Writing and Research process
Do you want to improve your writing? grammar? spelling? how to do research? Look no further! We are here to help you with one-on-one support or small group/class sessions.
WRITING
Digital Writing Resources
Study Guides and Strategies Website
The Study Guides and Strategies Website is an international public service that can be used by all learners in various languages. It offers tips including how to write assignments; gives spelling strategies, rules and exercises; defines types of writing; help with vocabulary, proofreading ...
Online Writing Lab
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University provides free writing resources and instructional material to help users worldwide with their writing projects. You will find exercises for grammar, punctuation, spelling, ESL, sentence structure, sentence style, and writing numbers.
Grammarly Handbook
The Grammarly Handbook is an amazing website with its free online grammar and writing handbook covering grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, abbreviations, sentence style, so much more.
English Page
The English Page website presents free English lessons for all who want to improve their writing skills. It is particularly supportive of English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. Its contents include lessons, tutorials and exercises on grammar, verb tenses, prepositions ...
UE Using English
UE Using English contains a large collection of free grammar and vocabulary worksheets for English language and English as a Second Language (ESL) students and teachers.
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester offers online guides for writing essays, editing, critical reading, critical writing, sentence structure, grammar ...
Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO)
You are in the right place if you are looking for information on the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). There are guides to help you prepare and sample tests to try.
WRITING
- Writing guides
- Grammar guides
- Editing guides
- Punctuation guides
Digital Writing Resources
Study Guides and Strategies Website
The Study Guides and Strategies Website is an international public service that can be used by all learners in various languages. It offers tips including how to write assignments; gives spelling strategies, rules and exercises; defines types of writing; help with vocabulary, proofreading ...
Online Writing Lab
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University provides free writing resources and instructional material to help users worldwide with their writing projects. You will find exercises for grammar, punctuation, spelling, ESL, sentence structure, sentence style, and writing numbers.
Grammarly Handbook
The Grammarly Handbook is an amazing website with its free online grammar and writing handbook covering grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, abbreviations, sentence style, so much more.
English Page
The English Page website presents free English lessons for all who want to improve their writing skills. It is particularly supportive of English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. Its contents include lessons, tutorials and exercises on grammar, verb tenses, prepositions ...
UE Using English
UE Using English contains a large collection of free grammar and vocabulary worksheets for English language and English as a Second Language (ESL) students and teachers.
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester offers online guides for writing essays, editing, critical reading, critical writing, sentence structure, grammar ...
Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO)
You are in the right place if you are looking for information on the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). There are guides to help you prepare and sample tests to try.
RESEARCH
Find out more about the Research Process (power point presentation).
Use a Graphic Organizer to organize what you find.
Watch a video to learn about Primary and Secondary sources of information.
Website Evaluation, Sources for more Information, and Worksheet
Check out this Plagiarism Tutorial to learn how to avoid plagiarism
EasyBib is a citation generator that gives access to MLA, Chicago, and APA documentation styles. It is free!
Spartan Research Guides
These guides have been prepared by the Springfield Township High School. Topics include developing a thesis, the research/inquiry process, organizing information, note taking ...
Characteristics of free Internet resources
Examples: Google (search engine results), Wikipedia (free encyclopaedia)
Characteristics of fee-paid sources
Examples: Gale databases
Use a Graphic Organizer to organize what you find.
Watch a video to learn about Primary and Secondary sources of information.
Website Evaluation, Sources for more Information, and Worksheet
Check out this Plagiarism Tutorial to learn how to avoid plagiarism
EasyBib is a citation generator that gives access to MLA, Chicago, and APA documentation styles. It is free!
Spartan Research Guides
These guides have been prepared by the Springfield Township High School. Topics include developing a thesis, the research/inquiry process, organizing information, note taking ...
Characteristics of free Internet resources
Examples: Google (search engine results), Wikipedia (free encyclopaedia)
- Accessible by anyone with a connection to the Internet
- Easy to use
- Great place to start to get a sense of the topic and some key words.
- Look at the domain - ca in Universities (uottawa.ca), gc.ca in governments (www.canada.gc.ca), edu in U.S. educational institutions, org in non-profit organizations (United Nations www.un.org)
- Need to evaluate results for accuracy, authenticity: who? what? where? when? why?
- Unwanted advertisements
- False information, fraud, plagiarism
Characteristics of fee-paid sources
Examples: Gale databases
- Pay fees and subscribe
- Login required
- Offers search results that are high quality, accurate, authentic,scholarly, authoritative, comprehensive, up-to-date
- Search options to narrow results
- Peer reviewed
- Published by reputable publishers
- Protected for control and compensation
- Language translations
- Time consuming to access through networks, need to be patient and persistent
Writing about Research
How do you use source material?
Any time you are asked to do research and write about it, you will have the choice of two ways to use the information you find. Though there are differences between them, they all have a few things in common:
1) You can never copy-paste any amount of the original text into your work.
2) You can never change the message of the original.
3) You must always include a reference that says where you got the information.
What are the two ways to use source material?
1) Quoting
2) Paraphrasing and Summarizing
Paraphrasing is a skill that requires you to read through information and explain the main point in your own words.
Summarizing is essentially the same, except that you condense the points of the original into a shorter version in your own words.
There are some basic rules for paraphrasing and summarizing.
Any time you are asked to do research and write about it, you will have the choice of two ways to use the information you find. Though there are differences between them, they all have a few things in common:
1) You can never copy-paste any amount of the original text into your work.
2) You can never change the message of the original.
3) You must always include a reference that says where you got the information.
What are the two ways to use source material?
1) Quoting
- Make sure that the quote is related to a point you want to make.
- Introduce the quote with a phrase like, "The author says ..."
- Use only the exact words of the author.
- Put the author's words between quotation marks (" ").
- Make sure the quote fits grammatically into the sentence you have created.
- Do not use too many quotes, or quotes that are long.
2) Paraphrasing and Summarizing
Paraphrasing is a skill that requires you to read through information and explain the main point in your own words.
Summarizing is essentially the same, except that you condense the points of the original into a shorter version in your own words.
There are some basic rules for paraphrasing and summarizing.
- Read the original very closely and identify the main points.
- Close the original and explain the main points without copying anything.
- Do not use the same words as the original.
- Do not use too many paraphrases or summaries