Learning Materials

Writing Center materials

• Literature Review: A Research Journey

General Writing Resources

Use these as a starting point for questions about any part of the writing process.

• Using English for Academic Purposes: online guide designed for English learners in higher education.   
• Excelsior College Online Writing Lab  
• The Harvard Writes project offers resources on many aspects of the writing process.
• The Harvard Writing Project offers guides designed for College undergraduates, which include sound advice for all writers
• The Harvard Guide to Using Sources also offers tips on using evidence throughout the writing process from research to revision.

Assignment types

• How to Read an Assignment (Harvard FAS Writing Center) 
• Understanding Assignments (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) 
• Functions of writing (Using English for Academic Purposes) 
• Policy Memo Resource (HKS) 
• Writing Op-Eds (HKS)  
• Organizing your social science research paper (USC) contains details on each section, including literature reviews 

Critical Reading

• Kurland, D. (2000). What is critical reading? Critical Reading. Retrieved from http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_reading.htm 
• Gilroy, S. (2018). Interrogating texts. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Library. https://guides.library.harvard.edu/sixreadinghabits  
• Critical reading template, a handout for structured note-taking

Editing, revising, and language

• APA grammar, language, and style guidelines 
• Grammar Girl blog by Mignon Fogarty 
• Grammar, punctuation, and sentences (Eastern Washington University) 
• English for Academic Purposes: Grammar guide 

Citing and referencing

• Gutman Library's tutorial for Using Evidence in Academic Writing and paraphrasing
• Gutman Library's Using APA Style - Citing and Referencing
• Citing in APA (APA official tutorial)
• APA, MLA, and Chicago citation at the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Excelsior College
• APA style blog guide to quoting
• APA style blog guide to paraphrasing
• Meet with a Research Services librarian for help with citation management systems like Zotero

Other writing skills

• Creating a Thesis Statement (Excelsior Online Writing Lab)
• Developing Paragraphs (Excelsior Online Writing Lab)
• "Forecasting”, otherwise known as "Roadmaps" (MIT Writing Center)
• Tips for Writing Original Papers by Kathleen Guinee, Ed.D. '07
• Strategies for Essay Writing (Harvard FAS Writing Center)
• The Writing Process (Excelsior Online Writing Lab)

• Check out the extensive databases and research guides offered by Gutman Library and other libraries across Harvard.
• Meet with a Research Services librarian to learn about finding literature. 
• Visit the Harvard Academic Resource Center for tips and tools on strategic reading, study skills, and time management. They also offer workshops and academic coaching.

GSAS Center for Writing & Communicating Ideas

The Center for Writing & Communicating Ideas offers individual consultations, peer workshops, and other programming to support registered GSAS students, including Ph.D. students in education. Tutoring support is offered to all GSAS students in any discipline who seek to improve their academic papers, dissertations, and presentations. Overall, the CWCI helps GSAS students to heighten the impact of their research by fostering and refining their written and oral communication skills.