Reynolds Writing Studio Resources

The Writing Studio at Reynolds has put together some resources about common problems that students face when they're constructing an academic paper. Click the titles below to read our guides on organizing paragraphs, thesis statements, editing, and more! Below that, we've put our favorite outside resources. Check them out!

Writing Academic Paragraphs
This resource discusses the different parts and functions of academic paragraphs. Academic paragraphs are usually well-developed paragraphs that use evidence to support a single, specific claim. They are usually longer and denser than paragraphs in other types of writing (e.g. newspapers, magazines, etc.).

 

Using Commas
This resource discusses some uses for commas, as well as common errors that writers make when using commas.

Editing Strategies
This resource is meant to give you different editing strategies to help revise your writing. Editing usually comes after you have made significant revision to a first draft of writing. When writers edit, they focus on the larger structure of the writing, coherence, expanding sections and paragraphs, adding evidence to support claims, and making sure sentences clearly communicate what they are meant to communication to the reader.

Proofreading Strategies
This resource gives you strategies for proofreading your writing. Proofreading is usually the last step of the writing process to ensure that your writing is free of typos and other surface errors that can distract from your message and meaning.

Run-On Sentence & Sentence Fragments
Many writers struggle with sentence-boundary issues. The two biggest sentence-boundary issues are fragments and run-on sentences. This resource gives you information about these issues and shows you different strategies for finding and fixing them.

Summary Versus Analysis
Summary and analysis are two important tools of academic writing. However, sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference between the two. This resource will help you understand how summary differs from analysis and how each is used in academic writing.

Thesis Statements
This resource discusses thesis statements: what they are, how they are used, and how to write/improve thesis statements.

 

Ways to Expand an Essay
Often writing assignments have a minimum length. It can be frustrating when you're struggling to make an essay longer. This resource gives you seven concrete ways to expand an essay while also making it more detailed, descriptive, and analytical.

ESL Writers Resources
The Reynolds ESL department has recommended these online resources for ESL writers.

Outside Writing Resources

Below is a collection of useful outside writing resources organized by the writing stage.

Pre-writing

Writing an Academic Paper

Grammar & Mechanics

Editing & Revising

Citations

Keyboard Shortcuts

Paraphrasing Tools

And check out all the resources from the Writing Center at UT Austin, now in printable downloads! Highlights include "Myths of College Writing" and "Code-Switching and Code-Meshing". They also have some excellent style guides for APA, MLA, and Chicago.