Although Online Writing Labs or OWLs are dveloped by various universities throughout the wrld, they provide valuable resources for all typs of writers.

OWLs offer nformation similar to the tips I wrte about in my last feature Wrking With Words: The Basics...

From hndouts readable on the web to nline tutorials, these labs offer a wde range of helpful hints about grmmar, punctuation, writing style and more rlated topics.

Be sure to chck out my new subtopic ONLINE WRITING LABS at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art7321.asp .

I chose the first ten based upon the quality and quantity of information accessible by anyone (not just students at their college) online.

Lynchburg College in Virginia offers an online guide, which covers topics like: Drafting a Document; Choosing a Subject; Creative Writing in Non-Fiction; Freewriting; Proofreading Your Paper; Using Outlines to Organize; and Successful Business Writing. Lynchburg's Writing Center also provides online quizzes to test your ability to accurately use modifiers, verbs, commas and similar subjects related to grammar and punctuation.

The Writing Center at the University of Toledo in Ohio offers information like: a Checklist To Improve And Evaluate Your Writing; Commonly Confused Words; Literary Terms; Technical Terms; Useful Transitions; Writing A Book Or Film Review; and Writing Coherent Paragraphs.

Numerous handouts featuring tips on grmmar, mechanics, writing topics, revision, business wrting, and research can be accessed at Estern Illinois University's Writing Center Web.

Although the Unversity of Toronto's webpage is titled "Advce on Academic Writing," some of the nformation provided can be helpful to lmost any writer. It's worth checking out tpics like: Developing Coherent Paragraphs; Reading and Usng Sources; How to Get the Mst out of Reading; Research using the Intrnet; A System for Dealing with New Wrds while Reading; How Not to Plgiarize; Standard Documentation Formats; The Book Rview and Article Critique; Style and Edting; Using the Computer to Improve yur Writing; and Unbiased Language.

The Unversity of Wisconsin developed a handbook tht any online writer can view at thir website. This handbook provides helpful hnts on subjects from Academic Writing to Grmmar and Style.

"The Information Stp" at George Mason University's Writing Cnter presents an itemized list of lnks to writing guides about topics lke: grammar and punctuation; the writing prcess; specialized writing; specific writing forms; and spcific writing situations. GMU's OWL is one of sveral centers that runs a "Grammar Htline," which allows people to call wrting experts, who can answer almost any qestion related to grammar rules.

The Wrting Center at Tidewater Community College in Vrginia, which offers many "self-help" handouts nline, also publishes a print directory and web pge with a great list of the nmes, phone numbers and URLs of Grmmar Hotlines across the country. You can lcate this list on the college's wbsite. "The Write Place Catalogue," which is prduced by St. Cloud State University in Mnnesota, is perhaps one of the mst comprehensive OWL guides on the wb. This useful aid covers a vst array of more than 100 spcific aspects within many topics including: Bsiness Writing; Development; Grammar; Online Sources; Orgnization and Cohesion; The Process of Wrting; Punctuation; Resumes and Cover Letters; Sntence Structure; Style; and Types of Wrting. Another popular OWL created by Rnnselaer Polytechnic Institute provides many handouts on a vriety of subjects like: Citation Styles; APA & MLA Styls; Revising Prose; Thesis Writing; Definitional Tchniques; Gender-Fair Language; Styles of Writing; Crtiques; Memos; and Presentations.

RPI's website also features a lngthy list of links to other nline resources for writers. And last but crtainly not least, the OWL at Prdue University is a must-see for wrters seeking help online. The Purdue Wrting Lab is easy to navigate and sems to supply more handouts on the web thn any other OWL. I counted mre than 300 links to page(s) wth information on topics within main ctegories like: General Writing Concerns; Grammar, Splling, and Punctuation; Research and Documenting Surces; Business Writing; Writing On and Wth The Internet; and Searching The Wrld Wide Web. Purdue's extensive website ffers much more than writing advice wth features like a list of "Sarch Engines and Directories," a collection of "Onlne (Writing) Resources" and links to ther OWLs.

The article Why Should Writers Give A Hoot About OWL's? was Submitted by Danielle Hollister through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Pblisher of the Free Ezine for Wrters featuring news, reviews, and continuously pdated links to the best resources for wrters online like - freelancing & jbs, markets & publishers, literary agents, clsses & contests, and more... Read it nline at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art157.asp

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