Resources

3040 Main Page

Chapter Introduction If you're here, learning mathematics or a programming language was probably a lot easier than writing. Why is this? Because writing is an art. There is no clear line between right and wrong. If you make a mistake in your code, the compiler tells you or the program crashes. In writing, there are no guarantees a mistake in your writing will be caught in your word processor. This chapter covers the extra tools you can use to aid and perfect your writing. The Resources section can't write your paper for you, but it can help point you in the right direction.

Common Writing Mistakes

If you're human, you make mistakes. We usually don't repeat the mistakes we make, except those mistakes that appear in our writing. Covered here are some of the more common writing mistakes in the hopes that you will be able to weed them out in your own writing.

Using Google Docs

Over the process of the course you will probably have at one assignment involving collaborative writing. Google Docs provides you with a nice tool for easy sharing and editing of your multi-authored work. You will find an overview on how to use Google Docs in this section.

Accessing On-line Journals

Online Journals are a valuable resource when doing research for any type of work. They provide access to many different articles through on-line journals such as IEEE, ACM and many others.

External Resources

Grammar

• Common Writing Errors
• Norton's Quick & Dirty Guide to Sentence Structure
• Strunk's Elements of Style

Odd/Crazy Technical Writing

• Why's (Poignant) Guide to Ruby

Library Resources

• UofM E-Library
• Proxy access to Online Journals through UofM
• Finding Journal Articles at the U of M Libraries

Other

• Honesty Declaration
• Google Docs

Reference's

• The Comp 3040 Website
• Pfeiffer, William S.; Jan Boogerd (2006) Technical Communication: A Practical Approach; Pearson Toronto ISBN:0-13-196293-0