Welcome to the Purdue OWL

How to Use the OWL

There are many features of the new Purdue OWL. Learn all about using them here; you can find answers to common questions about the OWL at our FAQ. 

The Toolbar

Most of the functionality of new OWL pages can be controlled through the toolbar at the bottom of OWL pages.

Image Caption: Each of these icons has a specific function, which you can learn about below.

The toolbar appears on all OWL writing and Engagement resources, and allows you to:

• display all sections of a handout for easy printing
• request making copies for a class, workshop, etc.
• tell the OWL staff about your link to our pages
• provide feedaback, report a typographical or other content error

Printing OWL Resources

All pages on the new OWL are printable (and actually look nothing like the pages you see on screen—but work well as printed documents).

Image Caption: Clicking this icon will assemble all sections of a handout for one-click printing.

However, because our longer handouts are broken up over multiple pages for easy viewing and linking (and more precise search results), we offer a way to view all of a resource's sections at once for one-click printing. When you print off a copy, you must include the full legal notice that appears at the resource's end.

For users of the old OWL who were used to being able to download PDFs: we're not currently offering PDFs of our material. Users may, of course, make their own PDFs for personal use—though we do not allow reposting of our content in any electronic form.

Requesting to Copy OWL Resources

The Purdue OWL is meant to help teachers. While we strongly encourage you to link to OWL rather than print off material, we understand that there are situations where printed copies are required.

Image Caption: Clicking this icon will open an email form to request making multiple copies of a handout.

In most cases (unless you're requesting more than 200 copies or are charging participants for a workshop or some similar event), you may photocopy OWL materials for free. However, we ask that you please contact us for one-time permission to do so.

When you photocopy OWL resources, you must include the full legal notice that appears at the resource's end. Remember that we do NOT allow any reposting of our content, in original or modified forms, in any electronic format. See our Fair Use Policy for additional details.

Linking to OWL Resources

Linking to OWL and OWL resources is absolutely free and encouraged!

Image Caption: Clicking this icon will open an email form to tell OWL when you link to a page.

However, we do like hearing from users about the pages they're linking to—keeping numbers on this type of activity helps us to demonstrate the worth of OWL to the world community. Our contact form also allows you to include the URL of your page you're linking to us from—just because we enjoy seeing the kinds of sites instructors, students, and others are building that link to OWL.

Offering Feedback on the OWL and Reporting Errors

We value your feedback on the Purdue OWL. Please send your comments and suggstions to the Purdue OWL Coordinator here. Report technical issues to the Purdue OWL Webmaster here.

Still have questions? Contact the OWL staff.

Tell the OWL You're Requesting Copies of This Resource Tell the OWL You're Linking to This Resource