When you need advice about your writing projects, your first and best resource is the WRC. Come talk to us: make an appointment online with one of our trained peer consultants.

Find answers to your immediate writing questions in the resources below. Our printable handouts also cover a wide range of writing and oral communication topics. We also offer a set of graduate student-focused resources through the Graduate Writing Resources Center.

College Writing--What's Different?

• Writing in College: A Short Guide to College Writing (PDF)
• Really? Writing? Again?
• College Writing and the Five-Paragraph Theme
• A Well-Written Academic Essay

Understand the Assignment

• What Does the Professor Want?
• How to Read an Assignment
• Common Writing Assignments
• Understanding Assignments (Text)
• Understanding Assignments (Video)

Contexts for Writing

• Understanding Writing Situations
• Purpose, Audience, Stance, Genre, Medium, Design
• Isn't My Instructor My Audience?
• Understanding Your Purpose
• Adapting to Your Audience

Get Started

• So You've Got a Writing Assignment: Now What?
• Writing Task Resource List
• The Writing Process
• Invention: Starting the Writing Process
• Brainstorming

Strategies for Writing Essays

• Constructing the Thesis and Argument
• Developing Your Thesis
• Outlining
• Back to Basics: The Perfect Paragraph
• Topic Sentences and Signposting
• Revising Drafts
• Writing a History Paper: The Basics (HWRC)

Research Essays and Info Literacy

• The Research Process
• Make a Research Appointment
• College Studies (Text and Video)
• Secondary Sources in Their Natural Habitat
• Listening to Sources, Talking to Sources
• Quoting and Paraphrasing
• Web Literacy for Student Fact Checkers

Cite Sources

• Research and Citation Resources
• MLA Style Center
• Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide
• Documentation Guidelines (MLA, APA, Chicago, CSE)
• What is Plagiarism?

Presentations and Visual Aids

• Crafting Effective Speeches
• The Public Speaking Project
• Creating Effective Visual Aids
• Design Tips for PowerPoint
• Creating a Poster Presentation
• Why Are We Scared of Public Speaking?
• 10 Public Speaking Tips

Science Writing

• Science Writing Research Guide
• Scientific Writing Tips
• A Guide to Scientific Writing

Grammar and Style Guides

• Norton Field Guide to Writing
• Purdue OWL
• Writing for Success
• Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence
• Top Twenty Errors in Undergraduate Writing

Writing for Scholarships, Internships, and Jobs

• Writing Personal Statements
• W&M Peer Scholarship Advisors

Resources for English Language Learners

• Interactive Websites for Learning
• College Writing for ESL Students
• Common Errors in English Usage
• Purdue OWL: English Grammar and Mechanics (and Other Resources)
• Academic Communication and Culture (and Other Resources)
• Merriam-Websters Learner's Dictionary
• Cambridge Essential American English Dictionary