Writing Center Resources: Not Just for Students

As a college composition and communications instructor at several universities in central Pennsylvania, I compile writing resources for my students so they can receive help with their writing even when they’re not in class or on campus. These are all resources that are free for you to use, too.

Almost all colleges and universities have a writing center or a tutoring center that offers help with writing. Although non-students do not have access to some of those writing center resources, like one-on-one writing appointments, many do offer free online sources that can benefit any writer, not just students or new writers.

from Morgan.edu

Because they’re affiliated with academic institutions, writing center resources do have a lot of advice for academic writing and citation styles, but they also offer a wealth of information on many other writing skills necessary for creative fiction and nonfiction writers and/or for writers who are creating marketing and promotion materials (like web site writing, blogs, etc.).

The following are some of my favorite writing center resources. But this is not a limiting list. Check out the writing centers for just about any college or university to find additional writing tips and tricks.

OWL of Purdue at Purdue University

Writing@CSU at Colorado State University
Note: this has resources for fiction writers

The Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill

College Writing Programs Resources at UCal Berkeley

Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center at Hamilton College (my alma mater!).
Fun fact: during my senior year at college I printed copies of the Seven Deadly Sins of Writing and hung them on my dorm room wall. Yes, yes I did.


As a non-student, have you ever used college or university resources, and if so, which resources did you use and in what ways were they helpful? Do you have other a-typical writing resources to suggest?

Written by: Anne Greenawalt, writer and writing instructor