Atlantic's Barbara Wallraff. Discovers needs in our language and recommends new words to fill them.
- Word Lab
- A message board where you can request and brainstorm unique words, names, titles, coinages, puns, phrases, slogans and slang.
- Cliche Site
- Clich? sayings or phrases listed with definitions and explanations. Clich?are organized by subject and alphabetically and you can use the search function.
- The Tongue Untied
- Grammar, punctuation and style for journalists.
- Modern Language Association
- The Modern Language Association is the official guide to non-fiction writing. The site includes a guide to MLA style.
- Good Grammar, Good Style
- Articles and answers to frequently asked questions about grammar, mechanics, and style. Links and bibliography.
- KCI: Reader Based Writing Style Guide
- Designed to help you bulletproof your writing. Extensive, alphabetical index of points of style.
- Guide to Grammar and Writing
- Digital handouts on grammar and English usage. From subject-verb agreement and use of articles to exercises in parallel structures and argumentative essays. You can submit questions about grammar and writing.
- Guide to Grammar and Style
- The information ranges from copy editing to elements of style to discussions. Practical information about the writing craft.
- The Book of Cliches
- A compilation of common phrases, euphemisms, and rationales for times of trouble. Organized by occasion.
- The Word Centre
- Consulting firm dedicated to training businesses to use plain English. Free newsletter and professional editing services.
- NoodleBib - The MLA Bibliography Composer
- A free tool to create, edit, and save your MLA-style bibliography online, then publish it to a Web page, email it, or save it as RTF and open it in Microsoft Word.
- SoYouWanna Avoid Common Writing Errors
- We compiled a list of the most common writing errors people tend to make. This is not a primer on grammar or essay-writing. This is a checklist of things which you might well do and which you must stop doing.
- E-dition: Dictionary of Concise Writing
- A look at word usage in popular culture. The Dictionary of Concision is a complete manual of several thousand wordy phrases.
- Grammar Slammer
- This help file indexes style and usage, capitalization, abbreviations, punctuation, letter writing, common mistakes and a grammar glossary.
- Common Errors in English
- Catalogue of writing or speaking mistakes and easily confusable words, with corrections.
- Plain English Campaign
- An independent group fighting for plain English in public communication. We oppose gobbledygook, jargon and legalese.
- Bartleby.com: The Columbia Guide to Standard American English
- Kenneth G. Wilson's handbook includes descriptive and prescriptive examples with hyperlinked cross-references.
- Top20Composition.com
- Online directory for grammar, spelling, punctuation, research, creative writing, and proofreading resources.
- Dr. NAD's Prig Page.
- Tests of usage, built interactively.
- Guides for Better Science Writing
- Bibliography of style manuals for scientific research, writing, and presentation. Guides for biology, medicine, chemistry, engineering, geology, and mathematics.
- Macedon's Taberna: The Craft of Writing
- Commentary on various technical aspects of writing: the nuts and bolts of narrative.
- That's Right Words
- Articles about grammar information and hints. New Zealand site. Errs on the side of "correctness," not that of modern usage.
- The Sports Cliche List
- A large, searchable collection of sports cliches, lingo, and jargon.
- Deadwood Phrases
- Prune the deadwood phrases from your writing. Site lists the worst from A to Z.
- Linguistic Phenomena/Devices
- A list of lesser-known features in English writing. Hendiadys, holonyms, and hypernyms.
- Frequently Asked Questions about English
- Answers to common questions about usage, style, grammar and punctuation.
- Words, Words, and More Words
- Discussions and articles concerning words.
- Suite 101: Communications Skills
- Archive of articles covering writing and speaking skills, with emphasis on clear communication, basic design, communicating with international and multicultural audiences.
- CBC News: Words, Woe & Wonder
- An in-depth look at the words we use from CBC News.
- Suite101: English Grammar and Style
- Archive of articles about English grammar and style.
- Exploring English
- An online tutorial for the parts of speech with style notes for the English Language.
- A.Word.ADay
- The music and magic of words. This is the website for the mailing list A.Word.A.Day (AWAD), which sends a vocabulary word and its definition to the subscribers every day.
- The Wonderful Writing Skills Unhandbook
- An interactive site that uses the writing process to teach writing skills.
- Pseudo Dictionary
- The dictionary for words that wouldn't make it into dictionaries.
- Verbage
- If you are looking for just the right word, you may find it here. If not, you can suggest your own.
- AskOxford.com
- For questions on English grammar, spelling, and usage. Search a dictionary of words, names or quotations.
- Language Wrangler
- Provocative essays on word usage, writing ideas and style.
- Glossarist.com
- A searchable directory of thousands of glossaries and topical dictionaries containing terms and definitions on hundreds of subjects.
- Plain Language Action Network
- Promoting clearer communication between the public and government. This site has resources for writers to attain that goal.
- The Philosophy of Punctuation
- Paul Robinson's classic essay on periods, commas, semicolons, dashes.
- How to Write an Explication
- Step-by-step directions to writing an explication. Good and bad examples provided.
- Phrases Thesaurus
- A generator of headlines and copy for journalists. Enter a word and the database is searched to provide a list of phrases related to that word.
- Word Quests
- Word lists that provide thematic units of English words derived from Latin and Greek sources.
- Yale Style Manual
- For the design of Web pages and Web sites. Covers graphic and information design, page layout, Web graphics, site organization, navigation, and Web multimedia content.
- Wordiness
- A list of words and phrases to purge from your writing.
- A Research Guide for Students
- How to write research papers, and do presentations. Virtual library of links arranged by Dewey Decimal Classification.
- NLRB Style Manual
- A guide for legal writing in plain English.
- Garbl's Editorial Style Manual
- Provides advice on abbreviations, capitalization, grammar, numbers, plurals, possessives, punctuation, spelling and word usage.
- World Wide Words
- Explores the history, evolution byways, quirks, and curiosities of the English language. New and recent words and phrases are often featured, as are books on aspects of English. A weekly newsletter is sent by e-mail and RSS.
- SecretariesUSA.com
- Reference for the home and corporate office, including capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, sentence structure, forms of address, abbreviations, letter styles, and business forms.
- Findaphrase.com
- Free phrase database to help journalists, copywriters and content editors search common phrases.
- Einfoweb: Punctuation and Grammar
- Help on punctuation and another page on grammar.
- Wired Style
- Notes on the emerging language of technology. Reference and discussion tool. Last updated 1997.
- Crazy Colour Writing Skills Handbook
- Includes useful tips to help your spelling including homophones, words often misspelled, a dictionary search, an introduction to fingerspelling. Grammar, spelling and writing style guide.
- Wordelizer
- Delve deeply into a word or subject. Quick search of several word and language related sites.
- The Visual Thesaurus
- An exploration of sense relationships within the English language. By clicking on words, you follow a thread of meaning, creating a spatial map of linguistic associations.
- Society for the Preservation of English Language and Literature
- Bimonthly publication, SPELL/Binder, contains articles on grammar, usage, word origins, and other subjects of interest to language lovers.
- Writer's Dreamtools
- A series of useful tools to enhance writers' and students' creativity, spark ideas and fight writer's block.
- Ewriting
- Easy to learn electronic writing style that will speed up email and online chatroom discussions.
- Correct Punctuation
- A brief guide to correct English punctuation.
- The Well Bred Sentence
- This book offers an intensive course in sentence construction and punctuation.
- Braintique: The Natural Way to Write
- A process and system for helping people become better writers. The site includes exercises, examples, and information about descriptive writing and metaphors.
- Ralph's Manual of Style
- A guide to style, grammar, usage, and more by a guy named Ralph.
- Lingo Factory
- A cooperative effort to coin useable terms and then trick people into using them regularly as though they are real words.
- Tribe: Words of Power
- For people who love words, use them, feel them in their mouths as flavorful bursts of energy. This is the tribe for fun with words and receptive learning.
- Tribe: Word Freaks
- Group for people who love discussing words and writing style.
- Tribe: Linguistics
- Group for discussions of words and language.
- Word Rogues
- Tips on writing, English, and grammar. This site also contains active community college English syllabii and links to other writing, grammar sites.
- The Word Nerds
- A weekly podcast about words, language, and why we say the things we do.
- Verbivore
- Richard Lederer's page, with contact information and a handful of his language-loving articles.
Writing resources on Amazon
Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)
Amazon Price: $12.64 (as of 09/06/2008)
Brisingr (Inheritance, Book 3)
Amazon Price: $15.13 (as of 09/06/2008)
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
Amazon Price: $25.15 (as of 09/06/2008)
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