ESL Web Directory

What is a reference? Why reference? When to reference? Where and how to reference?

An essay is a relatively short piece of writing dealing with any one subject. Nowadays most essays are written by students and this web page is about the kind of essay students write. As a form of writing, student essays could be thought of as practice for writing academic articles - the name given to essays when they are developed and published in academic journals.

There is no one model for science writing. Each scientific discipline, each specialty, and often each professional society and each journal, has its own preferred style of citation. Each style has its own manual. Your instructor may have specified which you should use. If so, use it; otherwise, see the list below as a guide to a few of the more commonly used manuals. In each manual, look for the chapter that discusses references or citation.

The course will provide framework for reading, writing and discussing contemporary scientific issues based on selections from texts related to the field of science.

No standard method for citing electronic sources of information has yet been agreed upon. The recommendations in this document follow the practices most likely to be adopted and are intended as guidance for those needing to cite electronic sources of information now.

An essay can have many purposes, but the basic structure is the same no matter what. You may be writing an essay to argue for a particular point of view or to explain the steps necessary to complete a task. Either way, your essay will have the same basic format. If you follow a few simple steps, you will find that the essay almost writes itself. You will be responsible only for supplying ideas, which are the important part of the essay anyway.

This guide to thesis writing gives simple and practical advice on the problems of getting started, getting organised, dividing the huge task into less formidable pieces and working on those pieces. It also explains the practicalities of surviving the ordeal. It includes a suggested structure and a guide to what should go in each section.

You have arrived at the entrance to Key Skills Online. The purpose of this site is to provide you with a range of resources and references to other materials including software packages.

The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing is for anyone who wants to write better. It's intended mainly for college students, but it has also helped lots of other people around the world learn how to write more clearly, gracefully, and effectively.

PDF files containing example citations for all types of sources, from books to online images. They show the most essential information to record as you go through the research process. Includes a citation tutorial.

This free resource is full of practical advice to help you study more effectively at university.

A comprehensive compendium of resources and study guides for learners available in 25 languages.

How-to-Study.com is the number one resource in the world for FREE information on study skills, study strategies and study aids.

Many times college students have not had to manage their time efficiently prior to college because they are bright and weren't really challenged in high school. The situation often changes in college because everyone who goes to college did well in high school but the full range of grades are assigned.

The following seven steps outline a simple and effective strategy for finding information for a research paper and documenting the sources you find. Depending on your topic and your familiarity with the library, you may need to rearrange or recycle these steps. Adapt this outline to your needs.

As a university student, you will probably find that you need to make more careful and effective use of your time than ever before.

Time, or rather the lack of it, plays a huge role in our lives. From an early age we know that there are proper times for things to be done, for example, having breakfast or going to bed. However, how do you cope when there just are not enough hours in the day? Does your idea of ‘on time’ seem to be different from your lecturers’? Perhaps you might find some interesting ideas here on how to measure and maximise your time.

This guide has been created to assist my graduate students in thinking through the many aspects of crafting, implementing and defending a thesis or dissertation. It is my attempt to share some of the many ideas that have surfaced over the past few years that definitely make the task of finishing a graduate degree so much easier.

An abstract is a summary of a body of information in a paragraph—100-350 words for a descriptive abstract, 100-250 words an informative abstract. An abstract expresses the main claim and argument of a paper. In most disciplines, it never includes bibliographic citations. An abstract concisely highlights or reviews the major points covered along with the content and scope of the writing.