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The World Wide Web can be a confusing and often difficult place to find
information you need. We have made it a little easier. Below, you will find
links to resources on the Web that will help you become a better writer as well
as help you understand and enjoy the research writing process. Choose from the
list below to jump to the links we have found for you.
Research Process
Your goal in writing a research paper should be to explore the widest range of sources available to you. Years ago, researchers were limited to their local library. Today, researchers have access to information from around the world. As a result, the research process should include a wide range of sources, both electronic sources and traditional sources. Just how you link library searching, online database searching, and Web searching is up to you. Before you begin your research paper, explore your library and learn how to use the World Wide Web. The research process includes the following activities:
Searching for Information
Evaluating Sources
Documenting Sources
Word Sources: Dictionaries, Thesauri & Online Libraries
Some sources are basic to all writing needs. Those sources include dictionaries, a thesaurus, encyclopedias, grammar texts, and style sheets. The following list of reference material will give the writer a strong start on collecting basic writing tools.
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Rhyming Dictionary
This online dictionary will assist the student in finding an almost unending list of rhyming words. Type the word in question, and watch as the screen fills with a list of words that will fit the readers' needs.
Roget's
Thesaurus
An alphabetical listing of words with both synonyms and antonyms, Roget's Thesaurus (a treasury of words) was first compiled in 1852. This thesaurus is an electronic listing of words with a seemingly unending number of options.
Merriam-Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary
A dictionary is an alphabetical arrangement of words. It explains word meanings, pronunciation, word origins, parts of speech, variants, and for some words, usage notes.
Style Manuals: MLA, APA
- MLA-Style Citations
- The Modern Language Association (MLA) style manual is the manual of choice for many in the humanities, languages, and social sciences fields. The system uses in-text parenthetical citations to recognize the works of authors.
- APA-Style Citations
- The American Psychological Association (APA) style manual is used by a number of writers in the social sciences, especially those in psychology. The APA style uses in-text parenthetical entries that highlight the author and date of publication. The APA format begins with an abstract instead of an outline, which is a requirement of MLA.
Writing Labs & Other Resources for Writers
While individual references are helpful, often the writer needs several different tools at once. When this is the case, an electronic site that offers a multilevel approach is the most beneficial. The following sites attempt to do that.
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Purdue
OWL: Writing Resources
The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a most useful site.
It contains references to a variety of helpful links that make research
and writing in a variety of areas easier. Look for references that will aid the
writer of basic composition as well as assist for writing in technical
fields.
Inkspot: Writing-Related Resources
Some sites link you to other sites, and this site does just that.
Inkspot
is a good site to refer to when you are looking for information of a general
nature.
WriteDoc: Writing
Links
Some very good advice is at your fingertips on this website. The
information is generally helpful if you are looking for ways to attack
technical writing.
Resources
for Business and Technical Writers
Specific resources are recommended to assist the writer if help is needed with thesis statements, organization, developing introductions
and endings, publishing, and writing technical material.
University of
Maine Writing
A rather long list of related websites that illustrate the extensive
number of online writing labs. These labs offer help in a variety of ways.
Some offer tutoring, some visit with professors, and others provide help
in the form of book offerings.
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Carnegie-Mellon Writing
Take a look at this site. Articles are listed in a broad range of
topics.
They cover such diverse areas as literature, drama, government, women,
film, music, race, recipes, and more. More than 18,000 articles are listed
so far, and it is still growing.
Literary Databases
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Literary Figures Database
- This database provides a brief description and web link for hundreds of key literary figures ranging from Aeschylus to Yeats.
Mythical Figures Database
- This database provides a brief description and web link for hundreds of key mythological figures ranging from Achilles to Zeus.
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