Resources for writers and editors
The resources listed on this page are available online. They are all worthy resources that I have discovered over the years while searching or browsing for information, ideas, inspiration or answers about editing and writing. I have saved the best of them and now I'm sharing. To access a resource, click on the blue text. To suggest a resource to include in this list, please contact me.
Academic writing and editing30 tips for successful academic research and writing
Helpful advice and tips from sociologist Deborah Lupton in her blog, This Sociological Life. Demystifying citations and referencing This online tutorial from Monash University library takes about 20 minutes to complete. Well worth the time. Doctoral writing SIG A stimulating blog for anyone interested in doctoral writing. Doctoral Writing SIG is also a forum; a library; a place to share information on forthcoming conferences, grants and research opportunities; and a "safe place to ask questions". Included are many useful resources and tips as well as stimulating discussions. Using sources and avoiding plagiarism This 27-page academic skills unit published by Melbourne University will show you how to avoid plagiarism and how to cite sources properly. It includes examples of what is and is not plagiarism; strategies for avoiding plagiarism; the correct use of sources; and ways to paraphrase, summarise and integrate quotations. Downloadable as a free PDF. Choosing the right tense in thesis and research writing If you struggle to decide which tense to use and when, this blog post by Cassidy Charles is for you. Cassidy describes her simple model of three different types of time in research writing—real world time, truth time and text time—and explains when and how to use them. First person and third person in academic writing If you're not sure whether to use first person (I, we) or third person (the researcher, this thesis) in your research writing, this blog post by Susan Carter may help you decide. Explorations of style: A blog about academic writing In this blog, Rachael Cayley discusses the ongoing challenges of academic writing. An associate professor in the Office of English Language and Writing Support in the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto, Rachel shares some great strategies for dealing with those challenges. Rachel conveniently categorises her blog entries according to the following topics: drafting, revision, audience, identity, writing challenges, mechanics, productivity, graduate writing, blogging and social media, and resources. Amanda Wolf's four-sentence formula for writing a research proposal Having trouble coming up with your research question? This simple technique may help you. Referring to sources in academic writing Is it acceptable to use 'says' when referring to a source? Although using a simple word is usually better than using a complex one, the word 'says' is best avoided when referring to your sources in academic writing. This list of alternatives is a great resource. |
Grammar and word usageGrammar 'jargon buster' from Oxford University Press
Grammatical jargon can make us feel excluded or, at best, uninformed. Add this easy-to-use reference list of grammatical terms to your bookmarks. Wordnik Type a word or phrase into Wordnik's search box and you will be rewarded with definitions from multiple sources, real examples of the word or phrase, synonyms, homonyms, hypernyms, a reverse dictionary, and so much more. It's well worth checking out. Google books Ngram viewer I find Ngram viewer handy when I'm struggling to decide between two or more forms of usage, such as between icecream, ice-cream and ice cream. When you enter phrases into Ngram Viewer, it displays a graph showing how those phrases have occurred in a corpus of books (e.g., "British English", "English Fiction", "French") over the selected years. It's fascinating to see how usage has changed over the decades. MS WordAllen Wyatt's Word tips (ribbon)
Hundreds of tips for users of Word versions, commencing with Word 2007. Includes tips on twenty topics, such as tables, macros, formatting, templates, find and replace, and fields. You can also subscribe to a weekly newsletter. Idiots' guide to installing macros This simple guide from Graham Mayor is easy to follow. Use it to install macros that you discover on websites or in newsgroups or that colleagues share with you. The step-by-step instructions are supported by screen shots to guide you along the way. Editing marks / editing symbolsProofreaders' marks
A reliable chart from Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, showing the symbols, their meanings and how to use them. |