Writing Help: Style, Argument, and Organization

An explanation of what arguments are, why they are needed, and how to create them. From the Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This tutorial is designed to develop essential critical thinking skills. Learners can strengthen their reasoning, argument analysis, information interpretation, and decision-making skills.

Is it time to write a longer essay? This guide from Trent University gives an example of how a 5-paragraph essay might be developed into a longer essay.

This resource from Queen's University provides several examples of common ways to organize a paper, such as chronological or general-to-specific.

From the University of Waterloo Writing Centre: a clear explanation of two types of outlining: linear and graphic.

A process for reviewing your paper's structure after drafting. Note: AI tools like CoPilot can assist in creating a reverse outline. However, if you take this approach, remember to obtain your instructor's permission, verify the AI's accuracy, and avoid sharing sensitive data due to concerns about transparency and privacy.

Improve clarity and flow. Provides lists of transitional words and phrases, categorized by function.

From Simon Fraser University: how to craft more effective conclusions by strengthening cohesion between paragraphs, avoiding frequent mistakes in ending sections, and addressing a reader's underlying question about the importance of the discussion.

This compendium of common phrases "aims to provide [its users] with examples of some of the phraseological ‘nuts and bolts’ of writing organized according to the main sections of a research paper or dissertation. . . Other phrases are listed under the more general communicative functions of academic writing."

From UNC: "understand how paragraphs are formed, how to develop stronger paragraphs, and how to completely and clearly express your ideas." Includes various patterns for organizing paragraphs. Examples provided

From RMIT, detailing the TEEL method: 1) Topic sentence (contains the main idea and is usually first in the paragraph); 2) Explain; 3) Evidence and example (use references); 4) Link (refer back or sum up main idea).

The website consists of a bank of common “skeletal” phrases used in academic writing.

"'They Say / I Say' identifies the key rhetorical moves in academic writing, showing students how to frame their arguments in the larger context of what others have said and providing templates to help them make those moves"

From LMU Library: Explains strategies for improving flow and lexical coherence in academic writing, emphasizing consistent use of key terms, clear pronoun references, and careful transitions to help readers easily follow connections between sentences and ideas.