Email:

Free email at Hotmail (http://hotmail.com):It is important that you maintain basic operational knowledge of certain computer programs and functions. Email is a basic necessity for keeping connected with other users and instructors. At this site you can access a free email account for use along with the Online Writing Lab (OWL).

Free email at Yahoo (http://mail.yahoo.com/): It is important that you maintain basic operational knowledge of certain computer programs and functions. Email is a basic necessity for keeping connected with other users and instructors. At this site you can access a free email account for use along with the Online Writing Lab (OWL).

Dictionary/Thesaurus:

Merriam-Webster Online Collegiate Dictionary/Thesaurus (http://www.m-w.com/): Need to look up a word? The Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus is very easy to use. To look up a word, simply type it in a search box and click on SEARCH or press ENTER.

Bartelby.com Familiar Quotations (http://bartelby.com/) The Bartleby.com expansion of Familiar Quotations with the tenth edition of 1919, which adds and revises some 300 authors, allows for full-text searching of over 11,000 quotations.

Your dictionary.com (http://www.yourdictionary.com/)This will become the new home of A Web of On-line Dictionaries soon. yourDictionary.com will be the world's first linguistics company and the premiere web portal specializing in language. Please change your bookmarks and links—and make sure your seatbelts are securely fastened!

Babelfish Language Translator (http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn)Use Babel Fish to: Translate short passages to and from English to a number of languages and to and from several specific pairs of languages (for example, German to French, French to German). We add new language pairs regularly. 

Online Handbooks:

Bedford Handbook Online (http://www.dianahacker.com/bedhandbook) Used by millions of students nationwide, Diana Hacker's handbooks are popular because they work as references for students to consult on their own. For a brief description of each of her books and a comparison of features, visit the book highlights page. To visit the companion site for a specific title, click on one of the books above.

Rules for Writers (http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/hacker/rules/) Make the most of your studies. Explore a collection of resources that includes a research guide, a citation guide, and interactive exercises correlated to the book's table of contents. 

ESL:

English as the Second Language (http://www.rong-chang.com/)Welcome to the English as a Second Language site, which is a starting point for ESL learners who want to learn English through the Web. Many people have created ESL learning materials for the Web. This site links you to those good and free ESL places. The variety of materials will allow you to choose something appropriate for yourself.

Getting Started:

Guides to Writing Processes (http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/)The Writers' Center at Colorado State University is an ongoing project of the Departments of English, Journalism and Technical Communication, and Speech Communication, and the Colorado State University Center for Research on Writing and Communication Technologies. 

Writer's Web (http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb.html) Helpful hints for the writer who needs help getting started.

Paradigm Online Writing Assistant (http://www.powa.org/) This site helps you discover, organize and understand the following composition topics: Informal Essays, Thesis/Support Essays, Argumentative Essays, Exploratory Essays, as well as Documenting Your Sources. 

Basic Guide to Essay Writing (http://members.tripod.com/~lklivingston/essay/) An essay can have many purposes, but the basic structure is the same no matter what. You may be writing an essay to argue for a particular point of view or to explain the steps necessary to complete a task. 

Texas A&M University Writing Center Online Handouts (http://uwc.tamu.edu/handouts) Below are some questions to help you begin analyzing a journal article or essay. Your analysis should NOT contain comments on every question below. Instead, select a few questions as the basis of the ideas which will lead to a detailed and interesting analysis of an article or essay.

Revision Strategies:

Punctuation Made Simple (http://chuma.cas.usf.edu/~olson/pms) Before discussing specific punctuation marks, we want you to know one important fact: punctuation is simple. Many people believe that punctuation rules are rigid commandments and that only the “experts” know all the rules. You may be surprised to learn, however, that it is not the “experts” but rather educated speakers and writers, such as yourself, who have established the practices that have come to be known as the “rules of punctuation.”

Guide to Grammar/Writing (http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm) A very specific and easy to follow grammar guide. Maintained by Professor of English Charles Darling for English courses at Capital Community College and for the general online public.

The Elements of Style (http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html) Asserting that one must first know the rules to break them, this classic reference website is a must-have for any student and conscientious writer.

Research and Documentation:

Modern Language Association (MLA) Documentation (http://library.osu.edu/sites/guides/mlagd.html) The libraries at Ohio State University have compiled a list of in-text and works cited citations for you to reference as you work.  Remember, a research paper presents the results of your investigations on a selected topic. Based on your own thoughts and the facts and ideas you have gathered from a variety of sources, a research paper is a creation that is uniquely yours. 

You can also reference a handbook like Rules For Writers for MLA information by visiting http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/humanities/overview.html.

The American Psychological Association (APA)

Douglas Degelman, Professor of Psychology at Vanguard University of Southern California, has created a helpful guide for students using APA Documenation which can be found at  (http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796).

To see further examples, visit Leslie University Libraries at (http://www.lesley.edu/library/guides/citation/apa.html).

You can also reference a handbook like Rules For Writers for APA information by visiting http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/social_sciences/overview.html.

American Sociological Association (ASA) Documentation Style
The California State University Library has a helpful guide to ASA at  (http://library.csus.edu/guides/blackmer/ASAformat.htm). American Sociological Association Style Guide is intended for authors who are preparing manuscripts for publication in ASA journals. This handout is intended for students who are instructed by their professors to use "ASA style" when writing research papers.

Turabian or Chicago Manual  (http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html) covers both print and electronic sources and includes examples of endnotes/footnotes and the bibliography formats.

Helpful PDF available at (http://www.lrc.macewan.ca/pdf/writing/chicago2004.pdf).

Another useful resource is a handbook like Rules For Writers.  Check out the Chicago Manual portion of the online handbook at http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/history/overview.html.

Computer Society Style Guide: Computer Society Style Guide: (http://computer.org/author/style/cs-style.htm) We maintain and periodically update a style guide to clarify those usages not adequately defined in accepted external sources. Our purpose is to promote coherence, consistency, and identity of style, making it easier for CS editors and our authors to produce quality submissions and publications that communicate clearly to all our readers.

knowledgehound.com (http://knowledgehound.com) Great site for the writer searching for topics. 

Research and Writing (http://www.ipl.org/teen/aplus/stepfirst.htm) There's a ton of information available online about writing papers for college classes, mostly provided by college and university writing departments. But when your political science or biology or economics instructor assigns you a research paper, writing the paper is only half the battle. 

Thinkers.net Literature Search (http://thinkers.net/) This site acts as a search engine for literary genres, authors and literary discussion. 

Creative Writing:

Writer's Digest (http://www.writersdigest.com/) Learn a few tricks of the fiction writing trade from published authors, noted writing instructors and editors on exactly what it takes to write a best seller—or at least a short story you wouldn't be ashamed to show your family.

Poets and Writers Magazine Online Poets & Writers, Inc. assists authors in their search for career-related information, outlets for their work, opportunities for professional advancement, and community with other writers.

Writer's Net (http://www.writers.net/) WritersNet(sm) is a World Wide Web site that helps build relationships between writers, publishers, editors, and literary agents. 

Writer's Market.com Writer's Market has been the freelance writer's "bible" since 1921, providing complete market contact information, query letter clinics, pay rates, submission guidelines, and more. And now it's available online.