Resources
How to Use this Page
Below are resources that University Writing has developed to support students and instructors across the disciplines in their writing and writing instruction. We define writing broadly, so you will find resources on ePortfolios, visual design, professional communication, and presentations in addition to traditional writing tasks like reflective writing, literature reviews, peer review, and editing and proofing.
Please use the keywords on the right-hand side of the page or the search bar above to navigate these resources. If you would like to use these resources in your course, please follow the Creative Commons information located at the bottom of each resource. If you plan to use the source in its original format, we ask that you leave the University Writing branding intact.
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Literature Review
A literature review is an evaluation of the available literature on a given subject. In literature reviews, you are synthesizing and analyzing research to tell a story about the work done about a topic and how it relates to present and future research. Use the resources below for guidance as your write your literature review.
Materials designed by Katharine Brown, Autumn Frederick, Layli Miron, and Muhammad Umer
This worksheet helps you begin identifying scholarly conversations by analyzing an example literature review
This worksheet helps you analyze an example literature review to identify the storytelling elements being used
This worksheet parallels the moves a writer makes when creating a literature review with Freytag’s pyramid. It guides writers in outlining their own literature reviews by answering a series of brainstorming questions
This handout helps students plan literature reviews by using selected examples of AI tools
Synthesizing Sources
Many styles of academic writing require synthesis, or the process of representing relationships among multiple sources, including patterns of similarity and contrast. These materials introduce synthesis, provide select examples, and offer strategies for identifying opportunities for synthesis in your current research project.
Materials designed by Christopher Basgier and Heather Stuart
This handout offers tools and examples for identifying synthesis strategies that writers use in different academic disciplines.
This worksheet is a synthesis matrix, designed to help you create and see connections across sources
The Writing SySTEM
The Writing SySTEM, a project funded by the National Science Foundation Innovations in Graduate Education program (award number 2224967), equips graduate student writers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields with the skills and resources needed to succeed in their writing projects. The materials in this section address some of the unique features and challenges of writing in STEM.
Materials designed in collaboration by Sushil Adhikari, Christopher Basgier, Katharine Brown, Jordan Harshman, Jeff LaMondia, and Russell Mailen
This handout will guide new and experienced researchers in how to effectively find relevant, peer-reviewed research publications using intentional search strategies and online databases
This handout guides readers of academic articles through a two-pass approach that includes previewing and digesting a text. It also includes an article review template for structured note taking
This handout guides authors through a step-by-step process of writing a literature review section for a peer-reviewed journal article
This worksheet guides technical writers in STEM fields through activities that allow them to practice communicating research to various audiences
This worksheet provides writers with a three-step process for developing a research objective statement that is clear, concise, and defendable
This handout guides researchers through the process of identifying a target journal for submission of a manuscript for peer review. Authors are provided guidance on how to assess a journal in terms of scope, style, and reputation
This worksheet provides an overview of the organization of the introduction section in peer-reviewed journal articles. The document includes an activity for outlining the introduction section
This handout provides guidance on preparing the conclusions section of a journal paper. It includes an activity for collecting and organizing information to include in the conclusion
This handout provides information on facilitating a writing group. Writing groups lend a social aspect to the writing process and typically involve 5 – 10 participants meeting on a regular basis over a semester or longer