Five Common Grammar Misconceptions

Today's topic: Five Common Grammar Misconceptions

Today I'm going to take a break from heavy-duty topics and do something light and fluffy.  Here is a list of some common grammar and style myths and misconceptions.  Thanks to Mignon Fogerty, the Internet's "Grammar Girl," for pointing out #s 2 and 5 (all the words in this post are my own, and all the examples except "Where are you at" in #5--I just got the idea for misconceptions 2 and 5 from Ms. Fogerty).

*Misconception #1:  "You and I"/"Johnny and I" is always correct--never say "You and me"/"Johnny and me." 

Nope!  Whether to use "I" or "me" depends entirely on the sentence.  Here's a quick, easy trick to ensure that you will never use the wrong personal pronoun again:  Eliminate the other person from the sentence.  Which pronoun is correct now, I or me?  Example:

There's a great portrait of my husband and I/me on the living room wall. 

Let's employ our sneaky new trick, and take the husband out of the sentence (sorry, dear!):  

There's a great portrait of ___ on the living room wall.  

Would it make sense to say "There's a great portrait of I on the living room wall"?  Of course not!  So the correct pronoun in this sentence is "me."  "There's a great portrait of my husband and me on the living room wall."

*Misconception #2:  Run-on sentences are sentences that are too long (or a sentence has to be long in order to be a run-on sentence). 
Nope!  This is one reason (I suspect) why many grammarians now refer to these as "fused" sentences; the term "run-on" creates the erroneous impression that a run-on sentence must "run on."  In truth, run-on sentences can be quite short. 

A run-on, or fused, sentence is one in which two or more independent clauses are linked without appropriate punctuation.  An independent clause (IC), by the way, is a phrase which includes a subject and a verb and could stand alone as a complete sentence.  Since ICs (complete sentences) can be quite short, run-on sentences can be short as well.  Examples:

I love cats, they are so cute. 
It was my turn to cook I made spaghetti. 

Note: The first of these is an example of a comma splice.  A comma splice is a run-on sentence in which the two ICs are linked with a comma.  Commas are weak punctuation; they are not strong enough to separate ICs.  You can fix run-on sentences in a number of different ways.  You can: 1.) Separate the ICs with a semicolon (see my earlier Writing Tip of the Week on semicolons for specifics), 2.) separate the ICs with a period (thereby making them into two sentences), or 3.) separate the ICs with a comma + a conjunction (and, but, or) or other appropriate word.  Which you choose depends on the sentence, of course.  In the first example above I would probably choose a semicolon, because the two ICs are closely related.  In the second example you could add a comma after the word "cook," then the word "and" or "so."  You could also separate the two ICs with a semicolon or period.  It's a style choice.

*Misconception #3: It's always correct to capitalize job titles.Nope!  In fact, there are only a handful of situations in which you should capitalize job titles. 

Rule #1: Capitalize job titles when they directly precede a person's name.  Examples:  We invited Dean Jones to speak at the dinner.  I emailed President Simpson yesterday.

Rule #2: Capitalize job titles immediately following the name when the word "the" does not appear in front of the job title.  Examples:  Ms. Janney, Director of Marketing, will send out the memo.  Mr. Zhu, Chief Resident in the emergency department, is a little intimidating.

Rule #3: When the word "the" appears in front of a job title, do not capitalize.  Examples:  Mr. Zhu, the chief resident in the emergency department, is a little intimidating.  Ms. Janney, the director of marketing, will send out the memo.

Rule #4: Capitalize titles in signature lines.  Examples:  Whitney Kurtz-Ogilvie, Academic Writing Specialist.  Linda Devine, Editor.

Rule #5: Do not capitalize titles when used descriptively.  Examples: Ms. Janney, who is the director of marketing at our firm, will send out the memo.  Whitney Kurtz-Ogilvie, who is the academic writing specialist for the College of Nursing, maintains a "Writing Resources" website for graduate nursing students and staff nurses.

The "Ego" Rule: This rule sometimes requires us to ignore the other rules.  If your supervisor or employer wants you to capitalize his or her job title, go ahead and do it.  Many people do not know the rules governing job title capitalization, and you will frequently see titles incorrectly capitalized.

*Misconception #4: It is incorrect to split infinitives.Nope!  This is an archaic rule, and unfortunately writers sometimes sacrifice clarity, smoothness, and readability in order to comply. 

An infinitive is the "to ______" form of the verb (examples: to read, to eat, to sleep, to write).  To split an infinitive is to insert a word (often an adverb) between the word "to" and the verb, as in the famous line from Star Trek: "to boldly go where no man has gone before." 

Many grammar purists will tell you that it is incorrect to split an infinitive, but this isn't necessarily true.  The rule of thumb here (as in pretty much any other grammar issue) should be to make sure that your sentence is clear and readable.  Grammar rules should serve your writing; your writing shouldn't serve them.  If the sentence is smoother and/or clearer with a split infinitive, then split away.  In my opinion, "to boldly go where no man has gone before" sounds a lot better than "to go boldly..."  :)

*Misconception #5: You should never end a sentence with a preposition.

Nope!  It's true that it is sometimes wrong to end a sentence with a preposition, but this is not a hard and fast rule. Quick review: Prepositions are words that indicate when or where something occurs.  Examples: of, in, above, under, off, on, about, before, after, etc. 
Here is the kicker: If the sentence would mean the same thing without the preposition, then leave it out.  However, if the sentence needs the preposition to communicate the intended meaning, then it's fine to end the sentence with a preposition.  Examples:

WRONG: Where are you at?  This is wrong because "Where are you" means the same thing.

FINE: I'm going to throw these leftovers out.
 
FINE: I know I should get up early today, but I'm exhausted so I think I'll sleep in.
 
FINE: Do you have anything to snack on?  (Granted, you could rearrange this sentence to say "Do you have anything on which to snack?"  This would technically be fine, but very few people speak this way in real life.  It might be appropriate to use this type of language in a formal academic paper, however.  As I mentioned above, always try to err on the side of clarity, conciseness, and smoothness/readability.)

There are many more grammar myths and misconceptions.  Maybe I'll tackle some more in a future post.  In the meantime, I hope today's tips were helpful.  Happy scribbling!

Whitney Kurtz-Ogilvie, MFAW

Misplaced Modifiers

Today's topic: Misplaced modifiers

The poor, beleaguered misplaced modifier is one of the top ten grammar victims I see on a regular basis.  This is also one of the more unfortunate grammar mistakes, because it has the potential to muddy your meaning and confuse your readers.

What's a modifier?

A modifier is a word or phrase that describes/refers to (or "modifies") another word or phrase.  I borrowed this first example from Internet "Grammar Girl" Mignon Fogerty:

In these two sentences, the modifier is the word "almost."  These two sentences mean very different things:

I almost failed every art class I took.

I failed almost every art class I took.

Sentence one means that the author has almost failed each art class she has taken.  She ALMOST failed them, but she managed to squeak by.

Sentence two means that the author failed MOST art classes she took, but passed one or two.

Of course, not all modifiers are one-word; some are phrases.  Examples of some longer, trickier modifiers:

*The patient had a history of post-traumatic stress and sleep disruptions prior to his diagnoses of diabetes and hypertension, which he had managed with medication over a period of five years.

In the sentence above, it's impossible to tell whether the modifier "which he had managed with medication over a period of five years" refers to the phrase "post-traumatic stress and sleep disruptions," or to the phrase "diabetes and hypertension."  It could easily be either. 

The author could rewrite this sentence in any number of ways in order to fix the misplaced modifier.  A couple of options (there are plenty of others):

In addition to his diagnoses of diabetes and hypertension, the patient had a history of post-traumatic stress and sleep disruptions which he had managed with medication for five years.  

In addition to his diagnoses of diabetes and hypertension, the patient had a five-year history of post-traumatic stress and sleep disruptions, which he managed with medication.

*The clinic offers professional development workshops hosted by nursing staff and faculty relating to acute care.

In the sentence above, we can't tell whether the modifier "relating to acute care" refers to the professional development workshops or the staff/faculty who host the workshops.

As with the previous example, this author could rewrite this sentence in any number of ways.  A couple of options:

The clinic offers professional development workshops, hosted by nursing staff and faculty, on a variety of topics in acute care.

The clinic offers acute care professional development workshops hosted by nursing staff and faculty.

In general, it's a good idea to put modifiers as close as possible to the words or phrases you want them to modify.  Sometimes it can be tricky to do this (especially if your sentence is especially long or complex).  In this case it might be a good idea to divide the sentence into more than one. 

One way to help ensure that you don't end up with misplaced modifiers is to read your work aloud when you proofread.  When we read silently we don't really hear our sentences.  We get the gist, but we don't get a good sense of sentence structure.  When we read aloud, we read EVERY WORD.  When there's a problem, even if we don't recognize the specific grammar rule we're breaking, we know that something doesn't sound right.  It's easy to miss bad sentence structure when we read silently; it's much easier to catch those problems when we read out loud.

Keep an eye out for misplaced modifiers when you read your work.  Always aim for clarity and conciseness.

I hope this has been helpful.  As always, happy scribbling!

Whitney Kurtz-Ogilvie, MFAW

APA Style FAQ

Today's topic: APA Style FAQ

If there's one thing that can drive people to homicidal rage, it's APA style.  It's complicated, the rules tend to change with every new edition of the handbook, and there are a million little details to remember.  However, many journals (and professors) require APA style, so it's important to learn the basics.  Some aspects of APA style tend to give us more trouble than others.  Here are a few "greatest hits" to help you over the rough spots.

In-text citations: First, check out the quick reference chart on page 177 of the 6th edition APA handbook.  I recommend copying this page and keeping it in a folder (or on the wall above your computer) for easy access.  The chart details the correct format for citing various types of sources in the text.  I refer to mine constantly.

If you don't have the handbook, bookmark these two pages on your computer. The Purdue OWL website offers guides to in-text citations in APA style.  The first gives a basic overview, and the second details how to cite various types of sources in the text:

• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/03/

Okay, let's tackle a few troublesome details.  First, how often should you cite the same source?  For example, let's say that all the info in one paragraph comes from the same source. Do you need to cite the source in every sentence?

The rule of thumb here is CLARITY.  If it is clear to readers from the structure and wording of the paragraph that all this information comes from the same source, then you should be fine with citing the source after the first time you use it, and after the last time you use it in that paragraph.  It can be pretty tiresome for readers to see the same citation at the end of every single sentence.  If you use something from another source in that paragraph, however, then obviously you will need to cite source 1 again after you return to it.  Again, the important thing is to make it clear to readers what info and ideas come from what source. 

Basic formatting for in-text citations in APA style:

• APA uses the "author, date" format.  You can cite in the text in one of two ways--in the text of the sentence, or in parentheses at the end of the sentence.  Example of each:

• In the sentence:  Doe and Jenkins (2009) found that...
• In parentheses at the end of the sentence:  Blah blah blah blah (Doe & Jenkins, 2009).

• Note that when you mention the author's name in the sentence, you must include the date in parentheses immediately thereafter.

• Also note that you should NEVER use the ampersand (&) in the text of the sentence.  Only use it in your parenthetical citations.  Conversely, never use the full word "and" in parenthetical citations; always use the ampersand (&).

• Lastly, note that the period at the end of the sentence goes AFTER the parenthetical citation.
  

When and how to use "et al.":

• Do not put a period after "et," but always put one after "al."  This is because "et" is actually a complete Latin word, while "al." is an abbreviation of the Latin word "alia."
• Always put a comma between "et al." and the date in your parenthetical citations at the ends of sentences (see "Doe & Jenkins" example above).

How to cite sources with multiple authors:

• Sources with 2 authors: Use both authors' names for all citations (see "Doe and Jenkins"/"Doe & Jenkins" examples above).
  

• Sources with 3, 4, or 5 authors: List all authors' names the first time you cite the source.  For every subsequent citation, use the first author's name, then et al. and the date.  Examples:

• Four authors: First citation, in sentence: Jones, Wu, Simpson, and Garcia (2010) asserted that...
• Four authors: First citation, end of sentence: Blah blah blah (Jones, Wu, Simpson, & Garcia, 2010).
• Four authors: Subsequent citations, in sentence: Jones et al. (2010) asserted that...
• Four authors: Subsequent citations, end of sentence: Blah blah blah (Jones et al., 2010).

• Sources with 6 or more authors: Use only the first author's name, then et al. and the date for all citations (first and subsequent). 

Just about every rule has an exception. The exception to the "first author plus 'et al.'" rule applies when you have more than one source with the same first author (or even the same first and second authors, etc.). When this happens, use as many authors' names as you need to distinguish between the sources, and then "et al." and the date.  This will help readers locate the correct source in the References list.

Multiple sources by the same author, in the same year: For example, say you have two sources, each by John Doe, each published in 2010.

• Article 1: "Writing for publication in nursing," published in June of 2010.
• Article 2: "How to write an abstract," published in July of 2010.

Organize the titles alphabetically, and assign a lowercase letter to each (article 1 starts with "W," so it would be b, and article 2 starts with "H," so it would be a). Cite these like this:

• In the sentence, article 1: Doe (2010b) argues that... In parentheses at the end of the sentence: Blah blah blah (Doe, 2010b).  Article 2 would look the same, except you'd identify it as 2010a.

A note on the Oxford (or "serial") comma: APA requires the use of the serial comma, the comma that comes between the second to last name in a citation and the "and" or "&."  Like this: (Doe, Jenkins, & Wu, 2012).  Or this: Doe, Jenkins, and Wu (2012) found that...

A few other odds and ends:

• Back to back parentheses: APA doesn't allow these. 

• WRONG: (e.g., heart failure)(Doe, 2010)
• RIGHT: (e.g., heart failure; Doe, 2010)

• Numbers: When to spell them out, when to use numerals?  The rule says to spell out numbers nine and under, and use numerals for numbers 10 and above.  Exceptions:
  

• Spell out any number that begins a sentence, title, or heading expressed in text (as opposed to a heading that consists solely of a number).  Example:  Twelve patients completed the survey.
• Spell out fractions.  Example:  We polled one third of the patients.
• Spell out numbers that are always spelled out in common usage.  Examples: The Seven Dwarves, the four corners of the earth, the seven wonders of the world, etc.
  

I hope you'll find these tips helpful.  Happy scribbling!

Whitney Kurtz-Ogilvie, MFAW

Top Ten Most Frequently Mistreated Words and Phrases

Today's topic: Frequently Confused/Misused Words and Phrases - A Top Ten List

1. Everyday/every day:

"Everyday" is an adjective which means "ordinary," "common," or "humdrum."  Example:  Paper cuts are an unfortunate part of an editor's everyday life.

"Every day" means each day.  Example:  I work out every day.  

2. Affect/effect:

Use “affect” when you mean “to influence.” “Affect” can also mean “an emotion.”

Use “effect” when you mean “to bring about” or “to cause,” or as a noun meaning “a result.” Also, use “effect” after these words: a, an, any, the, take, into, no.

Examples:

“Her flat affect on learning of her child’s illness was disturbing.”

“The film affected me more than I expected.”

“Gloomy weather has a profound effect on him.”

“We can’t effect a new policy without the approval of the administration.” 

  
3. Cite/site:
 
"Cite" is a verb that means to use as an example or to quote or use information from an outside source.  Examples:  Be sure to cite the source of this information.  Cite your sources in APA style.

"Site" is a noun that means a location.  Example:  The city chose this lot as the site for the new public library.

4. Farther/Further:

"Farther" can be an adjective or an adverb.  It means to or at a point in the distance.  It refers to physical space.  Examples:  Jane went to Tennessee this summer, but next summer she'll go much farther, to Japan.  I can run farther than you can.

"Further" can also be an adjective or adverb.  Its meaning is more abstract.  It can mean either "to a greater extent" or "in addition."  Examples:  The consultant cannot make a recommendation until she is further along in her assessment of our program.  Further, she will require an additional two months in order to complete her assessment.
 
5. Few/Less:

 
Use "few" to refer to countable items, items that exist as individual units.  Examples:  I used fewer apples in this pie than I did in the last one.  I ate fewer cookies than you did.  He wrote fewer papers this semester than last.
 
Use "less" to refer to uncountable items, items that exist as lump sums.  Example:  He ate less ice cream than his sister.  It rained less this spring than last.  I'm less nervous about this presentation than I thought I would be.

6. Precede/Proceed:
 
"Precede" means "to come before."  Example:  Capitalize a job title if it immediately precedes the person's name, as in President Barack Obama.
 
"Proceed" means "carry on" or "continue."  Example:  Once the customs agent determined that my carry-on bag contained nothing more hazardous than mouthwash, he allowed us to proceed to the baggage claim area.
 
7.  I.e./E.g.:  This one can be tricky.  I.e. and e.g. are both abbreviations of Latin phrases.  I.e. stands for "id est," which means "that is" (many editors will tell you that i.e. is close in meaning to the phrase "in other words," or the word "namely").  E.g. stands for "exempli gratia," which means "for example."  

There are a couple of mnemonic devices (memorization tricks) to help you remember which is which.  For example, you could remember that e.g. looks like "egg," as in "for egg-sample."  Goofy, but effective.  You could also pretend that i.e. stands for "in essence," which pretty much sums up what i.e. means.  You could also remember that i.e. means "in other words," which starts with "i," whereas e.g. means "for example" (example = e).
 
 Use e.g. to introduce an example:  "I love baked desserts, e.g., apple pie and pumpkin bread."  Note that this isn't a complete list of ALL the baked desserts I love; it's just a couple of examples.  If I had used i.e. here instead, it would seem as though these are the ONLY two baked desserts that I enjoy.

Use i.e. in place of the phrase "in other words," i.e., to provide further explanation or clarification.  Example:  She had to put her dog on a special diet, i.e., she fed him half a cup of high protein dry food three times a day.

Since this is a tricky one, I offer you this clear and concise guide: http://www.editing-writing.com/articles/whats-latin-got-to-do-with-it.shtml
 
Whose/Who's:
 
"Whose" is a possessive form of the word "who."  Examples:  Whose book is this?  That's the woman whose ten year old son tried to sue her.

 "Who's" is a contraction for "who is," or (less often) "who has."  Examples:  Who's ready for dessert?  Who's already seen this movie?
 
Your/You're:
 
"Your" is the possessive form of "you."  Example:  You forgot your wallet.
 
"You're" is a contraction for the phrase "you are."  Example:  You're a great editor.
 
Complement/Compliment:

To "complement" means "to complete" or "to mix well with."  Example:  Those sapphires complement your blue eyes. 
 
To "compliment" means "to flatter" or "to praise."  Example:  Five people have complimented me on my outfit today.
 
I hope you'll find these tips helpful.  Happy scribbling!

Whitney Kurtz-Ogilvie, MFAW

Conquering Writer's Block

Today's topic: Conquering Writer's Block*

Writer's block plagues just about everyone at one point or another, and it can be agonizing.  It can paralyze a project, destroy your self-confidence, and generally make life miserable.  The good news is that there are ways to overcome writer's block and get your keyboard clickety-clacking once again.  Try each of these methods and see what works best for you.

Method One: Freewriting

Freewriting is a great technique.  Even if you don't have writer's block, freewriting can help you decide on a topic, narrow a broad area of interest to a manageable subject, and help you turn a vague ember of an idea into a roaring flame.  

For blocked writers, freewriting can be a low-pressure way of breaking through the barrier.  Here's how it works.

Sit down with a blank piece of paper or a blank computer screen, whichever you prefer.  Assign yourself a block of time--I find that 15 minutes works well for me, but you could go longer or shorter if you like.  You're going to force yourself to write, without stopping, for that entire length of time. 

If you're trying to choose a paper topic, you can start by writing "I can't decide what I want to write about..." and go from there.  If you're trying to choose among several options, write about the pros and cons of each, or about what interests or confuses you about each.  If you have NO IDEA what you want to write about, you might write about why you think that might be, and then progress to a discussion of topics that interest or frustrate you.  Or you might start by asking yourself a question, such as "What are the hot topics in my field right now?" or "What are the biggest patient care headaches in my field?" Ultimately though, in a freewrite the idea is to go where your mind takes you.  If you get stuck, don't let yourself stop writing.  Even if you have to keep writing "I'm stuck.  I'm stuck!  I'M STUCK!!!!" just KEEP GOING, and do NOT edit yourself as you go.  Nobody ever has to see what you write, so you don't need to hold yourself to a high standard--in fact, it's 100% fine if the majority of what you churn out is awful.  

The point with freewriting is to get your mind and your fingers working, and to give yourself permission to turn off your inner critic and just spill out whatever is on your mind.  I think you'll find that eventually your brain will take you somewhere unexpected and interesting.  When your time is up, you can either stop or keep going, whichever you prefer.  When you finish, you might try going through what you've written and underlining or highlighting anything that stands out to you.  These might be diamonds in the rough, ideas to use as jumping off places.  If you don't find anything like that, that's fine too.  At least you sat down and wrote something, and reminded yourself that facing the blank page really isn't the most terrifying thing in the world.

I've had some major creative breakthroughs while freewriting.  It might take you a few tries, but you may find that this technique is just what you need to get unstuck.

Method Two: Clustering/Mapping/Webbing

Like freewriting, clustering (a.k.a. mapping or webbing) is a great technique even if you aren't blocked.  For blocked writers, it can be a great way to get the ideas flowing.  There is an extensive guide to clustering and freewriting on my Blackboard "Writing Resources" website.  Go to the Course Content page, and click on the PowerPoint presentation called Writing for Publication Part II: Brainstorming a Topic.  This presentation will take you through the whole process and provide examples.

In a nutshell, clustering involves writing a general idea or area of interest in the center of a piece of paper (or, if you're a 3D person like me, you can stick Post It notes to a wall instead).  For example, you might want to write about pain management, but you're not sure what aspect you want to examine.  You'd write "pain management" in the center of the page.
Now, fanning out from that central idea, write whatever other ideas come to mind.  Eventually you'll have something that looks like a web or wheel (hence the names of this technique).  For example, "acute pain," "post-op pain," "chronic pain," "pain in infants," "pain in the elderly," etc.  Next, fan out from THOSE with more specific ideas.  For example, from "chronic pain" you might get "cancer pain," "back pain," "pain from injury," "pain from illness," etc.  Keep going until you can't think of anything else.  More often than not, you'll find yourself zeroing in on one or two main categories.  You might find that you think of a million ideas around the topic of chronic back pain, for example, and the pros and cons of one specific new technique for treating it.  Now you have an idea for a paper.

Method Three: Get Help

One common mistake that blocked writers make is to suffer in silence.  If you're blocked, try asking for help.  Sit down with a classmate and have an informal chat about the project that's driving you nuts.  It can be tremendously helpful to bounce ideas off a peer.  When I was in college, I always talked my papers over with my roommate (who was also an English major) before I sat down to write them.  You can also make an appointment with me, your writing specialist, or with your advisor or professor.

Method Four: Relax!

Often, writer's block is a symptom of stress.  You may lack confidence in your writing ability, or you may not fully understand your assignment (in which case you should make an appointment with your professor as soon as possible).  In any case, you're feeling stressed.  The sight of that blank page fills you with dread.
You need a break.  Get up from your desk and go for a walk.  Go to the gym.  Go grab dinner or coffee with a friend.  Do something to take your mind off your writing project, even if it's just a quick break to watch your favorite TV show.  When you come back you'll be rejuvenated, and hopefully better able to generate ideas.  This might be a good time to try Method One, freewriting, or Method Two, clustering.
If you can't afford to take more than a few minutes away from your project, you can at least do some deep breathing and stretching to calm down (and once you finish this project, you may need to reevaluate your work habits so that you'll have more time to work on the next paper).  Also, remember that you are NOT the only person to suffer from writer's block.  Almost everybody does, sometimes.  It doesn't mean you're a bad writer.

Basically, the keys to writer's block are: 
 
1.) Remember that your first efforts don't have to be spectacular: Turn off that inner editor. He has no business bothering you until you're a few drafts into your project!

2.) WRITE.  Even if it's terrible, just sit down and write something.  You won't beat writer's block by avoiding the problem.

I hope this week's post has been helpful.  Happy scribbling!
*BIG thanks to Debra Anderson for suggesting this topic.

Whitney Kurtz-Ogilvie, MFAW

Useful Writing and Presentation Resources

Today's Topic: Ten Terrific Writing and Presentation Resources

Part of my job as writing specialist is to keep an eye out for great writing and presentation resources.  Over the past two years, I've developed quite a list. Here are ten of my favorites.  
Many of these are available on the Blackboard "Writing Resources" website.  The resources you'll find in the "Useful Websites" section of the Bb site, I will mark with an asterisk.  Anything you'll find in the "Course Content" section, I will mark with a plus sign. 

1. My Blackboard "Writing Resources" website.  If I do say so myself, this site has developed into an invaluable resource for nurse writers and researchers.  The site offers PowerPoint presentations on everything from semicolons to writing an article for publication.  It also features printable "cheat sheets" on troublesome topics, and a long list of links to useful online writing and presentation resources. If you haven't visited the site in a while, take a few minutes to check out what's new this semester.

2. The Purdue OWL.*  OWL stands for Online Writing Lab, and that's just what this website is.  The site, a free resource from Purdue University, offers in-depth tutorials on everything from grammar to APA style to writing a purpose statement, and MUCH more.  This is a truly fantastic resource.  Do yourself a favor and bookmark this site; you'll use it all the time.  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

3. The Grammar Girl.*  Written by grammar guru Mignon Fogerty, this fun, lighthearted website offers quick, easy-to-digest answers to your most frustrating grammar questions.  If you'd rather listen than read, each post is offered in both text and audio form. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

4. The APA Style Blog.*  Let's face it.  APA style is a pain.  It's complicated, it changes every few years, and there are some questions the handbook just doesn't answer clearly enough.  The APA Style Blog to the rescue!  The site is an official APA offering, so you can trust the bloggers' advice.  There is a new post every week, and a searchable archive of past posts.  The blog is a great place to find answers to obscure APA questions, and get clarification on issues that seem murky in the handbook.  The bloggers also occasionally offer useful little charts and tables that you can print out for quick and easy reference.  For example, one blogger made a chart that explains how to cite various types of websites in APA style, even when some information (like the date or the author's name) is missing.  http://blog.apastyle.org/

5. A fabulous booklet called Writing for Publication by Christine Webb.  This booklet was published by Wiley-Blackwell for attendees at a 2009 conference.  It's now available in pdf form via the Nurse Author & Editor website.  You do not have to be a member of Nurse Author & Editor to download the pdf.  Here's the URL:  http://www.nurseauthoreditor.com/WritingforPublication2009.pdf  The booklet provides a clear, step by step guide to writing for publication, from choosing a topic and journal to copyright issues and publication ethics.  This booklet will be a tremendous help to any nurse thinking of publishing an article.

6. The book Writing for Publication in Nursing, Second Edition by Marilyn Oermann.  This book covers just about everything you need to know about writing for publication.  Oermann provides examples of different types of articles, query letters and abstracts, and offers some useful advice about writing style as well.  

7. The ANA Research Toolkit.*  The American Nurses Association (ANA) offers this valuable resource, which includes detailed information and tutorials to guide you through the research process from A to Z.  The site includes tutorials on everything from developing a research question and conducting a lit search to obtaining funding for your project.  VERY useful.  http://ana.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ThePracticeofProfessionalNursing/Research-Toolkit.aspx

8. The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill's Writing Center website.  This website offers dozens of tutorials on a range of writing topics, from passive voice to paragraph development, from grant proposals to literature reviews.  Terrific resource.  Find it here:  http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/

9. Toastmasters International.  Toastmasters is a global organization dedicated to helping people become better public speakers.  Their website offers tons of free resources--online videos, podcasts, and written tutorials.  They offer tips and techniques for creating a persuasive presentation, conquering nervousness, dealing with a distracted or disinterested audience, adapting a paper for an oral presentation, and more.  Find them here (click on Free Resources): http://www.toastmasters.org/

10. My PowerPoint presentation on PowerPoint presentations.+  Haha--say that five times fast!  I developed this presentation for one of my "Writing Wednesdays" workshops at Chandler Med Center. The presentation offers advice on how to maximize the effectiveness and visual appeal of your PowerPoint presentation. It covers preparation, logical organization, design and layout, conquering nervousness, connecting with your audience, and more. 

I hope you will find these resources as useful as I have.  If you'd like to share your own favorite writing or presentation resources, I'd love to hear from you.  Happy scribbling!

Whitney Kurtz-Ogilvie, MFAW