Helpful Handouts

A consultant and a student working together in LOH 120

Listed below are our writing center's helpful handouts on general writing issues, concerns, or strategies. We dedicate a lot of time and energy into keeping these updated, relevant, and helpful as often as we can - therefore, there may be changes or additions to your favorite handouts! Check them out, and enjoy. Feel free to:

  • Use them at home
  • Use them in class
  • Save them for yourself
  • Share them with a friend

If you see one with an * next to its title, that means the handout is available as a multi-modal handout (it could have a comic, be an illustrated form, or be graphically communicative in another way). 

The Resource Market

The Resource Market is part of Virtual Knowledge Market services and brings together resources from the Research Center, Speech Lab, Digital Creator Lab, and Writing Center to provide a wide range of self-guided support. The search bar auto populates with ideas based on your search terms and resources are designed to be easy to find and use. Get started: https://www.gvsu.edu/library/km/resource-market-35.htm


Form: Genre & Parts of Papers

These handouts will address questions regarding the content expected in certain genres (resumes, narratives, etc.) and what components must/should be included (titles, headings, etc.). 

Abstracts *

Annotated Bibliography

Argumentative Papers: Persuading Your Reader *

Biology Lab Reports

Case Analysis

Essay Tests, Tips for Taking

Headings

Introductions & Conclusions *

Narratives-General *

Response Papers

Review Essay

Speech Language Pathology - Personal Statement

Team Writing the Group Paper

Thesis Statement  *

Titles

Transitions *

 

Clarity: Grammar & Punctuation

These handouts will address questions regarding the editing & revising process. 

Active & Passive Voice *

Apostrophes *

Bias-Free Language

Capitalization

Commas *

Confused Words

Dashes

Pronoun Use: You-Attitude

Run-On Sentences

Sentence Fragments

The Colon

The Semi-colon*

Types of Sentences

Wordiness

Style: Citations & Formatting

These links and handouts will help you compose/convert your paper into a designated style (APA, MLA, & Chicago).

A Quick Guide to MLA Style - 9th Edition

A Quick Guide to Chicago Style - 17th Edition 

A Guide for APA Citations - 7th Edition

Formatting guides:

A Guide to APA Formatting - 7th Edition

Chicago 17th Edition Formatting Help - Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

Guide to creating different page numbers within a single document (Word)

Formatting Different Page Numbers by Section in Word

Older citation styles: 

A Quick Guide to MLA Style - 8th Edition

A Guide to APA Formatting - 6th Edition

A Quick Guide to APA Citations - 6th Edition

 

Samples: Shapes of Common Papers

These documents can give you an idea for the shape and form of common papers, assignments, and projects. 

Academic Cover Letter

Annotated Bibliography MLA

APA Basic Paper - Cover Page & Abstract

Memo

MLA Basic Paper - Front Page

Professional Letter

 


Genre Guides: Writing in Your Major

In the summer of 2009, faculty across the university collaborated with the writing center on a project funded by a Presidential Teaching Initiatives Grant from the Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center. The project involved creating a number of writing resources for use by students and writing consultants. The following guides give writing advice as well as information about content, form, and style conventions of various kinds of writing in disciplines across the university.

Interested in learning more about why we created these guides, our collaborative process with faculty, or how we're assessing the use of these guides in the writing center? Or are you a faculty member interested in working with the center to create genre guides for use by your students during writing consultations? Read an overview of the project.

 

 

 

Have other questions? Stop in and visit! Or call us at 331-2922.



Page last modified June 18, 2024