WAC Toolkit for Students
College Reading: Strategies for Understanding Difficult Texts
Would you like to demonstrate that you have read your assigned readings closely, while also saving time in your busy schedule? Check out these tips for identifying main concepts, key questions and synthesizing complex texts.
- Six Reading Habits to Develop (pdf)
- Seven Strategies to Read Difficult Texts (pdf)
- Literary Close Reading Guide
College Diction: Vocabulary to Express and Impress
Are you stuck on how to best present your ideas with precise language that demonstrates college-level word choice? Understand and identify appropriate language to strengthen the way you convey your ideas in college and professional writing.
Thesis Statement: Dos and Don’ts
Does your assignment require a thesis statement? Many essays and research papers ask you to take a stand and present evidence for the argument you make. What will your argument be? Is it concise? Debatable? Proper in scope (neither too vast nor too limited for the topic)? Does your thesis statement address what the assignment asks you to do?
Organizing an Essay: Components of a Strong Paper
Crack the myth of spontaneous and magical writing! Writing often follows disciplinary patterns.
- Principles of Organization
- Organizing Your Argument
- Organizing Your Paper / Disciplinary Differences
Avoiding Plagiarism: Using Citations
Have you been warned over and over again about the perils of plagiarism? There are important reasons why we cite sources and tips to avoid errors that sometimes get lost in the college conversation about plagiarism.
Integrating Quotations: Make a Quote Sandwich
Make your argument "taste" better with a quote sandwich! Impress your readers with a quote that integrates well into your paper and supports your claims.
