Struggling to write that literature review? This resource, adapted from a Graduate Writing Place workshop, breaks the process down into five easy steps. See How to Write a Literature Review (opens as a PDF).

When evaluating academic work, abstracts are often the first (and sometimes the only) writing a reviewer encounters. Here are some tips for conveying essential information in abstracts, tailoring abstracts to different audiences, and approaching abstracts of different lengths. For more information, see Writing Compelling Abstracts (opens as a PDF).  

This resource provides tips and best practices for writing science grants, though many of the topics discussed here are applicable to grant writing in other fields. See Tips for Writing a Science Grant (opens as a PDF).

Here you will find a general guide to writing a research paper in the social sciences (e.g., an undergraduate honors thesis, MA thesis). In particular, we review common sections in such papers and what they generally entail. See How to Write a Social Science Research Paper (opens as a PDF).

When evaluating academic work, titles are often the first (and sometimes the only) writing a reviewer encounters. Here are some tips for conveying essential information in titles: Writing Titles, Dos and Don’ts (opens as a PDF). 

This resource will help you prepare to successfully select and close read a passage to support your argument.

This resource will help you with the final stretch – writing a conclusion that is as compelling as your paper! See Tips for Concluding Your Paper.

This resource will help you write an efficient lab report.

In this resource, you will review a draft of a book review and propose improvements.  The key that follows will weight the strengths and weaknesses of the piece as written to help you think ahead about writing your own book review for publication. For more information, see this Sample Book Review (with Commentary).

Book reviews often vary in style and tone depending on the professional status of the author.  This matching game (and answer key) will help you think about the tone you might want to strike when writing your own review.  Keep reading to try Matching Different Reviews of the Same Book with the Authors.

This resource describes five primary components of an abstract and gives a strategy for how to combine them when faced with a limited word count. Keep reading for more information on Identifying and Prioritizing Elements of a Research Abstract.

The research and conference abstracts in this resource, written about the same project, will help to highlight important differences between genres. Learn more about Comparing Research Abstracts with Conference Abstracts.

Conferences are important venues for sharing your work and networking, so it is important to arrive prepared! Learn more about Planning for and Presenting at a Conference: A Checklist.

Visit this resource for some basic best-practices for presentations that will help you in conference settings and classrooms.

Biographies for department websites are a new genre for most grad students, and an important one given the likelihood that someone will “google” you for professional purposes!  Read this resource, with examples and commentary, to help you formulate your thoughts. Learn more about What to Include in a Department Website Biography.

Commenting on academic blogs can be a great way to increase your visibility.  This resource provides examples and best practices for engaging in appropriate argumentation online.

This resource will help you cogently argue for an extension on a paper to help you submit your best work. See Asking for an Extension on a Paper Due Date.