Writing Tips

Please review the following for tips and resources related to writing research papers and theses.

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Plagiarism

Please consult Queen's University Guideline for Academic Integrity.

Test your understanding of plagiarism through an informative and practical tutorial on plagiarism from the University of Guelph.

Citation Formats-How to properly cite references

To answer questions about how to properly cite articles, books, and other types of references, including government documents, take a look at this helpful Queen's Library web page. Here you will find online links to various style guides, that is, manuals or handbooks that provide information on accepted citation formats in academic writing. Please note that the authoritative version is the PRINT edition available on the shelves in the library reference section.

There a many different citation styles. Check with your instructor to determine what citation style is preferred for your course. When writing for publication, consult the publisher or editor of the journal.

Getting Started

Not sure how to get started on your research paper--access the librarian's Subject Guide: Environmental Studies, or review the topics list for additional subject guides.

Writing Theses and Research Papers

If you wish to consult theses as a guide, or as a source of information, click on "Find theses" to access the pertinent Queen's Library web page. Click here to find information on how to prepare and write theses. Also, check out the Queen's Learning Commons and what it has to offer, as well as this online writing lab.

Writing Book Reviews and such

For guidelines on how to go about writing book reviews, how to construct a science research paper ("Writing in the Sciences"), and general information on the writing process and strategies, browse the Writing Centre's on-line resources.

Writing Tutorials, Workshops, and General Resources

The Writing Centre, located in the back of Stauffer Library (ground floor), provides student support at both the graduate and undergraduate level in the form of tutorials, courses for credit, workshops, presentations, and resource materials. Valuable for those students whose class schedules are already full, the Writing Centre offers a number of its courses (ranging from basic writing to analytical and academic writing) on a correspondence basis. Also contact the Writing Centre for specific workshops, such as on thesis writing, if sufficient demand exists. Click here for some helpful worksheets from the Faculty of Applied Science on writing, editing, and speaking.

Additional Sources of Information

In addition to journal articles, books, maps, and theses, Queen's Stauffer Library has available a large collection of government documents, including documents relating to international organizations such as the UN, the European Union, OECD, and others [link]. Go to the Social Science Data Centre for surveys and statistics, as well as for census and polling data. For GIS and Air Photo data, click here. Queen's University Library's collection of geological maps is housed in the Lindslay Earth Science Reading Room, located in Miller Hall, Bruce Wing. Also consider reviewing these additional databases: For air photos (db.library.queensu.ca/airphotos/);
for geospatial data (db.library.queensu.ca/geospatial_data/);
for statistical data (db.library.queensu.ca/numberic_data/).

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