Writing Resources
Writing Tutoring
Student Engagement and Success (SES) offers current students free, online, individual
or group appointments for writing assistance or presentation support. Writing Consultants
provide guidance to students on writing and presentation assignments at any stage
during the process.
SES also offers drop-in hours where you can log on to our Zoom link to receive assistance without an appointment. Drop-in hours are ideal for students who have quick questions or want less than 15 minutes of support. For more thorough assistance, we recommend you make a 30-minute or 60-minute appointment instead.
If you would like a group appointment, please select an appointment time when all of your group members can attend the online appointment. If any group members are missing during the time of the appointment, the consultant will not be able to work on their parts of the assignment with you without that group member present. It is recommended that group appointments be 60 minutes long.
If you have any questions about writing tutoring, please email pgbs.ses@pepperdine.edu
Tutoring & Drop-In Hours (Spring 2021)
Make an appointment at PGBSWriting.youcanbook.me, or drop-in by clicking on the Zoom link (https://pepperdine.zoom.us/j/7485938488) during tutoring hours:
- Mondays 6 - 9 PM
- Tuesdays 10 AM - Noon & 2 - 5 PM
- Wednesdays 4 - 7 PM
- Thursdays 10 AM - 1 PM & 3 - 5 PM
- Saturdays 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
- Sundays 5 - 7 PM
Please email us at pgbs.ses@pepperdine.edu to request an appointment outside of our normal tutoring hours. Depending on tutor availability, we may be able to accommodate your request.
Writing Process, Grammar, and Mechanics
Citations
General Citation Resources
- "Should I Cite This?" - A Visual Guide
- Refworks - online reference, citation, and bibliography management tool
- The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University ("Owl Purdue") houses writing resources and instructional material as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects, including subject-specific writing, research, citations, grammar, and writing mechanics.
- Zotero is a free online tool to help you collect, organize, and share your research. ZoteroBib will help you create a bibliography in any citation style.
APA 7th Edition Citation Style
*Note: APA updated its guidelines from 6th Edition to 7th Edition as of October 2019
- Webinar - A Step-By-Step Guide for APA 7th Student Papers
- Basics of Seventh Edition APA Academic Writer Tutorial
- Six Steps to a Proper APA 7th Citation
- Student Title Page Guide, Title Page Setup, and Sample APA 7th Title Page
- APA 7th In-Text Citation Guidance
- APA 7th Webinar and Presentation Slides
- How to Setup a Student Paper in APA 7th
- Order of Pages in APA 7th
- Headings Guide and Paragraph Alignment and Indentation
- Sample Student Paper - Annotated PDF and Microsoft Word
- How to format a PowerPoint presentation in APA 7th Style
- Rules for including DOIs and URLs
- Paraphrasing and Citation Activities
- Guides to Abbreviations and Numbers/Statistics
- Abstract and Keywords Guide
- Preferred Spellings of Technology Terms
APA 6th Edition Citation Style
*Note: APA updated its guidelines from 6th Edition to 7th Edition as of October 2019
- Formatting a research paper in APA 6th Edition - for PC & for Mac
- Documenting & Citing: APA 6th Edition
MLA 8th Edition Citation Style
- MLA Style Center - Formatting a Research Paper
- MLA Formatting and Style Guide
- MLA Overview Presentation
- MLA Sample Works Cited Page
- MLA Sample Paper
- MLA Tables, Figures, and Examples
Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 17th Edition
- The Chicago Manual of Style Online
- Informational Presentations - Author-Date Style and Notes-Bibliography (NB) Style
- Sample Papers - Author-Date Style and Notes-Bibliography (NB) System
Types of Papers
- Grammarly Tip - How to Write a Persuasive Essay
- Owl Purdue Tips - Writing a Personal Statement
- Graziadio Tips for Writing Forum/Discussion Posts
- Ashford Writing Center - Writing an Executive Summary
- Purdue Owl - Executive Summary Video
- Writing a Professional Bio or an Academic Bio
Word Choice
- This list of language to avoid in academic writing helps improve the scholarly voice of your writing, and includes specific information on contractions, colloquialisms, run-on expressions, rhetorical questions, and adverb/verb placement.
- This action verbs list provides a list of verbs you can use to describe actions in your writing
- This academic word list provides a list of some of the most important words to know in an academic setting
- Synonyms.com provides suggestions for synonyms (words that have similar meanings with each other) and antonyms (words that have opposite meanings of each other), helping to expand your vocabulary
- The corpus of contemporary American English will show the frequency that a word is used, and in which contexts it is likely to occur
- The flax learning collocations website helps you find words that often occur together, as well as synonyms and antonyms for words
Writing Mechanics
Grammarly
Grammarly is an online grammar and spelling checker that improves communication by helping users find and correct writing mistakes. Grammarly is provided as a free service for all Graziadio Business School students.
How to use Grammarly:
- Copy and paste any English text into Grammarly's online text editor or install Grammarly's free browser extension for Chrome and Safari.
- Grammarly's algorithms flag potential issues in the text and suggest context-specific corrections for grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. An explanation is provided for each correction, so you can make an informed decision about whether, and how, to correct an issue.
For new students who started in this current term, you received an email from Grammarly EDU during week three of the new term with a link to activate your account.
For continuing students who haven't activated your account, please follow the steps outlined below:
- Go to https://www.grammarly.com/enterprise/signup
- Provide your name, @pepperdine.edu email, and password: BidWnzCjqqzMxZNq
- Check your Pepperdine inbox for an email from Grammarly and click on the activation link
- Apply the access code BidWnzCjqqzMxZNq
If you have questions regarding the tools available within Grammarly, please refer to the instructional guide.
For technical assistance, you may contact support@grammarly.com or submit a ticket directly from the editor feature with Grammarly.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own, whether intentionally or accidentally, and must be avoided. There are many resources available to help you avoid this practice:
- Pepperdine Tips for Understanding Plagiarism
- Pepperdine Information on Copyright & Fair Use Policies
- "What is Plagiarism?" YouTube videos - Part 1 & Part 2
- Avoiding Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism Guide
- Plagiarism Information Guidelines
- Tips for Promoting Academic Honesty (UC Irvine Division of Undergraduate Education)
- Plagiarism Checker - Copy and paste in the text you want to check in the white box that says "Enter text here to check for plagiarism" and then select the blue "Check for Plagiarism" button.
- "Academic Integrity: Preventing Plagiarism & Cheating" webinar recording and workshop presentation slides (recorded February 25, 2021)
- Academic Integrity Video
- Grammarly also functions as a plagiarism detection software. See instructions above for activating your account.
- Turnitin Online Plagiarism Detection Service
Group Papers
- Duke University - Group Essays Handout
- Sacred Heart University - How to Manage Group Projects
- Tips for Virtual Group Work