Embedded Files
You will write a lot of papers in High School and in College.
You will write a lot of papers in High School and in College.
Doing it correctly is important.
Part of good writing involves using the tips and tricks you've learned in all of your English classes. Knowing grammar, punctuation, and how to write sentences that make sense will make the difference between an A and an F.
But there are other things to consider.
One is plagiarism. This video explains what plagiarism is.
Consequences of Plagiarism at OCC
Consequences of Plagiarism at OCC
Avoiding plagiarism, is part of the OCC Student Code of Conduct. The OCC Student Handbook states the possible consequences if you are caught plagiarizing in any of your OCC classes.
Avoid Plagiarism With Paraphrasing
Avoid Plagiarism With Paraphrasing
Being able to reword the information you want to use is a good start to avoiding plagiarism.
This video will give you a good idea on how you should paraphrase what you read.
Then you can see paraphrasing in action at this website.
Choose Credible Sources
Choose Credible Sources
An important aspect of writing college papers is choosing your sources.
Not all sources are equal.
This video will give you a good idea on how you will know if a source is credible or not.
Using AI when writing
Using AI when writing
AI generators, such as Chat GPT, can be great TOOLS for education, but you want to make sure you are using them ETHICALLY!
MLA or the Highway
MLA or the Highway
Your instructors will require you to cite your sources in a particular way.
One of the most common is MLA style. This is most commonly used in. This is most likley what you will use for ELA 1510 (Comp 1). There are a lot of rules and they differ for every kind of source.
This video is just a quick glance at MLA.
Here are some websites that might be useful:
APA Style Primer
APA Style Primer
Your instructor will want your papers to look a certain way as well. Always follow whatever format they tell you to use.
One popular style is APA style. APA formatting is mostly used in social science and education fields.
This video shows you how to do some of the formatting in Microsoft Word.
More information can be found at these websites.
Your "Any Question" Writing Resource
Your "Any Question" Writing Resource
The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL Purdue) is a very useful, extensive website that provides examples of how to cite and format your papers using both the MLA and APA styles. (There is also info on Chicago style- This one is less popular, but it still used in some business, history and fine arts fields.)
Pretty much any question you have about writing papers for college can be found on this website.
There is also info on avoiding plagiarism, content specific writing, grammar and punctuation.
Help is Available
Help is Available
OCC's Academic Center has in-person and virtual tutors available to help you with your writing for free. Find your course on the website to see when and where tutors are available to help you. You will need to make an appointment to use this service.
...And Now For Something Completely Different.
Extra Resource:
Extra Resource:
Not motivated to write essays?
Not motivated to write essays?
This video explains why it's important.
This video explains why it's important.
It also references Jordan Peterson's essay writing guide. That document can be found HERE.
Page updated
Report abuse