ENGL498 Resources
Welcome to ENGL498
Welcome to the
ENGL498 Senior Seminar
Resources Page
ENGL498: This senior course offers students the rhetorical knowledge and research practices needed to write and to research successfully in any discourse community within which they might find themselves—as students, professionals, and citizens. While university students are projected to make several career changes within their working lifetimes, these transitions and the challenges of their complex personal and public lives will require critical thinking skills and informed flexibility.
This course is designed to polish students’ writing, analytical, and English skills so that they may confidently confront the challenges and demands of specialized research and written communication.
This information page provides pointers for getting started with your research. It includes links to key library subscription resources, including article databases, journals, and books, as well as open web content.
If you would like additional help with your research projects, or with learning how to use library resources, contact the librarians at librarian@apus.edu
Find Writing Assistance
- Writing@APUSThe APUS Library’s writing reference resource for students and faculty designed to supplement and complement writing instruction delivered across all disciplines.
- Writer's Reference Center This link opens in a new windowOnline reference for writers, with learning tools to write and research effectively.
- Tutor.com
Get started using Tutor.com, tutoring help for APUS students.
ENGL498 Textbook
How to Write a BA Thesis : A Practical Guide From Your First Ideas to Your Finished Paper
Charles Lipson | University of Chicago Press, 2005
This textbook is available via the library's e-reserves. (APUS login credentials required.)
MLA Style
ENGL uses the MLA Style Guide.
The complete MLA style guide (a.k.a., the MLA Handbook, Eighth Edition) is currently only available in print format. There are no Kindle or Nook or other eBook versions at this time.
Because the official MLA style guide is not available in an institutional version from the publishers we cannot license it for student use. You are free to purchase your own copies of the complete MLA style guide directly from the Modern Language Association or from the bookseller of your choice.
Go to Writing@APUS to find the information you need on using MLA style.
Not sure how to use a style guide? Visit The Writing Process at Writing@APUS for tips!
Citation Managers
To help you organize your research and format your citations, we recommend either of these free tools.
Mendeley: https://www.mendeley.com/. Watch the video tutorials or visit the help guides to learn more.
Zotero: https://www.zotero.org/. See Zotero's video tutorials here, or browse the user guides.
Our FAQs:
General Reference: Professional and Academic Writing
Academic Writing by Publication Date: 2006-03-01The essential writing course for international students studying at English-medium colleges and universities. Covers all aspects of academic writing and includes exercises at every stage, ideal for classroom or self-study use.
Academic Writing and Publishing by Publication Date: 2008-06-20Academic Writing and Publishing will show academics (mainly in the social sciences) how to write and publish research articles. Its aim is to supply examples and brief discussions of recent work in all aspects of the area in short, sharp chapters. The chapter on abstracts instructs the reader on writing structured abstracts from the start.
Writing at University by Publication Date: 2008-05-01Writing at University offers guidance on how to develop the writing you have to do at university along with a greater understanding of what is involved in this complex activity.
Writing up Your University Assignments and Research Projects by Publication Date: 2008-04-01What is good academic writing? How should I present my written work? How can I improve my written work? Academic writing can be a daunting prospect for new undergraduates and postgraduates alike, regardless of whether they are home or overseas students. This accessible book provides them/students with all they need to know to produce excellent written work.
Selected Books that Address the "Research Topic"
The Backwards Research Guide for Writers by Publication Date: 2011-08-31This book turns the task of research on its head and by speaking to students who resist the idea of research as an objective and dry assignment. Students are invited to experiment creatively with collecting observations and information and then to step beyond their subjective realities to interact with the world around them and ultimately become vulnerable authors willing to change their perspectives as they research and write.
The Craft of Research by Publication Date: 2008-04-15The unrivaled resource for researchers at every level, from first-year undergraduates to research reporters at corporations and government offices. Explains how to build an argument that motivates readers to accept a claim; how to anticipate the reservations of readers and to respond to them appropriately; and how to create introductions and conclusions that answer that most demanding question, "So what?"
Selected Books on Analytical/Critical Thinking
Critical Thinking by Publication Date: 2011-03-01Starting with the building blocks of a good argument, this comprehensive new textbook offers a full course in critical thinking. It includes chapters on the nature and structure of argument, the role of relevance, truth and generalizations, and the subtleties of verbal and visual language.
Critical Thinking: A Concise Guide by Publication Date: 2009-08-11A much-needed guide to argument analysis and a clear introduction to thinking clearly and rationally for oneself. Through precise and accessible discussion this book equips students with the essential skills required to tell a good argument from a bad one.
Selected Books on Analytical/Critical Reading
Ways of Reading by Publication Date: 2006-12-19A well-established core textbook that provides the reader with the tools to analyze and interpret the meanings of literary and non-literary texts. Contains fresh examples and exercises, updated further reading suggestions and new material on electronic sources and the Internet, language and power, and drama.
Understanding Social Science Research by Publication Date: 2002-01-01Offers students a basic introduction to assessing the meaning and validity of research in the social sciences and related fields.The ability to read published research critically is essential and is different from the skills involved in undertaking research using statistical analysis.
Critical Reading: Making Sense of Research Papers in Life Sciences and Medicine by Publication Date: 2006-05-15Textbooks are designed to teach, explain and make complex information easily understood and assimilated. Research papers do the reader no such favours. Being able to understand and use primary research is an essential tool in any scientific career. This book teaches these valuable skills simply and clearly, saving hours in the long run.
