Below is a list of some other extremely useful resources with a brief description of each one. The important thing to remember is that all of these sites are free.

LCCC no longer requires students to buy writing handbooks for their composition classes for three reasons:

• There is so much available online for free,
• We want to keep costs down for our students,
• Frequent changes to MLA often results in new editions of handbooks being published every year or so, and requiring a hard copy of a handbook results in unnecessary expenses for students.

The Modern Language Association Style Center

The Modern Language Association began in 1883 and this group created MLA style in 1951 in order to provide scholars in the humanities with a set of shared writing and citation guidelines.

You do not have to be a member of MLA, a professional organization dedicated to “strengthening the study and teaching of language and literature,” to access this site, which is full of useful information.

Anyone can sign up for the free MLA News Digest on MLA’s homepage and for The Source newsletter on the Style Center page. Check the site often, especially if you are looking for the latest MLA changes.

On the Style Center, you can find free webinars on the changes made to the newest addition to the MLA handbook, use the Quick Links to access writing templates and sample papers, consult the Quick Guide to Works Cited pages, and much more. Your instructor may also use some of the Teaching Resources on grammar, audience, and composition techniques in your classroom.

Guide to Grammar and Writing

The Capital Community College Foundation sponsors the Guide to Grammar and Writing site, which contains materials for grammar, writing, quizzes, and practice activities. Explore all three levels of materials:

• Word and sentence level materials address grammar concerns, sentence structure (subject, verb, noun, adjective), punctuation, types of sentences, and other issues.
• Paragraph level materials address paragraph development, transitions, and coherence.
• Essay level materials include resources on the writing process, essay structure, and patterns of organization.

Colorado State University Writing Resources

Colorado State University sponsors a writing lab with many valuable resources for both students and teachers.

Students can access guides that cover a wide range of writing topics. There is a writing gallery of student essays, resources for English language learners, and tools for analyzing literature, among other topics.

Writing at the University of Toronto

The University of Toronto’s Advice on Academic Writing site is particularly helpful for teachers of academic writing but many students also find it useful. You will find materials on planning and organizing, reading and researching, using sources, style, and editing.

ESL students will find useful resources on common writing issues among students whose first language is not English. There is also a section on different writing genres (book reviews, lab reports, application letters, among others). Most files are available as PDFs.

Sweetland Center for Writing

The University of Michigan’s Sweetland Center for Writing contains writing guides on a variety of topics focusing on larger concerns in writing. These guides help writers develop arguments, integrate evidence, and write better titles, among other questions and concerns.

The University of Texas at Austin Writing Center

The Writing Center at the University of Texas at Austin has extensive resources available on a wide variety of topics. Resources include topics such as avoiding cliché, passive voice, personal statements, and literature reviews.