Useful Web Sites: Questions Relating to Academic English
The following sites should be of practical use to students seeking guidance in improving aspects of their academic writing. Students from all areas of the university (the technical and natural sciences, as well as the humanities and social sciences) should be able to find something of interest here. In each case, the name of the site and a short comment on the content is given, together with the web address. All the sites were last accessed on 7 April 2007. Apart from THE OWL FAMILY OF SITES, which is placed first as being one of the most comprehensive, the entries are presented in no particular ranking order.
The Owl Family of Sites. PurdueUniversity. (1995-2006).
One of the most extensive sites available on all aspects of
academic writing:structure,clarity, style, documentation and much more, including helpful examples. Take your time to look around, because there is a good chance you will find answers to your questions here. The whole site was updated in August 2005, but you may find the earlier version easier to navigate. It is still available under the link “The original OWL can be found here”. There are excellent sections on
“General Technical Writing Guidelines”,“Understanding the Sections of your Report” and “Audience Analysis” etc.
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Introduction to Technical Writing. Karin Gallagher. (9/7/2000).
An extensive site, actually designed for German programmers writing in English, but useful nonetheless for a wider audience. Covers organisation of material, as well as purely language questions.
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FAQ (13/5/2006).
This site is no longer an active forum, but is still available for viewing. It was created by a former member of staff at Mah/HS. NOTE: The language is Swedish, but many of the questions posed are relevant to writing English as well. You do not need to log in.
Please visit the site...
ANVISNINGAR FÖR SKRIVANDE STUDENTER: HANDFAST HANDLEDNING FÖR STUDENTER SOM SKRIVER RAPPORTER OCH EXAMENSARBETEN. Leif Hellström. (9/5/2005).
This is another site in Swedish by the same author as the previous one. This short document gives clear and concise guidance on the standard layout and documentation system expected of students at Hälsa och samhälle, based largely on the Harvard documentation system. Most of the information is also applicable to students writing in English. Read more
English Learning Skills. University of East London. (2006).
This site contains a lot of handy information on writing, grammar, vocabulary and the Harvard documentation system, as well as useful links to other sites
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Citing References. BournemouthUniversity Academic Support. Matt Holland. (7/2006).
A PDF (55kb) document giving information on the correct way to cite references from a range of sources, according to the Harvard system of documentation, in the bibliographies of essays, projects and dissertations.
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DISSC Live. University of Teesside. (2006).
This website is part of the study skills service provided by the University of Teesside in Middlesbrough, England. It contains a lot of handy information on
general writing problems, including
plagiarism. There are also a number of
exercises that may be well worth a look. The
sample essays section “currently contains essays from the School of Arts and Media.” The use of the word “currently” seems to suggest it is possible that other types of example will be added to the site in future.
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The Little Brown Essential Handbook (5th ed.). Pearson Longman. Jane E. Aaron.(2006).
This is a useful up-to-date site about the book by the same name. Contains a variety of information and exercises on grammar, punctuation, spelling and documentation styles (MLA, APA, Chicago and CSE [formerly CBE]). NOTE: The MLA system of documentation is recommended for students at LUT and IMER, unless your supervisor gives you other instructions.
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IFLANET: International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.(25/10/2005).
A vast site dealing with library and information science. Open the site below and click on Citation Guides for Electronic Documents where you will find a list of other sites dealing with the citing of electronic sources.
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Studera.nu: Högskoleverket: Swedish National Agency for Higher Education.
Provides examples of Swedish national tests for entering college and university. The following address takes you to a sample English test.
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Activities for ESL Students: The Internet TESL Journal. (1995-2007).
Wide range of tests, exercises and puzzles to help you learn English as a Second Language (ESL). Includes a large number of bilingual quizzes.
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Merriam-Webster OnLine: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. (2007).
On-line English- English dictionary and thesaurus, with links to other useful sites. Read more...