Writing Resources
Writing Centre Handouts
We have developed a number of writing resources to help you with your writing. Much of the information is available as handouts, which can be downloaded or, in many cases, picked up in person at the Writing Centre in Waterloo or Writing and Study Skills Services in Brantford.
Resources developed by the Waterloo Writing Centre are marked with a (W); those developed by Brantford's Writing and Study Skills Services are marked with a (B). In some cases, the resources developed for one campus correspond better with the programs and expectations there.
Assignment Types
- Annotated Bibliography (B)
- Annotated Bibliography (W)
- Book Review (B)
- Book Review (W)
- Business Writing Checklist (B)
- Business Writing Executive Summary (B)
- Case Brief (B)
- Case Report (WriteOnline.ca)
- Critical (Article) Review (B)
- Critical Review (W)
- Historiographical Essay (B)
- Lab Report (WriteOnline.ca)
- Literature Review (B)
- Op-Ed (B)
- Précis (B)
- Reflective Writing (B)
- Reflective Writing (WriteOnline.ca)
- Research Paper (B)
- Writing Essays as a Group (B)
Citation and Documentation Style
- APA and MLA Documentation Style (W)
- APA: How to Use Sources (W)
- APA Documentation Style (W)
- APA Citation (B)
- APA Citation for Government, NGO and Treaty Documents (B)
- APA Style Quick Reference Guide – Formatting an APA Paper (B)
- Chicago Style Quick Reference Guide – Formatting a Chicago/Turabian Paper (B)
- Chicago Documentation Style (W)
- Chicago/Turabian Author-Date (Reference List) Citation (B)
- Chicago/Turabian Notes and Full Bibliography Citation (B)
- Chicago/Turabian Notes with No Bibliography Citation (B)
- Citing E-books (all styles) (B)
- MLA Citation 8th Edition (B)
- MLA: How to Use Sources (W)
- MLA Style Quick Reference Guide – Formatting an MLA Paper (B)
Grammar and Style
- Colon Check-up (B)
- Comma Use (B)
- Common Word Choice Mistakes (B)
- Parts of Speech (W)
- Punctuation Rules (W)
- Semicolon (B)
- Sentence Revision (W)
- Sentence Types (W)
- Subordination (W)
- Transitional Expressions (B)
Structuring an Academic Paper
- Academic Paragraphs (B)
- Audience and Purpose (B)
- Citing Sources (B)
- Constructing an Argument (B)
- Constructing an Argument (W)
- Crafting Essay Titles (B)
- Editing and Proofreading (B)
- Essential Features of Academic Writing (W)
- Introductions and Conclusions (B)
- Paragraph Writing (W)
- Prewriting (B)
- Quotation Integration (B)
- Summaries, Paraphrases, and Quotations (B)
- Ten Essential Features of Academic Writing (B)
- Ten Essential Features of Academic Writing (W)
- Thesis Statements (B)
- Thesis Statements (W)
- Transition Words and Phrases (W)
- Writing an Effective Conclusion (W)
- Writing Style (B)
Scholarship and Grant Proposal Writing
For English Language Learners
The following resources were all developed by the Writing and Study Skills Centre in Brantford.
French
- French Adjectives (B)
- French Tenses (B)
Videos on French Grammar Created by Laurier Students (Waterloo Campus)
The Assignment Planner
The assignment planner helps you navigate through the various stages of the research and writing process.
See a review of the assignment planner by student Writing Tutor Samantha Schott.
VocApp: Word of the Day
Are you looking for ways to improve your vocabulary? The VocApp presents a “Word of the Day” so you can learn about the origin, pronunciation, and definition of the word, and see how it’s used in a sentence.
You can download our VocApp on Google Play or iTunes on your Android and Apple devices. It’s free!
The VocApp was a collaborative project involving the Writing Centre, PhD Candidate Haydn Lawrence, and Educational Developer Nadine LeGros of the Intercultural Development Office.
The Spanish VocApp
The Spanish VocApp provides users with a “Word of the Day” just as in the English version. Users can learn a word and its meaning as well as see the word used in a sentence.
The Spanish VocApp is available on Android and Apple devices and can be downloaded via iTunes.
The Spanish VocApp was a collaborative project involving the Writing Centre, Spanish Professor Maria Eugenia de Luna Villalon, and PhD Candidate Haydn Lawrence.
Other Online Writing Resources
There are also a lot of great academic writing resources on the web. Here are a few that we like:
- Owl Purdue Online Writing Lab: This is a great resource for citations and referencing, assignment types, and grammar. It also has a useful section for English language learners.
- University of Toronto: Advice on Academic Writing: This website includes sections on the main features of academic writing, including assignment types, writing in different disciplines, citations, plagiarism, grammar, and much more.
- Harvard University Writing Center: This site provides good information on writing in specific disciplines, including history, philosophy, and psychology.
- De Paul University Center for Writing-Based Learning: This site is a good resource for writers as it includes sections on types of writing, revision, publishing.