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Frederick E. Berry Library and Learning Commons

ESL

Resources for CIE/ESL Students

The Writing Center

The Writing Center is located in the Berry Library & Learning Commons. You can meet one on one with a writing tutor to get help with all aspects of writing. Typical tutoring sessions may help you with one or more of the following:

  • getting started on your writing assignments
  • overcoming writer's block
  • identifying and addressing the needs of your audience
  • developing ideas
  • organizing ideas
  • documenting sources and avoiding plagiarism
  • revising your writing more effectively
  • solving grammatical problems

To book an appointment, call 978.542.6491.

Why do we cite?

What exactly does citation mean? 

  • Citation is a method of attribution that indicates your work came from another source (Acknowledging the source).
  • It is important to cite sources to avoid plagiarism, but it is also important to cite sources so readers can learn more about your topic or research background information.
  • Citation also lets readers know how much effort you put into the research for your paper.
  • Citing other’s ideas also lends credibility to your ideas.
  • It is also important to ‘distinguish’ your ideas from others, and to know that thery are supported or differentiated from other’s ideas.
APA Style
The basic APA citation for a journal article is:
  • Lastname, A.A., Lastname, B.B., & Lastname, C.C. (YEAR). Title of Article.Title of Journal, volume #, start page-end page. doi: xx.xxxxxxxx
For books, it’s:
  • Lastname, A.A. (YEAR). Title of book. Location: Publisher.
For websites, it’s:
  • Lastname,A.A. (Year, Month, Day). Title of website [Description of form]. Retrieved from http://www.webaddress.domain
MLA Style
The basic MLA citation for a journal article is:
  • Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Article." Title of Journal.  Volume.Issue (Year): pages.  Title of Database. Medium of  Publication. Date of access. 
For books, it's:
  • Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.  Medium of Publication.
For websites, it's:
  • Editor, author or compiler name (if available).  Name of Site.  Version number (if available).  Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of Publication. Date of access. 
Important: MLA does not require you to put the URL (web address) in a citation. If your professor requires this,  it goes in angle brackets after the date of access. 
  • Editor, author or compiler name (if available).  Name of Site.  Version number (if available).  Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of Publication. Date of access.  <http://www.somewebaddress.com>

Online Resources

The OWL at Purdue is one of the the best online citation help sites. 

The OWL has specific resources for ESL students to help with academic writing.