Literature Search Resources

• Sul Ross Library Resources
• Other Literature Search Tools

Writing Resources

• Style Manuals
• Style Resources
• Citation Guides and Tools
• Bibliographic and Reference Management Software (all free)
• General Writing Resources

Thesis Preparation

• Thesis Format Guidelines
• Thesis Formatting in Word

Other

Literature Search Resources

Sul Ross Library Resources

The Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library on the Alpine campus of Sul Ross State University subscribes to over 100 library databases, which are large searchable collections of references on a variety of topics. View the recorded workshop found at the link below to learn more about how to use these databases to search for references, how to get those references from journal collections that Sul Ross owns (both in print and and in electronic format), how to get references from other libraries through the inter-library loan service, and other important resources available to graduate students enrolled as Sul Ross.

• Library Resources for Graduate Students: Online Training

Other Literature Search Tools

Below are some online literature search tools. Keep in mind that Sul Ross may own references that you identify with these alternate tools and may be able to obtain references that they don't own through interlibrary loan at little or no cost to you. Before buying access to any article, be sure to check the library's periodical holdings list and the periodicals in electronic format list to see if Sul Ross already owns it. Sumbit an interlibrary loan request for any references that the library does not own.

• Google Scholar
  "Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Google Scholar helps you find relevant work across the world of scholarly research."

• Scirus
  "Scirus is the most comprehensive scientific research tool on the web. With over 410 million scientific items indexed at last count, it allows researchers to search for not only journal content but also scientists' homepages, courseware, pre-print server material, patents and institutional repository and website information."

Writing Resources

Before beginning to write, determine in what style your paper should be written. You instructor should have provided you with this information when the assignment was made. If you are not sure what style to use, consult your syllabus or talk to your instructor.

Style Manuals

Various style manuals and writing guides have been acquired for your reference here in the Center.  Below is a listing of those manuals and guides:

• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition
• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 7th Edition
• MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Edition
• A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Seventh Edition: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers
• The Craft of Research, Third Edition
• Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers

Style Resources

• APA style tutorial (apastyle.org)
• APA style resources (Wildenthal Memorial Library)
• MLA style resources (Wildenthal Memorial Library)

Citation Guides and Tools

• APA Citation Wizard (StyleWizard.com)
• Turabian citation guide (University of Chicago Press)
• CBE documentation guide (University of Wisconsin)
• Citation Builder (NCSU Libraries)
• Son of Citation Machine (The Landmark Project)

Bibliographic and Reference Management Software (all free)

• Zotero citation management tool (zotero.org)
• Biblioscape Express
• Scholar's Aid 4 Lite

General Writing Resources

• Online Writing Lab (Purdue OWL)
• Writer's Handbook (University of Wisconsin)

Thesis Preparation

Thesis Format Guidelines

School of Arts and Sciences

The School of Arts and Sciences has developed guidelines for students preparing theses in art, biology, english, geology, history, political science, political science/public administration, and psychology.  This document can be obtained from the Dean's office or from your advisor.

The School of Arts and Sciences requires that all theses be submitted to Dr. Beverly Six for final proofreading.  For a guide to the marks commonly made by proofreaders, visit the following site:

• Proofreaders' Marks

School of Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences

The School of Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences does not currently have formal thesis guidelines.  If you are preparing a thesis in Animal Science or Natural Resource Management, consult with your committee chair for thesis format guidance.

Thesis Formatting in Word

• Guides and Tutorials for Microsoft Word

Other

Visit the Graduate Student Center's YouTube Channel to view video tutorials on writing, research, and formatting in Word.

If you need personal assistance with a writing assignment, contact the Graduate Student Center.

The Writing Center is also available to assist you. Contact them by phone at 837-8270, by e-mail at writing@sulross.edu, or by visiting the Writing Center in MAB102.