Student Links

There are a vast number of informative web sites on the World Wide Web that offer assistance to writers at all stages of the writing process.

Online Journals and Texts

Edith Garland Dupre Library This site for the library of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette contains relevant links to research. The library subscribes to online databases, journals, and other resources that can be used for University of Louisiana students and faculty. The “Instructional Guides and Tutorials” page provides information on MLA and APA styles, as well as information on evaluating Web sources, distinguishing between scholarly and non-scholarly sources, and avoiding plagiarism.

Writing Assistance

Common Errors in English In understandable terms, this site explains the differences between words that are often confused for one another.

• Self-Study ESL Quizzes: Numerous quizzes, exercises, and puzzles to help students studying English as a second language.
• Merriam-Webster Online: One can easily check spelling or find synonyms with this online version of the popular Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus.
• University of Minnesota's Online Grammar Handbook is, according to the site, “a highly useful directory of links that lead to literally millions of online materials about writing, grammar, argument, literature, reading and thinking, and many other writing-related subjects." It claims that it provides “more resources about college writing than almost any other writing resource on the web.”
• Purdue University's Online Writing Lab provides help with writing projects of all kinds, including resumes, memos, technical reports, letters, and essays (in all disciplines). It also provides a wealth of resources on the mechanics of writing. Students will find the pages devoted to MLA and APA citation styles particularly helpful.
• The Excelsior OWL is a free resources that has a wide array of resources for students and faculty alike. It contains 23 content areas covering writing and reading with a variety of engaging multimedia resources and tools for customizing content.
• Grammar Bytes is a collection of Exercises, Handouts, Presentations, Videos, and Tip Sheets for students looking for a fun way to learn the rules of grammar and mechanics.
• The Tips and Tools page of the  Writing Center of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill has a wealth of writing assistance and resources. 

Citing/Formatting Guidelines

• MLA Style and APA Style: These sites from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab contain guidelines for these two popular styles of documentation.
• You can find the APA's Style and Grammar Guidelines here.
• The APA Style Blog is a great place to keep up to date with APA (and a place to ask questions, too). See also The Q and A at The Transition to Seventh Edition APA Style.
• APA Style 7th edition: Some changes you need to know (My Bib).
• MLA Online: The Modern Language Association's site contains basic information on MLA documentation style and tips for using the style.
• American Psychological Association (APA): The American Psychological Association's site contains basic information on APA documentation style and tips for using the style. This link takes you to a video tutorial on APA style.
• Hamersly Library at Western Oregon University provides a sample paper in AMA style (American Medical Association Style). There is also this style guide from the University of Washington.
• AMA Style: The Purdue OWL also provides basic help for students writing in disciplines that require the American Medical Association style.
• Necessities in Academics: An Educational Guide to Citation Styles: This helpful site offers links that address a variety of concerns regarding citation styles across a variety of fields and professions.
• Citation Guides (Dupre Library): Dupre Library has copies of all of the major style guides at the Reference Desk. The Dupre staff have also put together a list of citation managers that students can explore, including Zotero and Mendeley, both of which are free.
• Avoiding Plagiarism: The OWL at Purdue provides an excellent discussion of this subject, with examples and suggested “Safe Practices” for writers.
• The Excelsior OWL has a multimedia presentation on Avoiding Plagiarism that students and instructors will find helpful.