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Virtual Writing Lab Guide

Helpful tools and information to use as you write your papers

TOOLS TO HELP WITH REVISING

Once you have completed writing your rough draft, it is a good idea to take a break.  Go and eat a meal, take a walk on campus, or take a nap.  Then once you have had a break, read through your paper again with fresh eyes.  

  • As you read through your paper, ask yourself if there are sentences that are not clear?  Is there a sentence that is confusing?  Highlight those sentences as you read so you can go back and reword them.
  • Read your paper out loud to yourself or to a friend.  See if it makes sense as you are reading it.
  • Use spell check and other tools listed here to help you correct spelling, grammar, and clarity.

Remember:  This is a great time to seek help in the tutoring center.  You can read your paper to a tutor and get help in identifying and re-writing any sentences that are not clear.

PaperRater is a free site that will help you with editing your paper, plagiarism identification, and grammar.  https://www.paperrater.com/

Are you worried about your paper containing plagiarism?  Defeat Plagiarism on all 10 of KCU’s sports fields to be sure that you never have an issue with plagiarism on your assignments!  Good luck!

KCU Young Library's Plagiarism Decathlon

   KCU Young Library's Plagiarism Decathlon © 2022 by Josh Blevins is licensed under CC BY 4.0

Are you unsure if your paraphrasing is plagiarism?  Do you know what information should be included in an in-text citation?  Try this Interactive Tutorial to help you make decisions on when to cite your writing.   Click on the link and then click on “View Resource” to begin!  https://www.oercommons.org/courses/plagiarism-tutorial 

Plagiarism Tutorial © 2013 by Kevin Gilbertson, Kyle Denlinger for Wake Forest University is licensed under CC BY 4.0 

Duplichecker is a free tool that will allow you to check your paper for plagiarism before you turn it in. 

1. Go to duplichecker.com.

2. Paste your text into the box provided.

3. Scroll down the page.

4. Click on the "Check Plagiarism" button at the bottom.

 

If you need any help, contact a librarian or stop by the library!

 

Grammarly is a tool that has a free option to help you edit  your work.  It will help you with spelling, grammar, and phrases that may be unclear to a reader.  To use this tool, you do need to sign up for a free account.  To learn more about Grammarly and what it will do:

  • Go to https://www.grammarly.com/
  • Click on the green button that says 'Get Grammarly It's Free"
  • You can set up a free account on the screen OR
  • You can click on the words "Proceed Without Creating an Account" located at the bottom of the screen and learn about how Grammarly may be able to help you.

Please stop by the library if you need any assistance!

STYLE GUIDES

Need help formatting your Turabian style paper?  Want to use a template?  Do you have questions about your footnotes?  Check out this guide on Turabian Style from Luther Rice College and Seminary. https://libguides.lutherrice.edu/c.php?g=909132&p=6547862

 

The template from Luther Rice College is available below!

APA style is the standard for the following departments on campus: Biological Sciences, Business, Education, Social Work and Behavioral Health, and Nursing.  Always check your syllabus to see which style you should be using for any assignment.  Be aware that professors can also modify styles.  If different instructions are in your syllabus, that takes precedence over the style manual.

Owl at Purdue is an excellent source to answer your questions on the style quickly.  It also provides a sample paper.

 

Template for APA (7th ed) Paper from University of Wisconsin Whitewater

Template for APA (7th ed) Annotated Bibliography from University of Wisconsin Whitewater

MLA style is the standard for many of your English courses.  Always check your syllabus to see which style you should be using for any assignment.  Be aware that professors can also modify styles.  If different instructions are in your syllabus, that takes precedence over the style manual.

Owl at Purdue is an excellent source to answer your questions on the style quickly.  It also provides a sample paper.

MLA Style 8th Ed. - Word Tutorial for MLA 8th Essay Format - This YouTube video by Dr. David Taylor does an excellent job of showing you how to set up a Word document in MLA format.  These same setups are very similar for Google Docs.  Stop by the library and the tutoring center if you need additional assistance.

Chicago style is the standard for many of your History courses.  Always check your syllabus to see which style you should be using for any assignment.  Be aware that professors can also modify styles.  If different instructions are in your syllabus, that takes precedence over the style manual.

Owl at Purdue is an excellent source to answer your questions on the style quickly.  It also provides a sample paper.

 

Need a template?  Try this one from Vanguard University!