INTERACTIVE TUTORIALS

The Center for Academic Development strives to assist students and faculty through its online interactive tutorials. Designed expressly for the NLU academic community, the CAD's tutorials cover how to avoid plagiarism, how to correctly cite sources using APA and MLA styles of documentation, how to follow the steps in the writing process, and how to deal with the special challenges of online learning.

Our tutorials may be used in class as part of a comprehensive curriculum or can be assigned to students for independent study.

To view individual tutorials and a sample research paper, click on the appropriate title or number below.

Avoiding Plagiarism

Avoiding Plagiarism

Defines and explains plagiarism; explains the consequences of plagiarism and NLU policy; shows how to avoid plagiarism by correctly citing sources using APA and MLA documentation styles

1. Introduction to APA Style

Defines and explains the purpose of APA; highlights the importance of documenting sources correctly to avoid plagiarism; explains how to effectively incorporate quotations, paraphrases, and summaries into text; includes a short quiz

2. APA Formatting

Defines and explains the purpose of APA documentation style in academic writing; covers how to cite sources within the text using signal phrases and parenthetical citations and how to format entries on the References page

3. View a sample APA-style paper (This is not a tutorial)

Reviews a sample APA-style paper written by a college student; shows editorial markups and illustrates how to edit and revise a paper

4. Introduction to MLA Style

Defines and explains MLA formatting; shows how to avoid plagiarism through the correct use of citations, quotations, and paraphrases

5. MLA Formatting

Defines and explains MLA; discusses the importance of using MLA formatting in order to standardize an essay and to avoid plagiarism

1. Overview of the Writing Process

Defines the writing process and explains its importance; gives an overview of the steps in the process: prewriting, writing, proofreading, and revising

2. Prewriting

Provides prewriting tips and techniques; gives an overview of the research component to writing and how to organize by using an outline format

3. Drafting

Provides drafting tips such as establishing a starting point, avoiding writer's block, and dealing with stress

4. Revising and proofreading techniques

provides an overview of revision, which includes focus, purpose, tone, style, and organization. In addition, the tutorial covers proofreading, which includes grammar, punctuation, word choice, and spelling

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Orientation to Online Study *

*coming soon