50 Tricks to Get Things Done Faster, Better, and More Easily

We all want to get stuff done, whether it’s the work we have to do so we can get on with what we want to do, or indeed, the projects we feel are our purpose in life. To that end, here’s a collection of 50 hacks, tips, tricks, and mnemonic devices I’ve collected that can help you work better.

1. Most Important Tasks (MITs): At the start of each day (or the night before) highlight the three or four most important things you have to do in the coming day. Do them first. If you get nothing else accomplished aside from your MITs, you’ve still had a pretty productive day.
2. Big Rocks: The big projects you’re working on at any given moment. Set aside time every day or week to move your big rocks forward.
3. Inbox Zero: Decide what to do with every email you get, the moment you read it. If there’s something you need to do, either do it or add it to your todo list and delete or file the email. If it’s something you need for reference, file it. Empty your email inbox every day.
4. Wake up earlier: Add a productive hour to your day by getting up an hour earlier — before everyone else starts imposing on your time.
5. One In, One Out: Avoid clutter by adopting a replacement-only standard. Every time you but something new, you throw out or donate something old. For example, you buy a new shirt, you get rid of an old one. (Variation: One in, Two Out — useful when you begin to feel overwhelmed by your possessions.)
6. Brainstorming: The act of generating dozens of ideas without editing or censoring yourself. Lots of people use mindmaps for this: stick the thing you want to think about in the middle (a problem you need to solve, a theme you want to write about, etc.) and start writing whatever you think of. Build off of each of the sub-topics, and each of their sub-topics. Don’t worry about whether the ideas are any good or not — you don’t have to follow through on them, just get them out of your head. After a while, you’ll start surprising yourself with some really creative concepts.
7. Ubiquitous Capture: Always carry something to take notes with — a pen and paper, a PDA, a stack of index cards. Capture every thought that comes into your mind, whether it’s an idea for a project you’d like to do, an appointment you need to make, something you need to pick up next time you’re at the store, whatever. Review it regularly and transfer everything to where it belongs: a todo list, a filing system, a journal, etc.
8. Get more sleep: Sleep is essential to health, learning, and awareness. Research shows the body goes through a complete sleep cycle in about 90 minutes, so napping for less than that doesn’t have the same effect that real sleep does (although it does make you feel better). Get 8 hours a night, at least. Learn to see sleep as a pleasure, not a necessary evil or a luxury.
9. 10+2*5: Work in short spurts of 10 minutes, interrupted by 2 minute breaks. Use a timer. Do this 5 times an hour to stay on target without over-taxing your physical and mental resources. Spend those 2 minutes getting a drink, going to the bathroom, or staring out a window.
10. SMART goals: A rubric for creating and pursuing your goals, helping to avoid setting goals that are simply unattainable. Stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
11. SUCCES: From Chip and Dan Heath’s book, Made to Stick, SUCCES is a set of characteristics that make ideas memorable (”sticky”): sticky ideas are Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional Stories.
12. Eat the Frog: Do your most unpleasant task first. Based on the saying that if the first thing you do in the morning is eat a frog, the day can only get better from then on.
13. 80/20 Rule/Pareto Principle: Generally speaking, the 80/20 Principle says that most of our results come from a small portion of our actual work, and conversely, that we spend most of our energy doing things that aren’t ultimately all that important. Figure out which part of your work has the greatest results and focus as much of your energy as you can on that part.
14. What’s the Next Action?: Don’t plan out everything you need to do to finish a project, just focus on the very next thing you need to do to move it forward. Usually doing the next, little thing will lead to another, and another, until we’re either done or we run into a block: we need more information, we need someone else to catch up, etc. Be as concrete and discrete as possible: you can’t “install cable”, all you can do is “call the cable company to request cable installation”.
15. The Secret: There is no secret.
16. Slow Down: Make time for yourself. Eat slowly. Enjoy a lazy weekend day. Take the time to do things right, and keep a balance between the rush-rush world of work and the rest of your life.
17. Time Boxing: Assign a set amount of time per day to work on a task or project. Focus entirely on that one thing during that time. Don’t worry about finishing it, just worry about giving that amount of undivided attention to the project. (Variation: fixed goals. For example, you don’t get up until you’ve written 1,000 words, or processed 10 orders, or whatever.)
18. Batch Process: Do all your similar tasks together. For example, don’t deal with emails sporadically throughout the day; instead, set aside an hour to go through your email inbox and respond to emails. Do the same with voice mail, phone calls, responding to letters, filing, and so on — any routine, repetitive tasks.
19. Covey Quadrants: A system for assigning priorities. Two axes, one for importance, the other for urgency, intersect. Tasks are assigned to one of the four quadrants: not important, not urgent; not important, urgent; important, not urgent; and important and urgent. Purge the tasks that are neither important nor urgent, defer the unimportant but urgent ones, try to avoid letting the important ones become urgent, and as much as possible work on the tasks in the important but not urgent quadrant.
20. Handle Everything Once: Don’t set things aside hoping you’ll have time to deal with them later. Ask yourself “What do I need to do with this” every time you pick up something from your email list, and either do it, schedule it for later, defer it to someone else, or file it.
21. Don’t Break the Chain: Use a calendar to track your daily goals. Every day you do something, like working out or writing 1,000 words, make a big red “X”. Every day the chain will grow longer. Don’t break the chain! That is, don’t let any non-X days interrupt your chain of successful days.
22. Review: Schedule a time with yourself every week to look over what you’ve done that week and what you want to do the next week. Ask yourself if there are any new projects you should be starting, and if what you’re working on is moving you closer to your goals for your life.
23. Roles: Everyone fills several different roles in their life. For instance, I’m a teacher, a student, a writer, a step-father, a partner, a brother, a son, an uncle, an anthropologist, and so on. Understanding your different roles and learning to keep them distinct when necessary can help you keep some sense of balance between them. Make goals around the various roles you fill, and make sure that your goals fit with your goals in other roles.
24. Flow: The flow state happens when you’re so absorbed in whatever you’re doing that you have no awareness of the passing of time and the work just happens automatically. It’s hard to trigger consciously, but you can create the conditions for it by allowing yourself a block of uninterrupted time, minimizing distractions, and calming yourself.
25. Do It Now: Fight procrastination by adopting “do it now!” as your mantra. Limit yourself to 60 seconds when making a decision, decide what you’re going to do with every input in your life as soon as you encounter it, learn to make bold decisions even when you’re not really sure. Keep moving forward.
26. Time Log: Lawyers have to track everything they do in the day and how long they do it so they can bill their clients and remain accountable. You need to be accountable to yourself, so keep track of how much time you really spend on the things that are important to you by tracking your time.
27. Structured Procrastination: A strategy of recognizing and using one’s procrastinating tendencies to get stuff done. Items at the top of top of the list are avoided by doing seemingly less difficult and less important tasks further down the list — making the procrastinator highly productive. The trick is to make sure the items at the top are apparently urgent — with pressing deadlines and apparently large consequences. But, of course, they aren’t really all that urgent. Structured procrastination requires a masterful skill at self-deception, which fortunately bigtime procrastinators excel at.
28. Personal Mission Statement: Write a personal mission statement, and use it as a guide to set goals. Ask if each goal or activity moves you closer to achieving your mission. If it doesn’t, eliminate it. Periodically review and revise your mission statement.
29. Backwards Planning: A planning strategy that works from the goal back to your next action. Start with the end goal in mind. What do you have to have in place to accomplish it? OK, now what do you have to have in place to accomplish what you have to have in place to accomplish your end goal? And what do you have to have in place to accomplish that? And so on, back to something you already have in place and/or can put in place immediately. That’s your next action.
30. Tune Out: Create a personal privacy zone by wearing headphones. People are much more hesitant to interrupt someone wearing headphones. Note: actually listening to music through your headphones is optional — nobody knows but you.
31. Write It Down: Don’t rely on your memory as your system. Write down the things you need to do, your schedule, anything you might need to refer to, and every passing thought so you can relax, knowing you won’t forget. Use your brain for thinking, use paper or your computer for keeping track of stuff.
32. Gap Time: The little blocks of time we have during the day while waiting for the bus, standing in line, waiting for a meeting to start, etc. Have a list of small, 5-minute tasks that you can do in these moments, or carry something to read or work on to make the most of these spare minutes.
33. Monotasking: We like to think of ourselves as great multitaskers, but we aren’t. What we do when we multitask is devote tiny slices of time to several tasks in rapid succession. Since it takes more than a few minutes (research suggests as long as 20) to really get into a task, we end up working worse and more slowly than if we devoted longer blocks of time to each task, worked until it was done, and moved on to the next one.
34. Habits: Habits are as much about the way we see and respond to the world as about the actions we routinely take. Examine your own habits and ask what they say about your relation to the world — and what would have to change to create a worldview in which your goals were attainable.
35. Triggers: Place meaningful reminders around you to help you remember, as well as to help create better habits. For example, put the books you need to take back to the library in front of the door, so you can’t leave the house without seeing them and remembering they need to go back.
36. Unclutter: Clutter is anything that’s out of place and in the way. IT’s not necessarily neatness — someone can have a rigorously neat workspace and not be able to get anything done. It’s being able to access what you need, when you need it, without breaking the flow of your work to find it. Figure out what is “clutter” in your working and living spaces, and fix that.
37. Visualize: Imagine yourself having accomplished your goals. What is your life like? Are you who you want to be? If not, rethink your goals. If so, then visualize yourself taking the steps you need to take to get there. You’ve got yourself a plan; write it down and do it.
38. Tickler File: A set of 43 folders, labeled 1 - 31 and January - December, used to remind us of tasks we need to do on a specific day. For instance, if you have a trip on March 23rd, you’d put your itinerary, tickets, and other material in the “March” folder. At the start of each month, you move the previous month’s folder to the back. On March 1st, you’d transfer your travel information into the “23″ folder. Each day, you move the previous day’s folder to the back. On the 23rd, the “23″ folder will be at the front, and everything you need that day will be there for you.
39. ToDon’t List: A list of things not to do — useful for keeping track of habits that lead you to be unproductive, like playing online flash games.
40. Templates: Create templates for repetitive tasks, like letters, customer reply emails, blog posts, etc.
41. Checklists: When planning any big task, make a checklist so you don’t forget the steps while in the busy middle part of doing it. Keep your checklists so you can use them next time you have to do the same task.
42. No: Learning to say “no” — to new commitments, to interruptions, to anything — is one of the most valuable skills you can develop to keep you focused on your own commitments and give you time to work on them.
43. Unschedule: Schedule all your fun activities and personal life stuff (the stuff you want to do) first. Fill in whatever time’s left over with uninterrupted blocks of work. Write those into your schedule after you’ve completed them. Reward yourself after every block of quality, focused work.
44. Purge: Regularly go through your existing commitments and get rid of anything that is either not helping you advance your own goals or is a regular “sink” of time or energy.
45. One Bucket: Minimize the places you collect new inputs in your life, your “buckets”. Ideally have one “bucket” where everything goes. Lots of people experience an incredible sense of relief when everything they need to think about is collected in one place in front of them, no matter how big the pile.
46. 50-30-20: Spend 50% of your working day on tasks that advance your long-term, life goals, spend 30% on tasks that advance your middle-term (2-years or so) goals, and the remaining 20% on things that affect only the next 90 days or so.
47. Timer: Tell yourself you will work on a project or task, and only that project or task, for a set amount of time. Set a timer (use a kitchen timer, or use a countdown timer on your computer), and plug away at your work. When the timer goes off, you’re done — move on to the next project or task.
48. Do Your Worst: Give yourself permission to suck. Relieve the pressure of needing to achieve perfection in every task on the first run. Promise yourself you’ll go back and fix any problems later, but for now, just run wild.
49. Make an Appointment with Yourself: Schedule time every week or so just for you. Consider the state of your life: what’s working? What isn’t working? what mistakes are you making? what could you change? Give yourself a chance to get to know you.
50. [This space left intentionally blank]: This is a big list, sure, but it’s not an exhaustive one. The last space is left for you to fill in. What works for you? What would you like to share with the rest of the lifehack.org community? Let us know in the comments — or write your own list and link back to us!

Some Famous Quotes

"It infuriates me to be wrong when I know I'm right." --- Moliere "You can have Everything in life You Want If you will just Help enough Other People Get what They Want." -Zig Ziglar "Welcome to the jungle, it gets worse here every day" Guns and Roses, Appetite for Destruction, 1990. Giving money and power to Government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -- P.J. O'Rourke It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. - Harry S. Truman If you can't convince them, confuse them. - Harry S. Truman There's a difference between beauty and charm. A beautiful woman is one I notice. A charming woman is one who notices me. - John Erskine "Nature is not human-hearted." --- Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching "It may not be raining. They may be spitting on us." --- Andy Warhol An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field.- Niels Bohr We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by. - Will Rogers If all men knew what others say of them, there would not be four friends in the world. -Blaise Pascal There is nothing permanent except change. - Heraclitus I never think of the future - it comes soon enough. - Albert Einstein Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen. - Albert Einstein The important thing is not to stop questioning. - Albert Einstein The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one. - Albert Einstein Before God we are equally wise - and equally foolish. - Albert Einstein The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible. - Albert Einstein Discovery is seeing what everybody else has seen, and thinking what nobody else has thought. -Albert Szent-Gyorgi If everybody is thinking alike then someone isn't thinking. Gen. George Patton "In the final analysis, we count for something only because of the essential we embody, and if we do not embody that, life is wasted." ---- C.G. Jung If you don't like it, it won't come out of your horn. -Charlie Parker "When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target." - George Fisher "A person all wrapped up in himself generally makes a pretty small package." - E. Joseph Cossman "The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." Rev. Hesburgh "Nothing in fine print is ever good news." -Andy Rooney "Talent is a flame. Genius is a fire." Bern WIlliams All our dreams can come true ... if we have the courage to pursue them. Walt Disney "A bad habit never disappears miraculously; it's an undo-it-yourself project."- Abigail Van Buren "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure." - Gen. Colin L. Powell "Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself." St. Francis De Sales "Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm." Publilius Syrus Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell someone you are, you aren't. Margaret Thatcher The beatings will continue until morale improves. -Anon My strength lies mainly in my tenacity.-Louis Pasteur Be thankful for problems. If they were less difficult, someone with less ability might have your job. - Bits & Pieces Common sense is genius dressed in working clothes. Ralph Waldo Emerson "Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it." Tallulah Bankhead Consumers are statistics, Customers are people. -Stanley Marcus. Success is more attitude than aptitude -Anon The highest reward for a person's toil is not what the get for it, but what they become by it. - John Ruskin If opportunity doesn't knock; build a door -Milton Berle The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotations. -Disraeli "The best index to a person's character is (a) how he treats people who can't do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can't fight back." "Supreme artistic appreciation can only be expressed by the phrase 'Pay To The Order Of.'" - Robert Heinlein Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night." - Charlie Brown, Peanuts (Charles Schulz) Those who make peacful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. - John F. Kennedy There are some things that are so serious that you have to laugh at them. -Niels Bohr No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public. - H. L. Mencken Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. - Muhammad Ali If we're going to be damned, let's be damned for who we really are. -Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek Not even computers will replace committees, because committees buy computers. -Marshall McCluhan Today the nations of the world may be divided into two classes - the nations in which the government fears the people, and the nations in which the people fear the government. -Amos R. E. Pinochet Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other. - Ronald Reagan The first sign of a nervous breakdown is when you start thinking your work is terribly important. - Milo Bloom The man who strikes first admits that his ideas have given out. - Chinese Proverb There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. - Benjamin Disraeli There is nothing permanent except change. - Heraclitus Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote. - George Jean Nathan Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past. - George Orwell No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. -Niels Bohr Imagination is more important than knowledge.-Albert Einstein The most damaging phrase in the language is: `It's always been done that way.' - Admiral Grace Hopper If our founding fathers were alive today, they'd roll over in their graves. -Dwight D. Eisenhower The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right. -William Safire "An economy hampered with high tax rates will never produce enough revenue to balance the budget, just as it will never produce enough output and enough jobs" John F. Kennedy If you can't make it good- make it look good! (unsubstantiated quote) Back off man, I'm a scientist! Whether they are stepping stones or stumbling blocks, its all in your perspective.... Anon If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulder of giants. Isaac Newton They are able- who think they are able. Virgil "The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right." William Safire "There are no traffic jams on the extra mile." Anon "People are divided into three groups: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, those who ask, `What happened?'" "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert Einstein "Chance favors the prepared mind." Louis Pasteur "Diligence is the mother of good luck." Benjamin Franklin Xrays are a hoax.....Aircraft flight is impossible...Radio has no future.... quoted from Physicist and mathematician Lord Kelvin (1824-1907) "Life is what happens to you while your making other plans." -John Lennon- Obstacles are the things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal. E. Joseph Cossman. Human beings are the only creatures on earth that allow their children to come back home. Bill Cosby A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours... Milton Berle Get over it!......Don Henley/Glenn Frey The common sense is that which judges the things given to it by other senses.. Leonardo da Vinci I not only use all the brains I have, but all that I can borrow...Woodrow Wilson Style is a simple way of saying complicated things....Jean Cocteau Habit is a great deadener........Samuel Beckett There must be some way outta here..... Bob Dylan Perspective is worth 80 IQ points.........Alan Kay Experience teaches only the teachable.....Aldous Huxley No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come....Victor Hugo I have strength for all things through him who empowers me.... Philippians 4:13

Albert Einstein quotes

• "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."
• "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
• "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
• "I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details."
• "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax."
• "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
• "The only real valuable thing is intuition."
• "A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."
• "I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice."
• "God is subtle but he is not malicious."
• "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."
• "I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."
• "The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."
• "Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing."
• "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."
• "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
• "Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds."
• "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
• "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
• "Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it."
• "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
• "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."
• "God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically."
• "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking."
• "Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal."
• "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
• "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
• "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
• "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."
• "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
• "Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
• "Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity."
• "If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."
• "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
• "As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
• "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."
• "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
• "In order to form an immaculate member of a flock of sheep one must, above all, be a sheep."
• "The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead."
• "Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves."
• "Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!"
• "No, this trick won't work...How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?"
• "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
• "Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever."
• "The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."
• "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence."
• "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."
• "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeeded be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."
• "The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."
• "Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
• "You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat."
• "One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for the examinations, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect on me that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year."
• "...one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought."
• "He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."
• "A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
• "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton)

Research and Documentation

Research & Documentation

General

• Research and Documenting Sources is produced by Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL): This site provides comprehensive information on a large variety of writing and research related topics. The site provides excellent explanations and examples of both MLA and APA documentation styles, integrating citations into an essay, preparing a works cited page, and using endnotes and footnotes.
• Information Literacy Tool Kit was developed by Sterling Evans Library's Instructional Services, Texas A&M University. The site focuses on finding and evaluating sources, and then provides information on the various documentation styles.
• http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/home.htm guides the individual through choosing and researching a topic in the library..
• Get EndNote 9.0, free for Texas A&M students. To learn more about how to use EndNote 9.0, go to their Web site.

Citing Sources (See Documentation, below)

Finding Sources

• http://www.wright.edu/~martin.maner/eval01.htm - Written by Dr. Martin Maner, professor at Wright State University, this tutorial on "Finding and Evaluating Sources" is very thorough.
• http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu/evidence.html - Michael Harvey's "The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing" starts with the Internet in its instructions on how to search for sources because that's where the majority of today's students begin their search.
• http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/research/skill1.htm - Cornell University's "Seven Steps to the Research Process," beginning with step two, discusses how to go about finding, first, background information, and then more specific information.

Using Sources

• http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/sources/working/- Explains what outside sources do for writing as well as how to use them.
• http://www.hamilton.edu/academics/resource/wc/ - Hamilton College's Writing Center provides a thorough look at how to use outside sources in your writing.

Evaluating Sources

• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/EvalSrcW/index.html - Explains how to evaluate sources for trustworthiness, suggesting questions to ask about the sources.
• Evaluating Sources - This portal into our own library's instructional services gives the starting place for "Evaluating Sources."
• http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html - A thorough approach to assessing websites from UC Berkeley; provides a list of techniques to use as well as a list of questions to ask.

Paraphrasing

• http://www.utoronto.ca/ucwriting/paraphrase.html - This site provides thorough coverage of both paraphrasing and summarizing.
• Tutorials on Academic Honest and Citations - Test yourself and learn how to do it correctly, with the help of Evans Library.
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.html - Explains what a paraphrase is and why it is a valuable skill. Gives steps for effectively paraphrasing and provides some examples of legitimate paraphrasing along with plagiarized versions.
• http://uc.asu.edu/writing/paraphrasing.html - Defines paraphrase and explains when it is appropriate to use it.

Summarizing

• http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/readquest/strat/summarize.html - This site is actually for secondary social studies teachers, but it gives some excellent tips on how to practice summarizing.

Integrating Quotations

• http://www.utoronto.ca/ucwriting/quotations.html - This site gives numerous examples, explains how long and short quotes differ, lists verbs and phrases useful for introducing quotations, and explains the use of square brackets
• http://academics.smcvt.edu/writingctr/Quotes.htm - Emphasizes the importance of blending quotations with your own writing.
• http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/QuoLitIncorporating.html - This site focuses on integrating literary quotations though it does have some general information that can be used for all quotations.

Plagiarism

• http://itsinfo.tamu.edu/turnitin/main.htm - A free site for TAMU students where you can check your paper for unintentional plagiarism.
• http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor/ - The Aggie Honor System Office provides links to resources and information about the Honors Council.
• Tutorials from Evans Library allow you to teach yourself and then self-test on citation and academic honesty.
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html - Discusses contradictions in American academic writing, actions that might be interpreted as plagiarism, and how to decide if something is "common knowledge."
• http://www.georgetown.edu/honor/plagiarism.html - Gives advice in the form of answers to the following questions and statements: "They said it so much better. Shouldn't I use their words?" "What is a paraphrase?" "My friends get stuff from the internet." "I don't have time to do it right." "What is a citation?" "In my country/high school, using someone else's work is a sign of respect."
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo - "A Fair(y) Use Tale" is an amusing and clever explanation of the concepts of copyright and fair use. Highly recommended!
• http://www.fairfield.edu/x14499.html - An easy-to-use tutorial on plagiarism from Fairfield University's library.

Documentation

• American Antiquity
  • http://www.saa.org/Publications/StyleGuide/styleGuide.pdf
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
  • http://www.aiaa.org/documents/publications/journalstemp.dot- The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, offers a complete template for Aeronautical Engineering students and faculty; it is very straightforward, and it allows you to simply cut and past your information into the template.
• American Institute of Physics Style Manual, Fourth Edition
  • http://www.aip.org/pubservs/style/4thed/toc.html
• American Medical Association (AMA)
  • http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citama.htm demonstrates the format for bibliographic references in AMA (American Medical Association) style. A guide for in-text citations, however, is not provided.
  • http://healthlinks.washington.edu/hsl/styleguides/ama.html provides at-a-glance help with sample bibliographic references of a certain type. For example, if one wanted to know how to cite an article from a website, an example is provided.
• American Political Science Association (APSA)
  
  • http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPSA.html - A useful step-by-step guide to documentation from the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Very good for beginners.
  • http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/docsLibrary/styleguides/APSA_print.pdf - Towson offers a short, basic guide in handout form.
• American Psychological Association (APA)
  • http://linguistics.byu.edu/faculty/henrichsenl/apa/apa01.html - This site provides a concise overview of APA style and formatting along with basic citation guidelines in an easy to navigate format. The page opens with an index that moves the user around easily.
  • http://dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c09_s1.html - This APA resource comes from Diana Hacker's Bedford Handbook and focuses on the social sciences. The site explains how to create in-text citations, reference lists, and provides sample papers.
  • http://www.docstyles.com/apacrib.htm - "APA Style Crib Sheet" is the title of this site; it summarizes APA rules and was last updated January 2003.
  • http://www.wisc.edu/writetest/Handbook/DocAPAFormatting.html - From the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this site is well-organized, easy to navigate, and very informative.
  • http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html - Produced by a prominent textbook publisher, this site explains how to cite and document electronic sources in APA style.
• American Sociological Association (ASA)
  • http://www.buffalostate.edu/library/docs/asa.pdf- Prepared by the E. H. Butler Library, a quick references to ASA style.
  • http://www.calstatela.edu/library/bi/rsalina/asa.styleguide.html- The University Library at California State, Los Angeles, has a short guide to ASA style.
• CBE
  • http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/sources/cbe/- CBE stands for Council of Biology Editors and is used mainly in the sciences. This site starts with an overview, and then provides detailed instructions for the two different documentation systems used within CBE: the Citation-Sequence System, and the Name-Year System.
  • http://www.monroecc.edu/depts/library/cbe.htm - If you are already familiar with CBE, and quickly need to find out how to cite a particular source, this is the site for you. The page begins with an index to all the examples that follow.
• CSE
  • http://dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c11_s1.html- This Bedford Handbook section provides information on how to format a paper in CBE style, how to create in-text citations and reference lists, along with sample pages to view.
  • http://www.monroecc.edu/depts/library/cse.htm - A concise guide from Monroe Community College. Distingusihes between C-S (Citation-Sequence) and N-Y (Name-Year) versions.
• Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS)
  • Evan's Library - Our library's PDF downloadable handout, which addresses the author-date system for the sciences only. For the humanities' note-bibliography system, see any of the other links listed here.
  • http://dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c10_s1.html - Site provides instructions for a bibliography and footnotes/endnotes according to Chicago Manual of Style as well as a sample paper.
  • http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite7.html - This site offers a thorough overview of Chicago Style before giving examples showing how to deal with multiple types of electronic sites.
  • "Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation" at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools.html is a brief but useful cribsheet of Chicago style.
• IEEE
  • http://standards.ieee.org/guides/style/ - the official online version of IEEE Standards Style Manual provided by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Be sure and read "About this Online Version" at the top of the page.
  • http://www.computer.org/author/style/refer.htm - IEEE Computer Society provides a short version of how to reference using the IEEE style.
  • http://www.carleton.ca/~nartemev/IEEE_style.html - Carleton College also provides a condensed version if you need a quick refresher on how to create citations in IEEE.
• MLA
  • http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html- Detailed information on how to document using MLA. Site begins with the basic MLA paper format, explains how to create internal citations, create a works cited list, as well as notes.
  • http://dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_o.html - Taken from the Bedford Handbook, this MLA section is designed especially for the humanities; it provides information on how to look for sources, how to create in-text citations, and works cited lists, as well as sample papers to look over.
  • http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocMLA.html - This site works well for quick reference since entries are separately linked.
  • http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite5.html - Explains in detail how to cite many types of electronic online sources both internally and in the works cited.
  • http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/mla.html - Gives an overview of MLA style, and includes a troubleshooting guide for parenthetical citations.
• Turabian
  • http://www.utoledo.edu/library/help/guides/docs/Turabian.pdf - Explains the difference between, and gives examples of, footnotes and bibliography entries in pdf format.
  • http://www.wcu.edu/WritingCenter/isource.asp?page=turabian_format.html - Explains how to construct a bibliography in Turabian, as well as endnotes and footnotes.
  • http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/tura.html - Gives step by step instructions for formatting a paper when using Turabian along with examples of footnotes and bibliography entries

  Footnotes or Endnotes (See Documentation-Turabian or CMOS)

Document Types in English : ESL

If you don't see information below on a specific type of document, check Business, Scientific and Technical Writing.

Abstracts (see also, Precis)

• http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/abstract.html - Discusses the purpose of an abstract and what should be included.
• http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts/writing/wrabstract.html - UWC's handout defines the abstract, lists the qualities it should have, and then describes it in terms of style.
• http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/bizwrite/abstracts.html - Lists the qualities of an effective abstract and the steps for achieving one.

Academic Proposals

• http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/proposal.html - Provides an explanation of what an academic proposal should accomplish and what elements it should contain.
• http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/writing_center/gracproposal.html - University of Mississippi's Writing Center provides a thorough look at what an academic proposal should look like.
• http://www.brandeis.edu/uaafys/scholarships/proposal.html#general - Explains what an academic proposal should demonstrate in an easy to follow format.

Annotated Bibliographies

• http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/research/skill28.htm - Brief and concise procedural overview of how to construct an annotated bibliography.
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_annotatedbib.html - Defines the annotated bibliography and explains the purpose of doing one. Touches on format briefly and provides examples.
• http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/AnnotatedBibliography.html - This well organized and easy to navigate site describes annotation content as indicative, informative, evaluative, or a combination; sample entries are given of each type.
• http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/content/view/8/74/ - Provides a sample entry written in sentence fragments and a more comprehensive one written in full sentences for comparison. Also supplies a list of questions helpful in determining what should go into the annotation.

Article Critiques/Book Reviews

• http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/content/view/34/76/ -This UWC handout gives a general overview of reviews and critques.
• http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/bkrev.html - A good overview of the book review/ article critique; provides links to London Review of Books and New York Review of Books as well.
• http://www.english.udel.edu/wc/student/handouts/critical_reviews.html - Notes the difference between a critical review and an abstract or a summary, and then gives an idea of how to go about getting started on a critical review.
• http://library.queensu.ca/inforef/bookreview/wri.htm - Gives a step-by-step procedure for first, getting a general idea about a book, and second, analyzing and evaluating a book.

Creative Writing

• http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~leslieob/pizzaz.html offers creative ways to help with writing poetry and fiction. It also provides a link to a site that allows for online publication of creative writing.
• http://www.fsu.edu/~butler/ Pulitzer prize winner Robert Olen Butler takes you deep inside the process of fictional writing. You can learn, from an expert, how to manifest ideas and write creative stories by drawing from some of the most seemingly simple sources, such as artwork from postcards like Butler uses.
• http://www.teachingcompany.com/sensei/revising.ppt presents effective techniques to improve creative writing, such as advice on sentence-making, word choice, and perspective.
• http://www.homepages.dsu.edu/jankej/Writing/tips.htm - This webpage is from Dakota State University. It focuses on fiction writing and gives information regarding the seven major components of a fiction story.
• http://articles.worldvillage.com/creative_writing_tips_have_you_established_your_main_character_at_the_start.html - This webpage focuses specifically on characters in a story. It gives special attention to the main character, and elaborates on how to develop him or her.
• http://www.writingclasses.com/ - This site from the Gotham Writers' Workshop provides a multitude of information on various types of creative writing, including non-fiction, poetry, plays, science fiction, and songs. It also provides information about how to publish your work.

Essay Exams

• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_essay.html -States the characteristics of a well-written essay exam, and then explains how to write one.
• http://www.csbsju.edu/academicadvising/help/testskil.htm - Clear and succinct directions for how to approach an essay examination.
• http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/REDOER - This site offers a mnemonic to help remember its suggested steps for taking an essay exam.

Journalism

• Columbia Journalism Review's Language Corner is a rich resource for usage and style guidelines.

Literary Analysis (See also Rhetorical Analysis, below.)

• General
  • http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts/writing/findlitcrit.html - Helpful for A&M students since it provides links to resources in our library.
  • http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/guide.html - A criticism guide from the Internet Public Library.
  • http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/ - Excellent collection of literary resources maintained by Jack Lynch of Rutgers University.
  • http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/content/view/5/76/ - A series of questions to guide you through writing about literature.
  • http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts/writing/lit.html - If you're looking for a few quick questions to spur your thoughts and get you started with a literature analysis, the UWC handout on the subject may be helpful.
  • http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_lit.html - This site begins with the question: "What makes for a good literature paper?" and then discusses how to write about literature in terms of argument, topic, research, and documentation.
    http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature.html - Explains why writing about literature can seem like a "mystifying process" for some, and then offers a nine step process as a solution.
  • http://www.brocku.ca/english/jlye/criticalreading.html - Begins with the title "Critical Reading: A Guide," but don't be deceived! This site is about much more. It includes insights into analyzing poetry, fiction, prose, and how to write an analytical essay.
  • http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/glossary/headerindex.html provides a comprehensive glossary of literary theory terms.
• Poetry
  • http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/poetry-explication.html describes, in great detail, how to explicate a poem. Offers definitions of common poetry terms as well as methods for starting and producing poetry analysis. Links to other writing handouts.
  • https://my.hamilton.edu/academics/resource/wc/Writing_About_Poetry.PDF explains how to analyze and interpret poetry by developing a thesis and an argument.
  • http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_poetry.html - Answers the question many students ask when it comes to writing about poetry: "What's the Point?" and then follows the answer (a bulleted list) with discussions of theme, genre, versification, figures of speech, and cultural context.
  • http://library.thinkquest.org/23846/writing_guide/poetry.html?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0906 provides an easy way to begin the process of analyzing poetry.
  • http://writingcenter.tamu.edu/content/view/473/76/ - Uses a series of questions to guide you through the process of analyzing or writing a poem.
• Plays
  • http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts/writing/plays.html - Points out the difference between drama and prose and provides a list of questions directed at the "special nature of dramatic works."
• Prose
  • http://www.mun.ca/writingcentre/critical_analysis.shtml - This site specifically focuses on the short story and offers links to individual sections of a model essay at the end.
  • http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts/writing/prose.html - Site provides a series of questions divided by plot, character, theme, point of view, and literary devices.
  • http://www.brocku.ca/english/jlye/criticalreading.html - Begins with the title "Critical Reading: A Guide," but don't be deceived! This site is about much more. It includes insights into analyzing poetry, fiction, prose, and how to write an analytical essay.

• Literature Reviews

  • http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html - Gives a thorough overview of what a literature review should accomplish.
  • http://library.ucsc.edu/library/ref/howto/literaturereview.html - This well organized site offers links to other resources related to the literature review.

Personal Statements

• http://www.essayedge.com/promo/samplework.shtml - Provides samples of original personal statements with edited revisions and critiques. The samples cover college, Business School, Graduate School, Law School, and Medical Programs.

• http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/personal_statement.shtml - Writing Tutorial Service (Indiana University, Bloomington) includes some good tips about the writing a personal statement, with an example statement.

• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_perstate.html - Purdue provides solid instructions on how to write a personal statement along with advice from admission representatives from top universities.

• http://uga.berkeley.edu/apa/personalstatement/index.htm - Describes a good personal statement in terms of what it does, and then describes the essay structure and the process for writing a personal statement.
• http://library.ucsc.edu/library/ref/howto/literaturereview.html - This well organized site offers links to other resources related to the literature review.

Precis (See also, Abstracts)

• http://www.utexas.edu/courses/arens/392Enlightenment/392precistypes.html - For defintions and types of precis, including analytic, synthetic, and interpretive.

Research Proposals

http://www.wm.edu/grants/PROP/reasons.html - This list is composed by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. It presents various reasons why some proposals fail to be accepted. http://www.fdncenter.org/learn/shortcourse/prop1.html - This comprehensive guide sponsored by Harvard University discusses the different components of a proposal and elaborates on them in great detail. Rhetorical Analysis http://www.virtualsalt.com/rhetoric.htm takes you to a dictionary of rhetorical terms such as you may already know scuh as alliteration as well as to more obscure terms scuh as aposiopesis or diacope, and many more. http://www.writingcentre.ubc.ca/workshop/tools/rhet1.htm - This site from the University of British Columbia includes a detailed list of questions to ask as you are conducting a rhetorical analysis. Summaries http://web.uvic.ca/wguide/Pages/summariesTOC.html - This site is organized around a series of links all relating to summary; the first link explains why developing the skill of summary writing is important, and the last three give you a chance to practice summarizing. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/writer_resources/writing_tips/summaries.htm- Simple and straightforward, this site defines, states the purpose of summaries, and gives a brief explanation of the "how-to." It provides a sample paragraph and summary. http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts/writing/wrsummary.html - Our UWC handout combines a definition with a step-by-step plan for constructing a summary.

English Style: ESL Students

Bias-free Language

• http://www.sharewords.com/copyedit/biasfree.htm - Demonstrates how to create a website with language that is inoffensive and welcoming to the user.
• http://www.sharewords.com/copyedit/substute.htm - A list of potentially offensive words and terms, and possible, bias-free substitutes for them.
• http://www.apastyle.org/sexuality.html - Tips on how to create unbiased writing about or directed towards lesbians, gay men, and bisexual persons. This site is maintainted by the American Psychological Association's Committee on Lesbian and Gay Concern.
• http://www.apastyle.org/race.html - Suggestions on how to prevent racial and ethnic bias in writing. This site was created through efforts by the American Psychological Association's Board of Ethnic Minority Affairs and the Publications and Communications Board.
• http://www.vcil.org/stakeholders/business/index.html - Offers links to websites on how to avoid biased language in business settings. Links include websites on avoiding all bias in language, and eliminating biased language towards the disabled.
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/general/gl_nonsex.html lists word-choice alternatives for writing with bias-free language.

Clarity and Conciseness

• http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/ - Provides a thorough description of what "clear writing" really means.
• http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/wordines.html - Some "danger signals" that could help you avoid wordiness.
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_concise.html - Purdue offers tips on concise writing and eliminating wordiness.
• http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/comm/cm0201.htm - University of Missouri lists ten principles for clear writing adapted from "The Technique of Clear Writing."
• http://www.llsc.on.ca/cw_before_and_after.html - Gives examples of both clear language and confusing language to show the contrast between the two and explains why clear writing is important. Focus is on business writing.

Coordination/Subordination

• http://www.gpc.edu/~lawowl/handouts/conjunctions.pdf - A concise two-page Adobe Acrobat downloadable form providing lists of coordinating and subordinating conjunctions as well as conjunctive adverbs.
• http://lsc.edcc.edu/Handouts/5--Coordination.php - This site organizes the principles of coordination and subordination visually so they can be taken in at a glance.

Effective Sentences

• http://employees.oxy.edu/jgarrett/sentences.htm - Entitled "Effective Sentences," this site combines information on parallel structure with information on coordination and subordination in order to explain how to create effective sentences.
• http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/guidebook/exercise_c.htm -
  To help you practice writing effective sentences, this website features eight exercises: missing words; shifts in person, number, mood/voice, or direct/indirect quotations; misplaced words, phrases, and clauses; dangling modifiers; mixed constructions or problems with word order; faulty parallelism; coordination and subordination; and combining sentences.

Parallelism

• http://web.uvic.ca/wguide/Pages/SentParallel.html - Explains the principles of parallelism in simple language and gives clear direct examples.
• http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/grammar/parallelism.html - Nice because it gives a list of connectors that can be used between parallel structures.
• http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/parallelism.htm - Gives a fairly technical definition according to Strunk and White's Elements of Style. There are quizzes at the end.

Usage

• http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0200807.html - Infoplease's list of "Easily Confused or Misused Words" provides a standard glossary of usage.
• http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/ - Discusses American English usage and contains a comprehensive list of common problems of usage, their correct form and an explanation, along with links to other usage websites.
• http://www.heptune.com/english.html - "Heptune's Book of Cheesy American English usage" is an amusing and imaginative discussion of trite and incorrect usage.
• http://www.yaelf.com/toc.shtml - Everything you ever wanted to know about usage, including accents and speech, current usage in the news, definitions, etymology, shades of meaning, folklore/proverbial expressions, grammar, jargon and slang, spelling, the history of languages, phrase origins, and other interesting topics.
• http://www.dianahacker.com/bedhandbook/subpages/language.html - An interesting group of discussions about common English usage and grammar problems.

Vocabulary

• http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/vocabula.html - This site provides some interesting facts about how we develop vocabulary as we grow physically and intellectually.
• http://wordsmith.org/awad/index.html- Wordsmith. org offers a Word.A.Day and has done so since 1994. A group of self-confessed word-lovers from over 200 countries, Wordsmith provides archives of their words for the day.
• http://www.vocabvitamins.com/?src=google_cam5_key__vocabulary_ - This is a site that must be joined in order to receive maximum benefit. A new word each day is a "Vocab Vitamin;" lists are provided of previous week's words as well as quizzes on those words.

• http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/big_list/ - Interesting discussion of common idioms and their origins.

Word Choice

• http://www.transaction.net/web/tutor/text/orwell.html - Author George Orwell says the "meaning" should "choose the word." This site contains Orwell's "Six Rules" and "Four Bad Habits."
• http://humanities.ucsd.edu/writing/workshop/word-choice.htm - A thorough discussion of word choice.
• http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/plague.htm - Arranged in an alphabetical list of 40 "Plague Words and Phrases," each entry offers a suggestion or solution for avoiding the problem caused by the "plague" word or phrase. Very useful.

Writing Process

General

• Paradigm Online Writing Assistant by English professor Chuck Guilford is a comprehensive site for writers from novice to expert. The site offers detailed coverage of each stage of the writing process, as well as writing activities, grammar advice and exercises, and much more.
• Writing in College: A Short Guide to College Writing by Joseph M. Williams and Lawrence McEnerney provides a concise yet thorough introduction to the essential steps in the writing process through this site. It is easy to navigate and details how to prepare, write, revise and polish a draft. The site also offers a thoughtful explanation of the differences between writing in high school and writing in college, which first-year students will likely find very helpful.
• General Writing Concerns from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) divides its contents into categories such as Prewriting, Effective Writing, Genres, Revising, and Proofreading. This particular site is only a portion of Purdue's large Online Writing Lab.
• Using the Computer to Improve Your Writing by Margaret Procter, University of Toronto: This site is geared specifically to making the most of writing on the computer. The University of Toronto endeavors to actually show how you can improve your writing by using a computer.
• http://www.buzzin .net/english/glossary.htm#t offers a comprehensive list of language terms, such as hyphens and tone, and links to detailed examples.

Analyzing a Topic or Assignment

• http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/form.pdf - A worksheet for deciding if the topic you've chosen is workable.
• http:// www.sss.uq.edu.au/linkto/ugweb/linkAnalyse.html - Introduces topic analysis from the perspective of teacher expectations, and then proceeds to develop the subject thoroughly.
• http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts/plan/ understand.html - UWC's handout on "Understanding Your Writing Assignment" gives definitions for various directional words you might find in a writing assignment.

Audience Analysis

• Audience Analysis (TAMU handout) - a primer on audience and how it affects your whole document.
• http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/audmod/list6.cfm - This site provides a detailed look at audience, and is divided into organized sections with easy to follow individual links.
• http:// papyr.com/hypertextbooks/engl_101/audience.htm - A thorough explanation of what should be considered when analyzing an audience.
• http:// web.uvic.ca/wguide/Pages/EssayWritingAud.html (University of Victoria) focuses on audience and tone.
• http://www.io .com/~hcexres/tcm1603/acchtml/aud.html - This site is directed to technical writing, but is useful for general purposes as well.

Conclusions

• http:// leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html provides several useful strategies for writing successful conclusions.
• http ://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/conclusions.html offers strategies to use and avoid when writing conclusions. Also lists four kinds of ineffective conclusions.
• http://www.uwc.ucf.edu/ Writing%20Resources/Handouts/conclusion_ideas.htm lists quick ideas for writing good conclusions.
• http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/Conclusions.html provides suggestions on how to end your essay effectively.
• http://www.ssdd.uce.ac.uk/learner/Writing%20index.htm lists things that a good conclusion should and should not have or do. Also offers sample conclusions and advice on writing conclusions.
• http://www.hamilton.edu/academics/Resource/WC/SampleConclusions .html offers suggestions about writing conclusions, as well as common mistakes to avoid.

Finding a Topic

• http://library. webster.edu/wbt/t-w1-00.html - First-rate advice, nicely organized.
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan3.html - Purdue provides tips on starting the writing process in the form of "thought starters."
• http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts/plan/ selectingtopic.html - UWC's handout on "Selecting a Topic" discusses how to go about deciding what constitutes a good quality topic for a writing assignment.
• http://www. utoronto.ca/writing/critrdg.html - This site on how to read critically could be helpful in developing a topic as well.
• http://www. cs.umd.edu/~oleary/gradstudy/node9.html - Directed at graduate study and finding a topic for research, but some good general advice can be gained from the site as well.

Introductions

• http://leo. stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/intro.html explains what an introduction is and how to write an effective one.
• http://web.mit.edu/writing/Writing_Types/introstrategies.html lists ten useful strategies for writing successful introductions.
• http:// writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/intros.html provides examples of types of introductions to avoid and lists good ideas for introductions.
• http://www.ssdd.uce.ac.uk/learner/Writing%20index.htm list the most common mistakes students make when writing introductions and how to avoid them.
• http://www.bilkent.edu.tr/~wigley/WritingIntroductions.rtf offers stylistic tips for writing effective introductions.
• http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/writing/introconslu.html is a short guide on writing introductions and conclusions with useful examples.

Invention/Prewriting

• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/general/gl_plan1.html - Though this link's title begins with the word "Planning" followed by "Invention" in parentheses, the focus is on invention, which it investigates thoroughly.
• http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts/started/ - UWC's "Getting Started" page provides three different ways to think about invention.
• http://www. csuohio.edu/writingcenter/invent.html - Provides a thorough overview of the possibilities encompassed in the invention process.
• http://www.selu.edu/Academics/Faculty/elejeune/prewriting.htm - Just some good general advice on getting started.

Organization

• http:/ /members.tripod.com/~lklivingston/essay/outline.html From the outline to the conclusion, offers step-by-step suggestions for organizing an essay.
• http:// owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp/argument.PPT PowerPoint presentation that explains the process of building an effective argument using the pyramid scheme.
• http://www. hamilton.edu/writing/style/organizing.html This website discusses how to organize a persuasive argument essay, a lab report, a philosophy paper, and an analysis of poetry.
• http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/ac_paper/ write.shtml Provides a thorough description of the elements of a structured essay, including organization (different patterns and methods for developing an argument), the outline, thesis statement, paragraphs, topic sentences, coherence, and introductions and conclusions.

Paragraphing

• http://www.utoronto.ca/ writing/parag.html - Good discussion of how to create coherency in paragraphs.
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/ general/gl_pgrph2.html - Describes the four traits of an effective paragraph and lists suggestions to ensure a well-developed paragraph. Click through to link on creating balanced paragraphs.
• http://www.ems.psu.edu/~schall/Paragraphing.html - Four methods for writing paragraphs and types of topic sentences. Includes a substantial list of transition words, sorted by function like causality and amplification.
• http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/CollegeWriting/REVISE+ EDIT/REVISE/Paragraph.htm - An excellent site on paragraphing, including examples of how to structure several different types of paragraphs, including topic shifts and dialogue.
• http://www .indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/paragraphs.shtml - Indiana University's discussion of paragraphs includes topic sentences, structire, creating coherence, and transitions.
• http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ - Thorough and well-written discussion of focus and topic sentences, and another on coherence. Effective examples offered.
• http:/ /writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/paragrph.html - Features lists of strategies for developing paragraphs, reasons to start a new paragraph, and ways of ordering information within a paragraph.

Planning a Draft

• http ://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan2.html - Thinking through a topic, and planning how to begin is covered at this site.
• http://uga.berkeley.edu/apa/personalstatement/proofreading.html - Although this site is designed to help students in drafting, revising, and proofreading a personal statement, the guidelines apply to writing in general.
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_outlin.html - Instructions on the "how to" of an effective outline.
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_outlinS.html - A sample outline.

Revision

• http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/proofread.html - tips and techniques for detecting errors
• http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/Proofreading.html - proofreading suggestions
• http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/genproofed.html - tips and techniques http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/editing.html#SPELL – examples of common errors in papers
• http://www.interactivetraining.co.uk/proofreading-tips.html - a list of the top 50 proofreading tips
• http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/proofing_grammar.shtml - catching common grammatical errors, includes a list of the most common spelling mistakes and homonym confusion
• http:// www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/writecenter/web/revise.html - "Revising Prose" from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute's Writing Center offers 18 separate potential problem situations to check for in your writing.
• http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts/revise/ revisingchk.html - UWC's version of a checklist for revision.

Thesis Development

• http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts/draft/thesis. html - UWC's handout explains what a thesis is, provides a list of questions to aid in the development of one, and gives general guidelines on how to come up with a working thesis statement.
• http://www.utoronto.ca /writing/thesis.html - Provides helpful information on developing a thesis as well as a list of "myths" about what thesis statements are not.
• http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/ wworkshop/writer_resources/writing_tips/thesis_statements.htm - Asks questions, and then provides sample thesis statements in order to illustrate whether a thesis is restricted, unified, clear, analytic, original, and/or energetic.
• http://mciunix .mciu.k12.pa.us/~spjvweb/thesis.html - Lists attributes of a good thesis, gives equations for developing a thesis followed by tests to evaluate a thesis, and then provides a link to a "Thesis Generator."

Transition Words

• http://www.mun.ca /writingcentre/transword.shtml - Site is organized into categories according to what the transition signals; examples are provided for each category as well as an exercise for practice.
• http:// www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/transitions.html - This article discusses the function and importance of transitions. It suggests you decide how you will organize the paper before you decide what transitions to use. It also discusses how transitions work as well as the various types of transitions that occur: between sections, between paragraphs, and within paragraphs. Then it gives a list of logical relationships and the transitional words that express those relationships.
• http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts/grammar/ transition.html - Straightforward and simple, our UWC handout>