Mt. SAC Tutoring Centers

Online Resources

NoodleTools is not a citation style; instead, it is a website that helps students create citations for MLA, APA, and Chicago styles. *click here for NoodleTools instructions

Writing Center Websites

These are well known websites run by two of the best Writing Centers in the country. They contain a wealth of information, including handouts on the writing process, ESL, and guides for citation and grammar.

Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL)

The Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Reference Websites

Mt. SAC Library Website
The Mt. SAC library website includes access to the library catalog, databases for articles, and access to appropriate websites for academic research. In particular, check out the guide to evaluating websites for academic credibility.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary

Finding Credible Sources and Using Them Correctly

"Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing--Oh My!"
An EasyBib blog post, authored by Sally Baggett.

Show Me© Information Literacy Modules
This website teaches students to determine the credibility of sources and distinguish between different types of sources. For example, What constitutes credible information? How does source type contribute to relevance, authority and point-of-view? How do I evaluate and cite online sources?

Effective Paraphrasing On this website, you will find a discussion of proper paraphrasing, as well as a visual diagram.

Plagiarism Prevention for Students
Have you ever found yourself wondering when and where to cite? This website will explain the differences between intentional and unintentional plagiarism. It will then lead you through discussion and activities to help you learn how to quote, summarize, paraphrase, and cite correctly.

Citing Sources Correctly

All About Citations: Citing Your Sources
This guide from the Mt. SAC Library provides an explanation as to why sources should be cited, a discussion of commonly-used citation styles, examples of citations in different styles, information on tools available to help students cite sources correctly, and instructive advice on how to avoid plagiarism.

How Do I Cite a Tweet?
Using a Tweet in your paper but don't know how to cite it? Let the experts at MLA show you how to cite a Tweet correctly.

MLA Style Guide
The Online Writing Lab at Purdue offers an excellent guide to MLA style. This style is used mostly by Literature and Language departments and sometimes by other disciplines in the Humanities, including art history.

APA Style Guide
Like the MLA, the APA (the American Psychological Association) does not give web access to their style guide rules. However, once again, the Online Writing Lab at Purdue is there to help out hard-pressed students and researchers with their excellent and authoritative guide to APA style. This style is used most often in the social sciences, which includes sociology and psychology.

University of Chicago Style Guide
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Writing Center offers the best free guide to Chicago/Turabian style online. This style is most often used in the writing of history.

CSE Documentation (formerly CBE)
Diana Hacker offers a clear explanation of the two reference systems (name-year and citation-sequence systems) used in CSE style citation in this website. The website offers numerous examples of in-text and reference list examples. What students may find particularly helpful on this website is the sample CSE style essay.

CSE Documentation (formerly CBE)
ACC’s website also offers thorough explanations of the two reference systems (name-year and citation-sequence systems) used in CSE style citation. The organization of the site offers particularly clear differentiations between the reference systems, as well as in-text and reference list examples. Students can also download and print handouts from this site for help with CSE style citation.

ASA Style (American Sociological Association)
ASA Style is sometimes used in Sociology courses. Though it appears similar to APA format, it does, in fact, have its own rules for formatting a document and citing sources in a paper. This link will take you to the Purdue OWL page for ASA format. It provides clear instructions on how to format a paper and cite sources according to ASA format.

*Please note that “style” in this context refers to styles or systems of documentation, not to individual writing styles.

Prewriting Websites

Bubbl.us
On this website, you can create bubble/cluster maps or mind maps to help you develop new ideas and organize your current ideas.

Editing and Proofreading Websites

Dave's ESL Cafe
This website offers hundreds of lessons and activities on ESL related writing issues. Both students and instructors can find resources here.

The 20 Most Common Grammatical Errors
From the Stanford University Hume Center for Writing and Speaking

Semicolon Use (Funny!)
The Oatmeal.com explains how you can use semi-colons correctly. Be prepared to laugh your way through this lesson.

Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling (Funny!)
Learn what happens when you spell certain words incorrectly. Again, be prepared to laugh your way through this lesson.

How to Use an Apostrophe (Funny!)
Apostrophes can be one of the trickiest punctuation marks to master. This Oatmeal.com page will help you learn how to use apostrophes . . . and make you laugh.