WCC Resources

Welcome to the WCC's online resources!

This page offers brief and accessible guides for writing and communication. Whether you're starting an assignment or revising your work, our resources are designed to help you build skills and confidence at your own pace.

All resources are always available, so you can find what you need when you need them. Whether you're drafting an essay, preparing a presentation, revising your work, or developing new strategies, you'll find expert tips, examples, and advice to support your learning. 

For more in-depth and interactive learning for writing and communication in all disciplines, see our self-directed workshops available on the LEARN self-registration site: WCC Workshops.

If you have any feedback on our resources, please let us know by filling out the feedback form.

The Writing Process

Genres and Modes of Communication

Starting Your Assignment

Structuring and Organizing Your Writing

Grammar Conventions and Style

Apostrophes 

Active and Passive Voice 

Flow 

Gerunds and Infinitives 

HyperGrammar 2 (Government of Canada)

Latin Terms and Abbreviations (University of North Carolina Writing Center)

Making Sense of Articles 

Making Sense of Colons 

Making Sense of Commas 

Making Sense of Semicolons 

Managing Modals 

Managing Modifiers 

Parallelism 

Possessives 

Pronouns 

Restrictive and Non-restrictive Clauses (Which vs. That) 

Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices 

Sentence Fragments 

Subject-Verb Agreement 

Should I use "I"? (University of North Carolina Writing Center)

Word Choice 

Writing Concisely 

Managing Citations and Research

Revising and Polishing Your Work

Using GenAI

Recommended Writing Resources

Handbooks on Writing 

The following is a list of writing handbooks commonly assigned in courses at the University of Waterloo: 

  • Aaron, Jane E. and Aimée Morrison. The Little Brown Compact Handbook. 5th Canadian ed.  Toronto: Longman, 2012. 

  • Harris, Muriel and Judi Jewinski. Prentice Hall Reference Guide for Canadian Writers. Toronto: Pearson, 2009. 

  • Hogue, Ann. The Essentials of English: A Writer’s Handbook. New York: Longman, 2003. 

Spiral-bound with built-in tabs for easy reference, each book covers the basics of writing and research, including grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, and citation style. 

Handbooks on Academic Writing

The following book covers a variety of topics related to research and writing: 

  • Northey, Margot and Joan McKibbin. Making Sense: A Student's Guide to Research and Writing. 7th ed. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2012. 

This in-depth book explores academic genres (essays, book reports, lab reports, oral presentations, and examinations), as well as professional ones (résumés and letters of application).

Handbooks on Research and Writing

The following books cover a variety of topics related to research and writing: 

  • Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. 6th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2024. 

  • Northey, Margot and Joan McKibbin. Making Sense: A Student's Guide to Research and Writing. 7th ed. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2012. 

  • Ruszkiewicz, John R. and Jay T. Dolmage. How to Write Anything: A Guide and Reference with Readings.  Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 

The above books offer clear, in-depth explanations of the main academic genres (essays, book reports, lab reports, oral presentations, and examinations), as well as professional ones (résumés and letters of application). 

  • Younging, Gregory. Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples. Edmonton: Brush Education, 2008. 

This book outlines Indigenous principles for writing about Indigenous peoples and knowledge in ways that are culturally appropriate, respect cultural protocols, and ensure ethical representation.

  • Wilson, Shawn. Research Is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods. Halifax: Fernwood Publishing, 2008. 

This valuable guide presents Indigenous research methods grounded in relationality and respect, equipping students with an ethical, culturally informed approach to research. 

Handbooks on Research and Writing with a Focus on English Language Learners

  • Swales, John M. and Christine B. Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students. 3rd ed. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2012. 

This book covers much of the same ground as Making Sense, but this one is designed for English language learners, including “Language Focus” sections and exercises throughout. 

Handbooks on Specific Writing Assignments

  • Alred, Gerald J., Charles T. Brusaw, Walter E. Oliu. Handbook of Technical Writing. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 

Covering a wide range of topics, this handbook includes brief entries on a variety of technical genres (e.g., grants, white papers, proposals), as well as on formal e-mails, cover letters, and resumes. 

E-Books

  • Ami, Nancy Natalie Boldt, Sara Humphreys, Erin Kelly. Why Write? A Guide for Students in Canada. Victoria, BC:Academic Writing Program, University of Victoria, 2020. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/whywriteguide/. Used under a CC BY 4.0 International License. 

 Creative Commons License
The WCC resources are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please credit the University of Waterloo Writing and Communication Centre.