The Citadel Writing and Learning Center

Writing Strategies Appointment 

What's that old saying? Give a man a fish, and he'll eat well for a day; teach a man to fish, and he'll eat well for a lifetime.

We abide by the same mindset here in the Writing and Learning Center. We do not want to merely help "fix" one paper; instead, we strive to teach students helpful strategies that can be used throughout not only their academic careers but throughout their lifetime.

Writing Tips

• Read your professor's syllabus carefully. Different professors have different expectations.
• Analyze and interpret your subject matter. Summarizing the book or your class notes will get you nowhere.
• Catch the reader's attention with a strong opening paragraph.
• Always have your thesis statement sorted out before typing. This is the foundation of your argument, your purpose for writing. Without it, there is no reason to write.
• Support your thesis and main points with evidence.
• Always remember to analyze your paper's subject by asking and answering the questions: "so what?" and "why does this matter?"
• Read your paper out loud. Hearing your own sentences helps you catch mistakes you might miss otherwise.
• Remember the Honor Code. You must cite any quotations or ideas that aren't your own.
• Don't wait until the last minute. No matter how you wrote in high school, college writing is different -- A good paper requires equal parts thought, writing, and editing. You can't accomplish all three in one evening.
• Remember that dictionaries, Wikipedia, and most web sites are not usually considered acceptble sources for academic papers.
• Still not sure? Talk with your professor.

Making an Appointment

Call 953-5305 or email wlcenter@citadel.edu.

    We will need to know the following information:

• Your CIT #.
• Your Class Number (ex: ENGL 102).
• Your Professor's Name.

    So that we can provide the best help available, please let us know ahead of time what format your paper is supposed to be in (APA, MLA, Turabian, etc.).