selecting a topic 
-
Make sure you understand your instructor's assigment. If you are
unclear, review the course syllabus, and make an appointment with
your instructor if necessary.
The William
L. Adams Writing Center is staffed by writing consultants
who can help you brainstorm topics for your paper. See "advice
on writing you've done so far" (below) for hours and locations.
- You may want to know what resources (e.g., books, magazines, web
sites) are available on your topic before making a final decision.
You can stop by the Information
Commons Help Desk to talk to a reference librarian, call
the Reference department at 817-257-7117, submit
a question via e-mail, or get more information from the Library
Research link on this web site.
- advice
on writing
- The staff of the William L. Adams Center for Writing can provide advice on your writing. Visit with a writing consultant at their main center or their library annex (Walk-ins are welcome, but Writing Center staff urge that you call for an appointment). You can also request online assistance through their web site
-
- See the William L. Adams Writing Center web site for complete information.
- Main Office: Rickel Wing of the Recreation Center, room 244.
- Hours: Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm
- Phone: 257-7221.
- Library Annex [map]
hours (Fall and Spring semesters only):
- Monday-Friday: 2pm - 5pm
- Sunday-Thursday: 6pm-9pm
- Saturday: 12pm - 4pm
- Phone: 817-257-6520
- Online Writing Help from the Writing Center.
- dictionaries
and other references
- The Writing Center in the basement of the TCU Student Center has
a library of style manuals and other reference materials for your use.
(See hours above).
- The Library has a few general reference tools available online, and
many specialized dictionaries, encyclopedias and other tools in print.
- how
to cite sources (footnoting / endnoting)
- More than one style of citation is used in academic writing -- check
with your instructor to see which style they prefer that you use.
-
- avoiding
plagiarism (block that cut and paste!)
- Since more and more material is available online, it is easier than
ever to cut and paste text from a web site, online book or online journal
and insert it in a paper you are writing. If you do this without citing
the source of the text you copied (typically using a footnote or endnote),
you are guilty of plagiarism. Rearranging the sentences and changing
a few words in the text you copy is not enough to avoid a charge of
plagiarism -- plagiarism can mean copying someone else's ideas without
attribution, not just their words.
Your best sources for advice on how to avoid plagiarism are your
instructors and the TCU
Writing Center. Your instructor can clarify exactly what
they mean for you to do in a given writing assignment -- for example,
how many sources you need to cite, and how they expect you to use
those sources in your writing. The Writing Center can give you general
guidelines, and look at samples of your writing if you are unsure
whether you might have veered into plagiarism.
|
){kind=link}
){kind=link}