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.           

• Seven Strategies to Read Difficult Texts (pdf)
• Literary Close Reading Guide

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?

• Creating a Thesis Statement 

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.

• Using Sources & Avoiding Plagiarism (pdf)
• How to Make a Bibliography in APA Format (pdf)

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.

• Effective Quote Integration (pdf)