If you are viewing this page from home, you will need your Orange County resident library card to access some of the resources.
Planning & Brainstorming
Planning, time management, and brainstorming are important early tasks in the research and writing process. We have gathered resources from our collection and from the Web to help you.
Finding good, reliable sources will help you establish a foundation on which to support your thesis. When you choose a source for your paper, remember to document it correctly for your works cited list or bibliography. Use the guides and manuals in this section to help you with this task.
When you are searching for the most current information about any topic, use an online database to search magazines, academic journals, newspapers, and reference sources. To use these databases from home, you will need a library card in good standing and a PIN.
Commonly known as "Turabian style," this is a popular and flexible style manual used in the humanities and other fields. Some teachers may ask you to cite your sources and format your paper in this style.
Step 4 of this guide created by the Internet Public Library will help you when you are ready to gather sources for your paper. Also, check out Step 5: Preparing to Write for help with forming your thesis statement.
This is the online version of the booklet, Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age by Diana Hacker. It features guides for documenting sources using MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE styles. It also demonstrates the proper way to format your paper.
Now that you have your thesis and your research sorted out, you are ready to write. In this section, we have collected resources about the process of writing and revising your paper. Ask a classmate or teacher to proofread your paper, too.
In step 6 of the A+ guide by the Internet Public Library, you will find help with writing your first draft. Remember, revision is essential to creating an excellent paper.
Remember to proofread your work! This is a very important step and should not be skipped. Read this guide from the Purdue OWL about revising your paper.
This Resource List from the Purdue OWL is an excellent place to find various pages in one place regarding the writing process. Even if you are stuck, there is a Writer's Block/Writer's Anxiety page to help you out.
This database contains biographical information on more than 124,000 writers, information on authors appearing in Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, and 11,700+ bio-critical essays on authors and their works.
This database analyzes current events and popular issues from opposing points of view. It includes full-text magazine and journal articles, reference sources, primary sources, and more.
Get help with your paper from a live tutor. Use the Proof Point service to have a tutor help you review your paper for grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors.
Virtual Galleries bring together selected library and Web resources about a topic or theme in one place. For students, the Mobile Resources and Continuing Education Virtual Galleries are two great places to find additional resources.
This website, developed by the Internet Public Library, includes an easy to use step-by-step guide to writing a research paper. Specific sections of this site were referenced throughout this Virtual Gallery.
The Purdue OWL offers guides, handouts, and self-paced workshops on writing a research paper, grammar, and citing a source. Specific sections of this site were referenced throughout this Virtual Gallery.
Planning & Brainstorming