Handouts from the LTC Writing Lab

This page features the most commonly used handouts requested by students who visit the Dunwoody LTC Writing Lab. You should be able to find the information and resources you need to write your research papers, and generally become a better writer, right from this page. This page will continue to grow as more information is made available electronically.

The handouts have been separated into two sections, depending on their purpose:

Section 1 features links pertinent to the three major style guides (MLA, Chicago, and APA) and specifically how they recommend writing research papers and referencing electronic resources.

Section 2 features handouts developed by Dunwoody LTC staff and that address common writing-related issues. If you have questions about specific grammar, mechanics, or style issues, this is the place to look first.

NOTE: These handouts are in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) and must be read with Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader already installed on your computer, you can download the most current version by visiting Adobe's Download Site.

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Section 1: Major Style Guidelines

The links below will provide information on the three major style systems used in the United States: the Modern Language Association (MLA) style, which is most commonly associated with literature and the humanities; the Chicago style, which is typically used in the social sciences; and the American Psychological Association (APA) style, which is used typically in the experimental sciences.

None of these associations are hard and fast, though, and often style guidelines in practice represent hybrids of these three types. For example, The New York Times has its own in-house style, as does the UK magazine, The Economist. The best rule of thumb? Use the style your instructor requires!

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Writing Research Papers: General Guidelines

Modern Language Association (MLA) Style

Link to MLA Sample Paper

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Chicago Style

American Psychological Association (APA) Style

APA Style References from Purdue OWL
APA Style from the American Psychological Association
APA Style for Social Media from the APA Style Blog (citing websites, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, etc.)

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Section 2: Writing-Related Handouts

The links below will provide information developed and formatted by Dunwoody LTC tutors, either from existing sources or in response to the most common student questions. This section will continue to grow this Fall as more of the most common handouts are re-formatted and published out in PDF format. Please check back regularly to see what new information is available in this section.

Grammar and Punctuation