Guides to Writing

These brief, Wesleyan-specific writing guides can help you through nearly all stages of writing, types of writing in academic disciplines, and other genres of writing.  Clicking on any link will open a separate window with a PDF guide written by a Wesleyan writing tutor especially for other students at the University.

Writing Mechanics

Citation Mechanics - A brief guide explaining how to cite using MLA, APA, and CMS formats.

Conclusions - A short guide explaining why a conclusion is important and things to consider in structuring a strong one.

Introductions - A guide explaining important things to consider in order to write a strong introduction.

Megablunders - A guide explaining nine of the most common grammatical "megablunders" that students will run into when writing.

Paragraphs - A "how-to" guide on the important elements that a good paragraph will contain.

Quotations - A guide explaining the what, why, and how of using quotes.

Research Questions - A short guide to questions to ask yourself when writing a research paper.

Reverse Outline - An insightful guide into what a reverse outline is and how one can be helpful in revising a paper.

Thesis Statements- A guide explaining what a thesis statement does and things to consider in structuring a strong one.

Discipline Specific Guides

Film - A brief guide to writing film papers.

Government - A thorough guide to writing various types of government papers, ranging from book reviews to research papers.

Lab Reports - A guide detailing advice for writing a lab report, including detailed guidelines for lab reports for Principles of Biology and General Chemistry.

Philosophy - A brief guide with advice for structuring a strong philosophy essay.

Psychology - A guide to writing psychology papers and analyzing psychology studies, including resources on citation method and style.

Writing Theory - A thorough guide to writing social theory papers, including examples of annotated passages and things to avoid in theory papers.