Writing Resources
This page has a list of some of the most common issues that students struggle with in writing. Check out the links below to connect you with some great resources to help making writing easier!
MLA Format
In-text Citations
One of the things that students struggle with most is properly citing a quote in a text. Before the internet, citing a source used to be a bit easier. Most information came from books, and one simply had to include the author's last name and the page number where the quote could be found, both in parentheses, at the end of the sentence.
EXAMPLE:
"Your quote goes here between the quotation marks," (author's last name page number).
However, since the invention of the internet, sources of information have gotten more complex. There are now websites, blogs, user comments, viral videos, social media posts, and so much more. Sometimes there are no clear authors, and often there are no page numbers. So how is an unfortunate high school student supposed to know how to cite this stuff?
Luckily, there are smart, dedicated people all around the world who work tirelessly to figure out this information for you. If you want to know more about how to cite sources, try visiting this page on Purdue college's Online Writing Lab.
EXAMPLE:
"Your quote goes here between the quotation marks," (author's last name page number).
However, since the invention of the internet, sources of information have gotten more complex. There are now websites, blogs, user comments, viral videos, social media posts, and so much more. Sometimes there are no clear authors, and often there are no page numbers. So how is an unfortunate high school student supposed to know how to cite this stuff?
Luckily, there are smart, dedicated people all around the world who work tirelessly to figure out this information for you. If you want to know more about how to cite sources, try visiting this page on Purdue college's Online Writing Lab.
Using a Quote In Your Writing
Another issue that many students struggle with is using quotes in their writing. Typically, students will simply drop a quote into a paragraph, leaving it to stand on its own as a sentence. One reason why this isn't the best approach is that you're not guiding your reader to any specific meaning. The same quote can be interpreted different ways by different people. Rather than leaving it up to your reader to figure out why and how you're using the quote, you should use the sentences surrounding the quote to set up the information just right so that your reader will follow the quote straight to your intended meaning and not to anywhere else.
BAD EXAMPLE:
The character Holden Caulfield thinks everyone is a phony. "One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That's all. They were coming in the goddam window" (8).
BETTER EXAMPLE:
The character Holden Caulfield thinks everyone is a phony, especially the people at his old school. Holden states, "One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That's all. They were coming in the goddam window" (8). Holden is exaggerating when he says that phonies are coming through the windows, but he uses this ridiculous image to emphasize how overcrowded with phonies the world feels to him.
BAD EXAMPLE:
The character Holden Caulfield thinks everyone is a phony. "One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That's all. They were coming in the goddam window" (8).
BETTER EXAMPLE:
The character Holden Caulfield thinks everyone is a phony, especially the people at his old school. Holden states, "One of the biggest reasons I left Elkton Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies. That's all. They were coming in the goddam window" (8). Holden is exaggerating when he says that phonies are coming through the windows, but he uses this ridiculous image to emphasize how overcrowded with phonies the world feels to him.
Plagiarism
Another common issue that students might run into is dealing with plagiarism (when you use someone else's words and don't give them credit). While some students do intentionally take content from someone else's writing, many students who struggle with plagiarism simply don't know how to properly cite a source.
If you're worried about plagiarism and want to know more, check out this guide from Colorado State University's writing resources site, Writing@CSUS, The Writing Studio.
Another great resource for understanding plagiarism is this handy-dandy infographic.
If you're worried about plagiarism and want to know more, check out this guide from Colorado State University's writing resources site, Writing@CSUS, The Writing Studio.
Another great resource for understanding plagiarism is this handy-dandy infographic.