Student Writing

At ProWritingAid, you'll find AI-powered writing suggestions in our tool, and expert-powered writing advice in our blog.

College Applications
14 min

How to Write a Personal Statement (with Tips and Examples)

Writing a personal statement is never easy. In this article, we’ll teach you how to write a personal statement that impresses the application committee.

Hannah Yang
By
Hannah Yang
Academic Writing Tips

How to Cite a Book in MLA, APA, and Chicago Citation Styles

There are three major citation styles you can use when citing a book: MLA, Chicago, and APA. Learn more about how to cite a book correctly in academic writing.

Ashleigh Ferguson
By
Ashleigh Ferguson
Academic Writing Tips

How to Paraphrase in 5 Simple Steps (Without Plagiarizing)

The key to how to paraphrase is using your own words to express someone else's ideas. Here are 5 steps on how to paraphrase, with examples.

Krystal N. Craiker
By
Krystal N. Craiker
Essays

How to Write a Persuasive Essay: Tips and Tricks

Persuasive essays need a balance of ethos, logos, and pathos, and an organized structure. Here's how to write the perfect persuasive essay.

Allison Bressmer
By
Allison Bressmer
Academic Writing Tips

The Complete Guide to Chicago Style

An overview of the Chicago Manual of Style's two systems for citing and referencing sources

Allison Bressmer
By
Allison Bressmer
Essays

Sentence Starters: Ultimate List to Improve Your Essays and Writing

This full list of sentence starters will help you write your essays with ease. Never get stuck starting a sentence again.

Ashley Shaw
By
Ashley Shaw
Academic Writing Tips

How Many Sentences Should There Be in a Paragraph?

Most paragraphs should have between three and seven sentences. Learn more in this article.

Ashley Shaw
By
Ashley Shaw
Essays

How to Make Your Essay Better: 7 Tips for Stronger Essays

If you've ever wondered how to make your essay better, start by fully understanding the prompt. Learn more about how to write better essays with our seven essay tips.

Krystal N. Craiker
By
Krystal N. Craiker
Academic Writing Tips

How to Avoid Plagiarism

This article will give you five tips for how to avoid plagiarism. Here's the most important tip: when in doubt, cite your sources.

Hannah Yang
By
Hannah Yang
Essays

Words to Use in an Essay: 300 Essay Words

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of over 300 words to use in an essay. Use these words to include your essay vocabulary.

Hannah Yang
By
Hannah Yang
Essays

How to Edit an Essay

If you aren't sure how to edit an essay, try these six tips for essay editing. The first step in any essay edit is to strengthen your thesis statement.

Krystal N. Craiker
By
Krystal N. Craiker
English Teachers

What Is Incremental Plagiarism?

What is incremental plagiarism? Incremental plagiarism means inserting other people's content into your own work without proper attribution.

Krystal N. Craiker
By
Krystal N. Craiker
English Teachers

Patchwork Plagiarism: What Is it and How to Avoid It

What is patchwork plagiarism? Patchwork plagiarism is patching together different sources without correct attribution. Here's how to avoid it in your writing.

Krystal N. Craiker
By
Krystal N. Craiker
Academic Writing Tips

What Is Plagiarism?

What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is using someone else's words or ideas in your own work without giving credit and presenting them as your own. Here's how to avoid it in your writing.

Allison Bressmer
By
Allison Bressmer
Essays

MLA Citations: All You Need to Know

MLA citations serve important functions in your paper, ensuring you avoid plagiarism and lead readers to your sources.

Allison Bressmer
By
Allison Bressmer
Essays

Comparing and Contrasting: A Guide to Improve Your Essays

A comparing and contrasting essay analyzes the similarities and differences between two ideas. Learn how to create a strong essay here.

Walter Akolo
By
Walter Akolo
Academic Writing Tips

APA Citation Format Guide: Everything You Need (with Examples)

In this article, you'll find a complete guide on how to use APA formatting for in-text citations, reference pages, title pages, and more.

Hannah Yang
By
Hannah Yang
Academic Writing Tips

How to Write a Summary (Examples Included)

A summary is a brief account of the main points of a larger work or concept. In this article, we break down how to write an effective summary.

Ashley Shaw
By
Ashley Shaw
College Applications

Top Tips for Making your College Application Essay Stand Out

EssayJack Co-founder Lindy Ledohowski covers the 7 best college admission essay prompts for a strong application.

Lindy Ledohowski
By
Lindy Ledohowski
Academic Writing Tips

What to Expect when Writing at University

Wondering what university writing is really like? In this post, we examine what to expect what writing at university and how to manage your writing workload.

Millie Dinsdale
By
Millie Dinsdale
Essays

What Is a Rhetorical Analysis and How to Write a Great One

A rhetorical analysis essay analyzes how a text uses different elements to make an argument about that work. In this article, learn how to write a strong rhetorical analysis essay.

Helly Douglas
By
Helly Douglas
Academic Writing Tips

MLA Format: The Ultimate Guide to Correctly Formatting Your Paper

MLA format specifies how your format your manuscript and cite research. Learn how to use MLA style for books, articles, and more.

Hannah Yang
By
Hannah Yang
Academic Writing Tips

Six Affordable Tools Students Can Use to Improve Their Writing

Here are 6 EdTech tools that every student can use to improve their writing.

Pratima Gopalakrishnan
By
Pratima Gopalakrishnan
English Teachers

Our Favorite Google Extensions, Apps, and Add-ons to Make Teaching Easier

Here are 12 Google apps and integrations that teaching remotely (and in person) much easier.

Krystal N. Craiker
By
Krystal N. Craiker
English Teachers

3 Effective Strategies to Help Students Expand Their Sentences

Three easy strategies to help you teach expanded sentences. With definitions, activity ideas, and more!

Helly Douglas
By
Helly Douglas
College Applications

How to Use ProWritingAid to Craft the Perfect College Admission Essay

Boost your chances of being accepted to college. Use ProWritingAid to help you write an outstanding admission essay.

Helly Douglas
By
Helly Douglas
English Teachers

20 Great Writing Prompts to Liven Up Your Classes

Running out of good prompts to get your students writing? Here are 20 fresh writing prompts for every class.

Krystal N. Craiker
By
Krystal N. Craiker
English Teachers

9 Ideas to Improve Student Spelling in Your Classroom

Use these 9 practical ideas to plan a systematic approach to teaching spelling.

Helly Douglas
By
Helly Douglas
English Teachers

5 Creative Ways to Teach Writing for Distance Learning

Writing lessons for online learners are easy with these 5 simple tips. Find out how your students can develop their writing skills when you're teaching online.

Helly Douglas
By
Helly Douglas
Academic Writing Tips

ProWritingAid Presents: Monthly Business Writing Training with A.J. Ogilvie

On the third Wednesday of every month, the ProWritingAid community is invited to join Andrew (A.J.) Ogilvie, PhD, Professor of Business Communication for an in-depth training and Q&A.

Hayley Milliman
By
Hayley Milliman
English Teachers

What Is Microlearning and How Can It Improve Student Writing Outcomes?

Have you heard of microlearning? Find out how to use it to improve writing outcomes, increase knowledge, and boost student grades in your classroom

Helly Douglas
By
Helly Douglas
Academic Writing Tips

How to Write a Successful PhD Proposal

Ready to write your PhD proposal? Learn everything you need to be successful with this essential guide.

Helly Douglas
By
Helly Douglas
English Teachers

9 Ways to Make Teaching Punctuation Fun

Think teaching punctuation is boring? Think again. We share 9 engaging ways to make your students love learning.

Helly Douglas
By
Helly Douglas
English Teachers

15 Real-Life Writing Opportunities for Your Classroom

Are your students sick of writing? Transform your lessons with these 15 great ideas for purposeful real-world writing.

Helly Douglas
By
Helly Douglas
English Teachers

Does Unconscious Bias Affect Your Marking and Feedback?

Explore how your unconscious bias affects classroom marking and feedback to your students.

Helly Douglas
By
Helly Douglas
English Teachers

10 Engaging Ways to Teach Grammar in the Classroom

Teaching grammar shouldn't be boring. Get your students buzzing with these 10 easy classroom activity ideas you'll love using.

Helly Douglas
By
Helly Douglas