8/8/2014 The 25 Absolute Best Web Resources for Writers

http://distancelearn.about.com/od/onlineresources/a/25WriteSites.htm 1/2
Distance Learning
Education
Share
By Jamie Littlefield
The 25 Absolute Best Web Resources for Writers
Before you start that essay assignment, check out these 25
indispensable sites. The internet can guide you to discover how to
write, what to write, where to find information, and how to format
your paper. Goodbye hours of frustrating rough drafts, hello A's.

How to Write

The OWL Writing Lab is one of the most complete writing sites on
the web. Offering everything from step-by-step outlining to
developing a thesis, youre sure to find something to improve your
writing here.
10 Steps to Writing an Essay provides a brief, organized overview of basic essay writing.
This Guide to Writing a Basic Essay walks readers through a step-by-step process of creating and perfecting an essay.
Michael Harveys Nuts and Bolts of College Writing provides extensive information for those writing at the college level. From research and
documentation to structure and style, there are hundreds of interesting, informative pages.
The University of Wisconsin-Madisons Writing Center offers a writing handbook that guides writers through all steps of the writing process.
Essayinfo.com provides extensive information about different types of writing (critical essay, narrative essay, persuasive essay, etc.)
This Study Skills Online page uses graphics to guide students step-by-step from questioning to editing.

What to Write
Old Dominion University Library provides lists of hundreds of possible subjects organized by category.
Queens University Library not only offers lists of topics, but provides many research guides for individual topics, complete with lists of related books,
multimedia, and other resources.
This Argumentative Essay Topics page offers suggestions for persuasive papers with possible thesis statements and links to reference material.
Where to Find Information
Reference.com offers hundreds of links to sources of information such as almanacs, dictionaries, and literature.
Refdesk.com provides organized links to useful sites on tons of topics.
The Library of Congress provides an Ask a Librarian service that allows researches to ask previously unanswered questions and receive an email
response in five days. This service is not to be used for simple assignments.
LibrarySpot offers thousands of links to reference material on a variety of subjects.
From biographies to news facts, InfoPlease.com provides tons of useful information for writers.
Encyclopedia.com provides brief factual information on many subjects.
The Internet Public Library offers links to full text books, articles, and reference material for free.
Enter email address
Free Distance Learning Newsletter!
You can opt-out at any time. Please refer to our
privacy policy for contact information.
Sign Up
Yuri_Arcurs/E+/Getty
Images
8/8/2014 The 25 Absolute Best Web Resources for Writers
http://distancelearn.about.com/od/onlineresources/a/25WriteSites.htm 2/2
Google Scholar allows users to do a web search with only academic results. If youre looking for sources that are taken seriously, this search will save
you the hassle of sifting through unprofessional material.
How to Format Your Paper
The Online Writing Lab offers a wealth of information for using MLA style.
The Online Writing Lab also offers information about using APA style.
The Citation Machine is a helpful web-based program that automatically creates proper citations in MLA and APA styles based on simple information
that you provide.
The Writing Center offers detailed information about using Chicago or Turabian Style.
The UVic Writers Guide provides essential information about citing sources and avoiding plagiarism.