Advice and Articles > Students (Page 12 of 12)

Active and Passive Voice

Are you unsure whether to use the active of passive voice? Our editors explain why using the active voice will make your academic papers stronger.

This is the second in a series of articles addressing several common grammatical issues. This article explains phantom or one-sided comparisons, which might be the most prevalent issue of all, particularly in academic papers.

The Wandering Only

In this article, we discuss what we call the wandering or misplaced "only," which, although common and usually understood in everyday casual speech, is often confusing and has no place in formal or academic writing.

What is a Comma?

The comma is the most important punctuation mark for ensuring clarity in a sentence, but it is often incorrectly used. Follow our helpful comma rules to ensure you are using commas correctly.

Using Commas

In our earlier article we learned that commas remove ambiguity and ensure that the reader understands the meaning the author wants to convey. Let's continue looking at some additional grammatical constructions that call for comma usage.

What is a Thesis?

Making the decision to pursue a PhD degree is a significant commitment. Even if undertaken on a full-time basis, you will be committing several years of your life to a process with no certain outcome. Our editors explain what a thesis is and if it's right for you.

MLA Formatting and MLA Style: An Introduction

Your instructor has asked you to format your term paper using Modern Language Association (MLA) style. You feel confident enough to gather your thoughts in order to produce the paper, but you have never heard of MLA style—do you panic or do you research MLA style and MLA formatting?