The Ten Best Online Resources For Student Writers

By: Caroline Allain

The difficulties of writing can be made even worse with deadlines and PIE structures muddling your thought process. The good news is, the internet is a wonderful place with resources galore. Here are just a few to get you on your way to your best essay yet.

1. Hemingway editor

If you’re not sure where to go with you edits, Hemingway will help- mostly grammar, sentence lengths, and word order. A word of caution- this site tends to hate on long sentences, but they’re okay on occasion.

2. Google translate

No, it’s not for cheating on your Spanish essay. Google translator is actually really awesome for reading your paper out loud and helps with flow and word-order mistakes. Copy and paste your essay into the “english” side and hit the sound button. You can also read it yourself, but sometimes your mind misses or fixes simple mistakes where google translate won’t.`

3. Thesaurus

Use sparingly! This is for when you use the same word too often or when you think you need a better, more precise word. Not to be confused with a tool to impress your teacher or fluff up your writing.

4. Purdue OWL writing lab

SO MANY GUIDES. How-to’s on almost every kind of essay, plus citations. If you need help with anything writing related, chances are, Purdue has it covered.

5. Paper rater

Excellent for finding overarching issues and minor grammar or spelling mistakes. Also helps by giving you a “grade”. Note that it won’t grade for content or structure, so make sure it’s a near-final draft.

6. Reverse dictionary

Know what word you need but can’t think of it? This will save you. Type in phrases related to the word or a definition and it will give you possible words you can use in your paper.

7. Ambient sounds

Good background noise that isn't distracting- they even have Hogwarts common rooms! It’s a better alternative to music with lyrics.

8. Research and reading guide

Similar to Purdue’s OWL, this has several helpful resources related to the writing process.

9. Basic writing process guide

While it’s very,very basic, this is a good place to look if you’re lost on structure, plus it has its own additional how-to's for each step. One of the best ways to move forward when you’re stuck is to go back to the basics- that’s what this does.

10. Focus apps

There’s a bunch of apps whose primary function is to literally block access to websites- just so you can focus. Set a timer, whitelist google docs, and get typing. Most are apps or extensions.