Below is a collection of web resources RWC students have used to improve their skills.
The OWL (Online Writing Lab) of Purdue University has created an excellent resource for English students. Valuable information is available on topics such as the writing process, grammar and mechanics, and business/professional writing. Try out their writing process page the next time you are having trouble drafting a thesis statement or suffering from writer's block.
Another worthwhile resource is the ESC Online Writing Center. This award-winning web site was developed by professors at Empire State College in New York. They discuss vital college concepts such as academic writing and critical thinking. In addition, they provide helpful advice on writing research papers.
For guidance on analysis and argumentation, explore the University of Richmond's Writing Center web site, called Writer's Web. The argumentation data you will find there include material on avoiding logical fallacies and utilizing the Toulmin Schema.
The Guide to Grammar and Writing is produced by Capital Community College in Hartford, Connecticut. Its developers offer assistance in areas ranging from grammar and vocabulary to essays and research papers. You will also find quality interactive grammar exercises along with self-correcting quizzes on this site.
Be sure to check the OWL website for help with both MLA and APA documentation.
The CRC librarians have created handouts for MLA, APA, and Chicago citation styles, which contain guidelines for creating a bibliography page and using parenthetical references for essays and research papers. You can pick up free copies of these handouts in the Library, the Computer Lab (LRC-204), or the RWC. Also, the seventh edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and the fifth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association are available in the RWC for your reference.
Study Guides and Strategies contains tips—in 30 languages!—on time management, preparing for and taking exams, reading efficiently, working in groups, and much, much more. . . .
Sites to Promote Academic Success is an impressive page assembled by Professor Linda Walsh from the University of Northern Iowa. This page is filled with tips on time management, note taking, test taking, memory improvement, and other valuable skills.
An excellent combination dictionary and thesaurus is also available online.
The Library is an online resource too! From the library website, you can search Onesearch, which is a powerful research tool. Using Onesearch you can find books, eBooks, media, newspapers, magazines, and journals and much more! You can locate and request materials from any of the Los Rios college libraries, search eBook collections, access research databases. Need help? library (at) crc [dot] losrios [dot] edu (Ask one of your college librarians)!