ScienceScience | Engineering | Nursing | Allied Health | Health and Human Performance | Writing Across the Curriculum | Primary versus Secondary Sources

Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) is a pedagogical movement that began in the 80s and 90s as a response to a perceived deficiency in literacy among college students. It is based on theories that maintain that writing is a valuable learning tool that can help students synthesize, analyze, and apply course content. The faculty members of Science, Engineering, Nursing, Allied Health, Health and Human Performance strongly support this initiative.

"Writing remains one of the most powerful forces in today's global village. By mastering the art and skill of writing we hone a powerful tool that is useful in any profession. Writing provides a thoughtful way to reflect on experiences and an excellent means to share creativity, ideas and imagination.

Students must learn how to write irrespective of what discipline they are pursuing. Research shows that the more one writes the better their writing becomes. In addition to high-quality content in your writing assignments, your instructors also expect you to meet professional standards for layout, format, mechanical correctness and correct citation.

The professional world demands excellent writing skills for its future scientists, engineers, nurses, and health and wellness professionals, and we are committed to helping you to successfully meet these expectations."

Dr. James W. Brown

Helping you to Write at OCC

The Writing Center in Russell Building

Students who seek additional help in writing can take advantage of The Writing Center in Russell Building, room 124. Staffed by professional tutors, the writing center works with students one-on-one, helping them with all kinds of writing problems. Students can simply drop in during the first part of the semester, but will need to make an appointment (ext. 2262) when the Center starts to get really busy around mid-semester.

Hours in the fall will be 8:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, and 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. (Wednesday hours may be abbreviated, starting in the fall.)

Writing Tutors at the Southern Education Center

There are also writing tutors at the Southern Education Center who will be working 2-4 hours each of the following days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday in the fall, plus a couple of hours two evenings each week.

Useful Links

The Writing Lab at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, is a winner of the Conference on College Composition and Communication's (CCCC's) Writing Program Certificate of Excellence.

Here are some of their excellent links:

>> Creating a Thesis Statement

>> Four Main Components for Effective Outlines

>> Proofreading Your Writing

>> Starting the Writing Process

>> Professional, Technical, and Scientific Writing

>> APA Formatting and Style Guide

>> Conducting Primary Research

 

The American Psychological Association has established a style that it uses in all of the books and journals that it publishes. Many others working in the social and behavioral sciences have adopted this style as their standard as well. APA's style rules and guidelines are set out in a reference book called The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

APA Citation Machine serves students and teachers from K-12 through college and university. The Citation Machine is an interactive web tool designed to assist high school, college, and university students, their teachers, and independent researchers in their effort to respect other people's intellectual properties.

OCC Policy on Academic Dishonesty

>> Plagiarism: Academic Dishonesty policy #5180