Guide library20 guides
Academic Writing
Writing guides for abstracts, introductions, conclusions, thesis statements, methodology sections, and clear academic prose.
Every guide is free, written for students and researchers, and dated so you can see when it was last checked.
How to Write an Abstract
Write a self-contained abstract that names the problem, method, results, and meaning. Official rules from UNC, Toronto, APA 7 §§2.9–2.10, IEEE, and ICMJE, with real dissertation examples instead of invented studies.
How to Write an Introduction for a Research Paper
Frame a research-paper introduction as a problem plus purpose, not a hook. Official rules from Harvard, UNC, Toronto, APA 7, and ICMJE, with CARS moves and real openings.
How to Write a Conclusion for an Essay or Research Paper
Write a conclusion that synthesizes the argument after the evidence, not a second abstract. Official UNC, Harvard, Toronto, Hamilton, Purdue Global, APA 7, and ICMJE January 2026 rules, with published student examples.
How to Write a Thesis Statement
Write a thesis statement as one arguable claim, not a topic name. Official tests and teaching examples from UNC, Harvard, Indiana University, Toronto, and Purdue Global, plus when a purpose statement or hypothesis should replace the classroom thesis.
Active vs. Passive Voice in Academic Writing
Decide when to use active or passive voice. APA 7 §§4.13 and 4.16, CMOS 18 §5.122, Nature’s author page, UNC’s Passive Voice and Should I Use “I” handouts, and the APA instructional aid last updated 7 November 2023.
How to Write Clearly in Academic Papers
Write clearly without dumbing the claim down. APA 7 §§4.1–4.11, Turabian 5th ed., Nature author guidance, UNC word-choice and science handouts, and Gopen and Swan’s reader-expectation rules, with their real examples.
Common Grammar Mistakes in Academic Writing
Fix the grammar instructors actually mark: subject-verb agreement, singular they, comma splices, fragments, serial commas, that versus which, dangling modifiers, and apostrophes. Official APA 7, CMOS 18, MLA 9, and UNC wording with their real examples.
How to Format an Academic Paper in APA, MLA, and Chicago
Set up a student paper from the official APA 7, MLA 9, and Turabian 9 rules: fonts, 1-inch margins, title page versus first-page heading, headers, block quotes, and the source-list page.
Headings and Subheadings in APA, MLA, and Chicago
Format section headings in APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago. Official five-level APA table, MLA flush-left rule, Turabian A.2.2.4, and the CMOS 18 title-case change for long prepositions.
How to Write a Research Proposal
Write a research proposal as a future-tense plan that justifies one problem and a method a reviewer can judge before any data exist. Official wording from USC, Sudheesh 2016, Toronto, NIH Forms I (including the DMS Plan), NSF PAPPG 24-1, and UNC, with labelled templates instead of invented titles.
How to Write a Case Study
Learn how to write a case study step by step: choose the case, structure the report, present findings, and cite sources. Covers research, business (HBS), and medical (CARE) formats with examples.
How to Write a Methodology Section
Write the Method section so a reviewer can reconstruct what you did. Official wording from USC, APA JARS (Appelbaum 2018; Levitt 2018), ICMJE January 2026, CONSORT 2025, SPIRIT 2025, STROBE, SAGER, and Braun and Clarke, with templates instead of invented studies.
How to Present Data in Academic Papers
Choose a sentence, table, or figure, then label it the way APA 7 Chapter 7, MLA 9, CMOS 18 Chapter 3, and the January 2026 ICMJE Recommendations require. Official wording, CONSORT 2025 and PRISMA 2020 flow diagrams, and Style Center examples instead of invented statistics.
How to Write for Your Audience
Name the reader, then set explanation, jargon, evidence, and tone. Official UNC, Federal Plain Language, Nature, Harvard, Toronto, and APA 7 rules, with SPRINT as a worked rewrite.
Revision Strategies for Academic Writing
Revise an academic draft in passes: argument first, then paragraphs, then sentences. Official rules from UNC, Toronto, Harvard GSE, and Nancy Sommers 1980, with UNC's Huckleberry Finn reverse outline instead of invented examples.
How to Format a Block Quote in APA, MLA, and Chicago
Thresholds, indents, spacing, and citation placement for block quotations in APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago 18, plus ellipses, inner quotation marks, and verse.
How to Cite Sources in a PowerPoint or Google Slides Presentation
Put APA, MLA, or Chicago citations on your slides, credit images, charts, and video clips, build a readable references slide, and cite a talk someone else gave.
Where Does the Period Go? Punctuation Rules for In-Text Citations
Period after the citation, citation after the closing quotation mark, no period after a block quote, Chicago note numbers after punctuation: APA, MLA, Chicago.
What Needs a Citation? Common Knowledge vs. Sources
What needs a citation and what is common knowledge: facts, statistics, ideas, wording, and lectures in APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago 18, with a decision table.
Do You Need a Page Number When Paraphrasing?
APA 7 makes page numbers optional for paraphrases, MLA 9 expects them, and Chicago 18 notes give them. Rules, locators without pages, and multi-page ranges.