Resources
thesis statements | academic essays | general writing resources | technology | design
All About Thesis Statements
- Comprehensive handout on thesis statements (appears to be collected from sources across the web)
- Another handout, this focusing on the difference between a topic and a thesis.
- The Thesis, by Jack Lynch
- On Thesis Statements
- Google Search: what is a thesis statement?
Writing Academic Essays
Papers: Expectations, Guidelines, Advice and Grading by Jeannine DeLombard and Dan White. Includes much more than thesis statements: a very thorough guide, and worth getting to know well.
Essay Worksheet: This file will help you create an outline of the entire essay, ensure the paragraphs cohere and support the argument, and will help you make sure you've found adequate details (evidence) to support your thesis.
Harvey's Elements of Academic Essays; Lists and explains 13 things essential to a good paper. Specifically, it addresses thesis, motive, evidence, analysis, key terms, structure, stitching, sources, reflecting, orienting, stance, style, and a title.
General Writing Resources
University Center for Excellence in Writing (The Writing Center): The UCEW consultants can help you at every stage of the writing process: understanding the readings, understanding the assignment, developing a thesis/argument, developing support, MLA citation and documentation, grammar, style, patters of error, etc. They are not a proofreading service. Consultants will work with you during 30 minute sessions on whatever you want to work on. I strongly advise registering for an account with the UCEW early in the semester. You must register and make appointments online.
OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University: The OWL at Purdue is a collection of resources for writers, including information on the writing process, developing thesis statements, grammar, and MLA citation and documentation. Their grammar resources are very clear and easily understandable and additionally, they offer exercises and answers that will help you to practice and improve any of your patterns of error.
Technology Resources & Software
GoogleDocs: Google Docs allows you to upload documents, work on them (like a word processor), export them in .doc format, share papers, comment on others work, collaborate on projects, etc. To use the service, you must first sign up for a Google Account. If you already have a Gmail account, the login and password for your Google Account are the same. However, you can sign up for a Google Account using your FAU email address (this is helpful when you don’t want your personal email address associated with your school work).
OpenOffice Productivity Suite: Open Office is a free, open source office suite that has applications very similar to Microsoft Word applications (Word = Writer, Excel = Calc, PowerPoint = Impress) and also, an image editing application called Draw. Open Office allows you to save/open documents in .doc and .docx format
Inkscape: Open source (free) vector graphics editor.
Gimp: Open source (free) image editing software.
Scribus: Open source (free) desktop publishing software.
Design Resources & Inspiration
Ellen Lupton's home Page - Site of DIY text author.
Thinking with Type - Site connected with another Lupton book.