Welcome to Purdue OWL Engagement

The Writing Process

Developing an Outline

Why and How to Create a Useful Outline

Types of Outlines and Samples

Introductions, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusions for Exploratory Papers

Organizing an Exploratory Essay

Prewriting (Invention)

Prewriting (Invention) General Questions

More Prewriting (Invention) Questions

Writer's Block/ Writer's Anxiety

Other Strategies for Getting Over Writer's Block

Professional, Technical, and Job Search Writing

Academic Cover Letters

Academic Cover Letter Sample

Action Verbs to Describe Skills, Jobs, and Accomplishments in Employment Documents

Categorized List of Action Verbs

Audience Analysis

The Development Stage

Reading and Action Stage

Business Letters: Accentuating the Positives

Cover Letter Presentation

Cover Letter Workshop

Cover Letter Workshop - What to Include

Cover Letter Workshop - Formatting and Organization

Cover Letters 1: Quick Tips

Quick Content Tips for Cover Letters

Quick Formatting Tips for Cover Letters

Should I show off my knowledge of the company?

What should I do before sending off my cover letter?

Cover Letters 2: Preparing to Write a Cover Letter

How do I read job advertisements carefully?

How do I research corporate websites?

How do I talk to insiders of the company?

How do I refer to my university's career center?

What if I do not have a qualification the employer is seeking?

Cover Letters 3: Writing Your Cover Letter

To whom do I address my letter?

What do I include in my introduction?

What do I include in my argument/body?

What do I include in my closing?

Designing an Effective PowerPoint Presentation

Part 1: Before You Start

Part 2: Design Principles

Part 3: Practical Guides

Effective Workplace Writing

Application

Glossary and References

Participatory Design

Email Etiquette for Students

Example Employment Documents

Handbook on Report Formats

Purposes and Types of Report Formats

Informal Lab Reports, Short Memo or Letter Reports

Checklist for Reports

Sections of Reports

The Report Body

The Report Abstract and Executive Summary

Mechanical Elements of Reports

HATS: A Design Procedure for Routine Business Documents

INDOT Workshop Resources for Engineers

INDOT Five Principles of Readability Slide Presentation

INDOT Five Principles of Readability Handout

INDOT Paramedic Method Slide Presentation

INDOT Paramedic Method Handout

INDOT Adjective Issues for ESL Writers Slide Presentation

INDOT Adjective Issues for ESL Writers Handout

INDOT Intra-Paragraph Organization for ESL Writers Slide Presentation

INDOT Intra-Paragraph Organization for ESL Writers Handout

INDOT Verb Use for ESL Writers Slide Presentation

INDOT Verb Use for ESL Writers Handout

INDOT Macro Level Cohesion Slide Presentation

INDOT Macro Level Cohesion Handout

INDOT Micro Level Cohesion Slide Presentation

INDOT Micro Level Cohesion Handout

INDOT Concise Language Presentation

INDOT Eliminating Unnecessary Words Handout

INDOT Parallelism Handout

INDOT Document Design Presentation

INDOT Poster Design Handout

INDOT Group Work and Report Planning Presentation

INDOT Group Work and Report Planning Handout

INDOT Writing Proposals Handout

INDOT Annotated Sample Documents

Job Acceptance Letter Presentation

Job Skills Checklist

Journalism and Journalistic Writing

Associated Press Style

Media Ethics

The Inverted Pyramid Structure

How to Write a Lead

Letters Concerning Employment

Applicant Request For a Reference

Follow-up to an Interview

Inquiry about Cover Letter and Resume

Follow-Up After No Response to our Interview

Acceptance Letter

Rejection of Job Offer

Request for Further Negotiations

Letter When You Receive a Rejection

Thank You Letters

Management Resumes

Medical Writing

Medical Writing Sample: Original Scholarly Article

Medical Writing Sample: Revised Article

Medical Writing Sample: Reporting on a Conference Presentation

Memo Writing

Parts of a Memo

Format

Sample Memo

Model Letters for Various Purposes

Model for Writing a Request for Further Negotiations

Model for Writing a Reply to a Rejection

Model for Writing an Inquiry about a Cover Letter and Resume

Model for Rejecting a Job Offer

Model for Acceptance Letter

Model for Writing a Reference Request Letter

Model for Follow-up to an Interview Letter

Parallel Structure in Professional Writing

Prioritizing Your Concerns for Effective Business Writing

Later Order Concerns: Does Your Document Look Professional?

Prioritizing Your Concerns for Effective Business Writing

Reference Sheets

Resume Design

Resume Presentation

Resume Workshop

Education Section

Experience Section

Honors and Activities Section

Resume Workshop Presentation

Resumes 1: Introduction to Resumes

Resumes 2: Resume Sections

Education Section

Work Experience Section

Resumes 3: When to Use Two Pages or More

Resumes 4: Scannable Resumes

General Guidelines on Preparing a Scannable Resume

Revision in Business Writing

Language: Revising for Conciseness and Clarity

Tone: Tailoring Language to Your Audience

Organization and Correctness

Sales Letters: Four Point Action Closing

Scannable Resumes Presentation

Tailoring Employment Documents For a Specific Audience

How do I tailor an employment document to an audience?

Addressing Audience

Tips & Terms for the International Student's Job Search

Tone in Business Writing

Visual Rhetoric: Analyzing Visual Documents

Elements of Analysis

Organizing Your Analysis

Writing a Job Acceptance Letter

Writing a White Paper

White Paper: Organization and Other Tips

Writing for an Indian Business Audience

Writing for an Indian Business Audience: Samples

Writing Report Abstracts

Writing Scientific Abstracts Presentation

Writing the Basic Business Letter

Sample Letters

Writing the Curriculum Vitae

Writing the Personal Statement

Examples of Successful Statements

Advice from Admissions Representatives

Personal Statement: Top 10 Rules and Pitfalls

General Academic Writing

Adding Emphasis in Writing

Punctuation Marks for Achieving Emphasis

Choice and Arrangement of Words for Achieving Emphasis

Sentence and Clause Arrangement for Emphasis

Annotated Bibliographies

Annotated Bibliography Example

Annotated Bibliography Samples

Avoiding Plagiarism

Is It Plagiarism Yet?

Safe Practices

Safe Practices: An Exercise

Best Practices for Teachers

Color Theory Presentation

Conciseness

Eliminating Words

Changing Phrases

Things to Avoid

Creating a Thesis Statement

Database Research Tutorials from the Purdue Library

Email Etiquette for Professors

Essay Writing

The Expository Essay

The Descriptive Essay

The Narrative Essay

The Argumentative Essay

Establishing Arguments

Using Research and Evidence

Organizing Your Argument

Using Rhetorical Strategies for Persuasion

Guidelines for Fair Use

Introductions, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusions for Argument Papers

Body Paragraphs

Rebuttal Sections

Conclusions

Invention Presentation

Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism

Moral Criticism and Dramatic Construction (~360 BC-present)

Formalism (1930s-present)

Psychoanalytic Criticism (1930s-present)

Marxist Criticism (1930s-present)

Reader-Response Criticism (1960s-present)

Structuralism and Semiotics (1920s-present)

Post-Structuralism, Deconstruction, Postmodernism (1966-present)

New Historicism, Cultural Studies (1980s-present)

Post-Colonial Criticism (1990s-present)

Feminist Criticism (1960s-present)

Gender Studies and Queer Theory (1970s-present)

Logic in Argumentative Writing

Using Logic

Logical Fallacies

Using Logic in Writing

Does Logic Always Work?

Improprieties

Organizing Your Argument Presentation

Paragraphs & Paragraphing

Paragraphing (Length Consistency)

Paramedic Method: A Lesson in Writing Concisely

Peer Review Presentation

Proofreading Your Writing

Finding Common Errors

Suggestions for Proofreading Your Paper

Revising for Cohesion

Steps for Revising Your Paper

Punctuation

Punctuation in Types of Sentences

Purdue OWL Flash Movies

Purdue OWL Podcasts

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words

Sample essay for Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting

Reverse Outlining: An Exercise for Taking Notes and Revising Your Work

Reverse Paramedic Method

Sentence Variety

Sentence Types

For Short, Choppy Sentences

For Repeated Subjects or Topics

For Similar Sentence Patterns or Rhythms

Starting the Writing Process

Stasis Theory

Stasis Theory for Research

Stasis Theory for Teamwork

The Rhetorical Situation

The Rhetorical Situation: Audience and Text

The Rhetorical Situation: Context, Environment, Setting

The Rhetorical Situation: Example 1

The Rhetorical Situation: Example 2

The Rhetorical Situation: Conclusion

Transitions and Transitional Devices

Transitional Devices

Understanding Writing Assignments

Using Appropriate Language

Levels of Formality

Group Jargon

Deceitful Language and Euphemisms

Stereotypes and Biased Language

Appropriate Pronoun Usage

Using Fonts with Purpose

Font Features

Font Personality

Additional Tips for Using Fonts

Visual Rhetoric

Visual Rhetoric: Text Elements

Visual Rhetoric: Color

Visual Rhetoric: Use of Images

Visual Rhetoric Slide Presentation

Writing a Book Report

Writing a Book Review

Writing a Research Paper

Genre and the Research Paper

Choosing a Topic

Identifying an Audience

Where do I begin?

Writing Definitions

Writing in Literature (Detailed Discussion)

Writing in Literature: Writing the Prompt Paper

Writing in Literature: General Research Papers

Researching Literature and Libraries

Reading Criticism

Arguments in an Essay on Literature

Reading a Novel or Story

Reading a Poem

Reading a Play

Writing Process Presentation

Research and Citation

APA Formatting and Style Guide

In-Text Citations: The Basics

In-Text Citations: Author/Authors

Footnotes and Endnotes

Reference List: Basic Rules

Reference List: Author/Authors

Reference List: Articles in Periodicals

Reference List: Books

Reference List: Other Print Sources

Reference List: Electronic Sources

Reference List: Other Non-Print Sources

Additional Resources

Types of APA Papers

APA Stylistics: Avoiding Bias

APA Stylistics: Basics

APA Headings and Seriation

APA PowerPoint Slide Presentation

Sample APA Paper

APA Tables and Figures 1

APA Tables and Figures 2

APA Abbreviations

Statistics in APA

APA Classroom Poster

APA Overview and Workshop

Chicago Manual of Style

Books

Periodicals

Web Sources

Film and Television

Interviews and Personal Communication

Lectures and Papers Presented at Meetings

Public Documents and Unpublished Materials

Conducting Primary Research

Ethical Considerations in Primary Research

Common Pitfalls of Primary Research

Interviewing

Surveying

Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions

Observing

Analysis

Analyzing Your Primary Data

Formatting in Sociology (ASA Style)

In-Text References

References Page Formatting

MLA 2009 Formatting and Style Guide

MLA 2009 In-Text Citations: The Basics

MLA 2009 Formatting Quotations

MLA 2009 Footnotes and Endnotes

MLA 2009 Works Cited Page: Basic Format

MLA 2009 Works Cited Page: Books

MLA 2009 Works Cited: Periodicals

MLA 2009 Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications)

MLA 2009 Works Cited: Other Common Sources

MLA 2009 Additional Resources

MLA 2009 Abbreviations

MLA 2009 Sample Works Cited Page

MLA 2009 Sample Papers

MLA 2009 Tables, Figures, and Examples

MLA 2009 PowerPoint Presentation

MLA 2009 Undergraduate Sample Paper

MLA 2009 Classroom Poster

MLA Formatting and Style Guide

In-Text Citations: The Basics

In-Text Citations: Author-Page Style

Formatting Quotations

Footnotes and Endnotes

Works Cited Page: Basic Format

Works Cited Page: Books

Works Cited: Periodicals

Works Cited: Electronic Sources

Works Cited: Other Non-Print Sources

Additional Resources

Abbreviations in MLA

Works Cited Page: Other Print Sources

MLA Works Cited Example Page

MLA Update 2009

MLA Tables, Figures, and Examples

MLA Sample Paper

MLA Overview and Workshop

Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words

Paraphrasing Exercise

Paraphrasing Exercise: Possible Answers

Research: Overview

Online vs. Print Publications

Types of Available Sources

Primary Research

Resources for Documenting Sources in the Disciplines

Complete Discipline Listing

Grammar and Mechanics

Active and Passive Voice

Active Versus Passive Voice

More about Passive Voice

Choosing Passive Voice

Changing Passive to Active Voice

Further Suggestions for Using Passive and Active Voices

Verbs- Voice and Mood

Adjective or Adverb

Avoiding Common Errors

Apostrophe

Appositives

Articles: A versus An

Capital Letters

Commas

Extended Rules for Using Commas

Commas After Introductions

Commas vs. Semicolons in Compound Sentences

Commas with Nonessential Elements

Conquering the Comma

Dangling Modifiers

Higher Order Concerns (HOCs) and Lower Order Concerns (LOCs)

How to Use Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjective or Adverb?

Hyphens

Independent and Dependent Clauses

Run-ons - Comma Splices - Fused Sentences

Parallel Structure

Parts of Speech Overview

Prepositions

Prepositions of Direction: To, On (to), In (to)

Prepositions of Spatial Relationship

Pronouns

Pronoun Case

Quotation Marks

Extended Rules for Using Quotation Marks

Additional Punctuation Rules when Using Quotation Marks

Quotation Marks with Fiction, Poetry, and Titles

Quotation Mark Exercise and Answers

Sentence Clarity

Sentence Clarity Presentation

Sentence Fragments

Spelling

Two-Part (Phrasal) Verbs (idioms)

Separable Phrasal Verbs

Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Verb Tenses

Verb Tense Consistency

English as a Second Language (ESL)

Adult Basic Education (GED, ESL, Cover Letters, Resumes)

Count and Noncount Nouns

Count and Non-Count Nouns (with Plurals, Articles, and Quantity Words)

Count and NonCount Nouns (with Articles and Adjectives)

ESL Orientation for Writing Lab Tutorials

ESL Teacher Resources

How to Use Articles (a/an/the)

Irregular Verbs

Commonly Confused Verbs

Numbers

Relative Pronouns

Relative Pronouns in Non-Defining Clauses

Defining vs. Non-Defining and ESL Tips

Sentence Punctuation Patterns

Subject/Verb Agreement

US Higher Education: A Cultural Introduction

Verb Tenses

Passive Verb Tenses

Active Verb Tenses

Verb Tense Consistency

Verbs with Helpers

Verbals: Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives

Participles

Infinitives

Comparing Gerunds, Participles and Infinitives

Writing Essays for Exams

Writing for a Chinese Business Audience

Writing for a North American Business Audience

Writing in North American Higher Education: A Primer for International Students

Internet Literacy

Documenting Electronic Sources

Documenting Electronic Sources in Specific Disciplines

Online Guides to Citing Electronic Sources

Email Etiquette

Evaluating Sources of Information

Evaluating Bibliographic Citations

Evaluation During Reading

Evaluating Print vs. Internet Sources

Internet References

Dictionaries, Style Manuals, Grammar Handbooks, and Editing Resources

Online References

Indexes for Writers

Libraries Online

Online Books and E-texts

Newspapers, News Services, Journals and Magazines Online

Searching the World Wide Web

How the Internet and Search Engines Work

Kinds of Search Engines and Directories

Searching with a Search Engine

Searching with a Web Directory

Search Engine and Web Directory List

Resources to Search the Invisible Web

Other Useful Sites for Finding Information

Other Strategies for Web Searching

Writing in the Social Sciences

Analytical Research Project Presentation

Child Development and Family Studies Resource Repository

Conducting an Interview Presentation

Social Work Literature Review Guidelines

Writing in Psychology: Experimental Report Writing

Rhetorical Considerations and Style in Psychology Writing

Writing the Experimental Report: Overview, Introductions, and Literature Reviews

Writing the Experimental Report: Methods, Results, and Discussion

Tables, Appendices, Footnotes and Endnotes

References and Sources for More Information

Writing with Statistics

Quick Tips On Writing with Statistics

Descriptive Statistics

Writing with Descriptive Statistics

Basic Inferential Statistics: Theory and Application

Writing Inferential Statistics

Statistics and Visuals

Key Terms

Writing in Engineering

Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS)

EPICS: Project Charter

EPICS: Travel Writing

Writing Engineering Reports

Literary Analysis and Criticism

Image in Poetry

Images and Their Uses

Exercises

Literary Terms

Poetry: Close Reading

Writing a Literary Analysis Presentation

Writing About Fiction

Developing a Thesis

Pre-Writing Activities and Drafting Your Essay

Writing About Literature

On Literature Topics & Research

Literature Paper Formatting

Writing About Poetry

Creative Writing

Pattern and Variation in Poetry

Pattern, Generally

Variation, Generally

Pattern and Variation: Aural

Meter and Scansion

Poetic Feet and Line Length

Sound and Rhyme

Other Matters of Sound

Pattern and Variation: Visual

Visual Variation and Exercises

Poetry in Writing Courses

Poetry in Mid to Advanced Level Writing Courses

Sample Assignment Sheet

Additional Resources for Poetry in Writing Courses

Writing Task Resource List

Teaching Writing

Creative Nonfiction in Writing Courses

The Personal Memoir

Literary Journalism

Lyric Essays

Creative Nonfiction Assignments

Fiction Writing Basics

Fiction Writing Basics 2

Fiction Writing Basics 3 - Sample Assignments

Teaching and Assessing Grammar

Teaching Detailed Writing and Procedural Transitions

Teaching OSDDP (Open Source Development and Documentation) Usability Project: A Guide for Professional Writing Instructors

Suggested Deliverables and Evaluation Criteria

Week-by-Week Suggested Activities

Resources for Instructors

Sample Project Deliverables

Writing Academic Proposals: Conferences, Articles, and Books

Submitting the Conference Proposal

Presenting the Conference Paper

Journal Abstracts

Submitting the Journal Abstract

Book Proposals

Sample Academic Proposals

Writing Across the Curriculum: An Introduction

Writing Across the Curriculum Programs

Further Reading and Resources

Writing in Nursing Bibliography

Science Writing Bibliography Essay

Tutoring Writing

Effective Persuasion Presentation

Talking About Writing

The Writing Conference: Meeting One-on-One with Students

Tutoring a Resume

Tutoring Cover Letters

Tutoring Creative Writing Students

Tutoring Creative Writing Students

Common Pitfalls for Beginning Fiction Writers

Helpful Resources for Creative Writing Students

Using Metaphors in Creative Writing

About the OWL at Purdue

Fair Use Policy

Fair Use Requests

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General Feedback for the OWL

Help Using OWL Resources

Link to Us

Purdue OWL Art

Purdue OWL Art 2

Purdue OWL Fact Sheet

Purdue Writing Lab Quick Tour

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