USC UPSTATE

The Writing Center
Resources for Writers and Instructors

In-class workshops tailored to the needs of particular students and campus-wide workshops for students are available. This service is offered on a limited basis depending on class times and tutor or facilitator availability. Contact Jane Addison, Director of the Writing Center, at 864-503-5604 for more information.

Powerpoint Presentations

• MLA and APA Format
• The Writing Process
• Guide to Documentation for Upper-Level Courses  

Professional Writing Assistance  

• Access professional writing assistance through both video and handouts as provided by Instructor Brock Adams, faculty member in the Languages, Literature, and Composition department.

• Guide to Documentation for Upper-Level Courses (.doc)--Useful to help advanced students identify, evaluate, integrate, and cite sources in an academic research paper.  
• Guide to Understanding Dependent Clauses & Sentence Fragments (.doc)--Useful to help students learn why words like "although" make their sentence into a sentence fragment or when to use commas around a clause beginning with "which," "who," or "that."  

General Documentation Information  

• bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/
  Provides a comprehensive set of models in MLA, APA, Chicago Manual of Style (Turabian) and CSE documentation styles. Is current with updated editions of manuals. A downloadable pdf with models from the new 7th edition MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers is also available.
• www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/plag/paraphrasing.php
  Provides comprehensive tutorial with useful exercises on paraphrasing, direct quoting and appropriate documentation.

When to Cite Sources  

• www.library.american.edu/tutorial/citation3.html  

Documentation  

• library.duke.edu/research/citing/index.html  
• www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/CollegeWriting/home.htm  
• www.sass.uottawa.ca/writing/kit/  

CMS  

• www.chompchomp.com/menu.htm
  Grammar Bytes site includes a dictionary of grammar-related terms, exercises and handouts to clarify common grammar mistakes, and 20 minute lessons to refresh writing skills. Site also offers quick tips and rules for those in a hurry.
• www.wwnorton.com/college/english/write/writesite/
  The Norton Write site accompanies the Norton texts used during Freshman Composition courses. It simplifies and provides examples of MLA, APA, CMS and CSE style papers. Proper documentation is also included. Exercises and quizzes are available.

CSE and Science Writing  

• www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/electric/quickguides/docs/CSEhome.html
  CSE (sub-styles: Citation Sequence, Name Year, Citation Name)
• library.caltech.edu/reference/abbreviations/
  CSE Journal Title Abbreviations

YouTube Videos  

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQGBhZ0ov6o&feature=related
  Funny video on incorporating paraphrased or quoted material
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akq61LZP5_A
  Serious video on incorporating paraphrased or quoted material
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TJx99PIIpo
  Explains how to set up a page in proper MLA format using Word 2007

Research Logs  

• www.uleth.ca/lib/guides/research/display.asp?PageID=30  
• www.tarleton.edu/departments/library/library_module/unit3/3log_lm.html  

Resources for Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism  

• www.plagiarism.org/index.html  
• www.montgomerycollege.edu/library/plagiarismintro.htm  

Plagiarism quiz (can send quiz results to professor)  

• http://www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/plag/plagiarismtutorial.php  

Additional Links  

• http://www.english.ucsb.edu/faculty/ayliu/courses/wikipedia-policy.html: Alan Liu's "Student Wikipedia Use Policy" has been widely published and adopted by universities as a model for guiding students to use Wikipedia appropriately in college writing and research.  
• http://www.apastyle.org: The American Psychological Association's APA Style guide includes information on the newly released Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 6th edition.  A free tutorial, "What's New in the Sixth Edition" is available.  Please note changes especially to the reference citation format for articles retrieved online or from databases. "Digital Object Identifiers" (DOIs), when available, are now required.  
• http://www.libraries.psu.edu/content/dam/psul/up/pams/documents/QuickGuideACS.pdf: The Penn State University libraries provide a "Quick Guide" to the American Chemical Society (ACS) citation style. This style is commonly used in research papers in chemistry and other natural sciences.   
• http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/plagiarism: Simon Fraser University's guide to Plagiarism provides a comprehensive tutorial (with periodic quizzes) to help students understand appropriate quoting, paraphrasing and documentation methods.
• http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/: Capital Community College Foundation's Guide to Grammar and Writing includes a guide to grammar rules at the word, sentence, paragraph, essay, and research paper levels. Site includes many examples, quizzes, powerpoints, and links to other online resources.  
• www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/resources.html: The Harvard University Writing Center site includes tips and handouts for addressing global aspects of writing from essay structure to counter-argument to revising the draft and editing the essay. This site is particularly helpful for students and faculty working in upper-level courses with longer papers. Harvard's Writing with Sources guide offers a thorough guide to integrating research at advanced levels.  
• www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/index.html: The University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center Writer's Handbook covers a range of writing issues from stages of the writing process to responding to common writing assignments. Site also includes examples of successful and unsuccessful paraphrases and guides to avoiding and correcting common grammar mistakes.  
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/: The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers guides to the writing process and problem-solving in grammar, research, citation, English as a Second Language (ESL), and internet literacy. Site includes handouts, examples, powerpoints, podcasts, and general guides to writing in professional, technical, job search, academic, social sciences, creative, and engineering fields.  
• http://www.rebeccamoorehoward.com/videos/video-4: This video offers a great guide to avoid patchwriting.

Materials on this page have been made available for instructional purposes only. Contact the Writing Center (864-503-5883) for permission to duplicate or use for any other purpose.  

Hours
Monday, Wednesday & Friday
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday and Thursday
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Make an Appointment
To schedule an appointment with the Writing Center, call 864-503-5883 or stop by HPAC 136.

Faculty: Recommend a Student
for a Tutoring Position

Contact Us
Brock Adams
Director of the Writing Center
Location: HPAC 136
Phone: 864-503-5883 

USC Upstate
Department of Languages, Literature & Composition
800 University Way
Spartanburg, SC 29303
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