Visit Student-Specific Resources
Click here for our resource guide masterlist, which we’re continually updating! These guides are also available by clicking on the “Student Resources & Handouts” sub-tab below this header using the drop-down menu on the home page. These pages provide activities, worksheets, and handouts that supplement blog posts.
Writing & Communication Blog Posts
Synthesis and Making Connections for Strong Analysis
When a writer draws from multiple sources on a topic to come to a conclusion or unique perspective for their own argument or purpose, it is called Synthesis; and you can visualize synthesis as a nesting doll.
Writing Strong Titles
You’ve finished your paper, and all that’s left is your title. What do you name the essay you’ve just worked tirelessly on, for days, sometimes even weeks to put together? Should it be long or something shorter? Should you prioritize grasping your readers attention...
TEAL Paragraph Development: An Approach to Developing Strong, Meaningful Body Paragraphs
In this post, we overview how to use TEAL (Topic Sentence, Example, Analysis, and Link to Thesis). Download a Word Doc with examples to see TEAL in action.
The Best Practices for Writing Productivity
This post helps boost writing productivity by overviewing goal-setting advice, accountability tips, journaling and writing log suggestions, and linking out to relevant tools and apps.
Transitioning to Long-form Writing
Typically, in your first and second year at UCI, most, if any, of your essay writing will come in the form of assignments where you are asked to cap your thoughts, ideas, and references in about 3-5 pages. Perhaps toward the end of a writing course or as a final assignment, you may be asked to build on those smaller assignments to create a 25–50-page essay, which can undeniably seem pretty daunting at first. Even longer than those can be the “essays” written for a dissertation, publication, or scholarship.
Developing a Research Question
Selecting your research question and creating a clear goal and structure for your writing can be challenging – whether you are doing it for the first time or if you’ve done it many times before. It can be especially difficult when your research question starts to...
Integrating Direct Quotations into Your Writing
If you’ve ever had a professor ask you to “use quotes” or quote other texts in your writing before, you know that it’s no easy task. It can feel awkward sometimes to determine what parts of the text are worth quoting, as well as how to directly quote in your writing without sounding too formulaic or repetitive. Keep reading for some strategies on effectively using direct quotations in your next writing project!
Nurturing a Growth Mindset to Overcome Writing Challenges and Develop Confidence in College Level Writing
Facing emotional and social barriers during the writing process is all too common. Remember, you’re not alone. This post overviews barriers to writing challenges, how to adopt a growth mindset, and where to find UCI resources.
An Introduction to Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting
An Introduction to Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Quoting Whenever we’re assigned an essay or writing project that asks us to reference others’ ideas, it can be difficult to determine when to use our own words, the author’s words, or an overview of the text...
Summarizing
Interested in learning more about how to summarize effectively in your writing? Then check out our guide and summarize like never before!
