Our Sage Business Skills database includes a section on Writing for the Workplace that includes interactive sections on Writing Strategically, Writing the Best Document, and Using the Best Writing Style. Also explore the Purpose and Strategy in Communication section in the same database. Read more about Sage Business Skills in this blog post.  

Introduction

Being able to write well is core to success — both academically and professionally. The resources in this guide will help you develop this important skill throughout your years here at SFU.

For broader (less business-focused) resources and tips, see the following SFU Library guides:

Personal assistance is available for undergraduate students registered in Business courses via the Beedie Writing Mentors program. Also see the SFU Learning Commons page: Academic writing resources.

Handbooks, manuals, & guides

Business-specific

Examples

There are also many great free sources online such as the Business Development Bank of Canada's 10 tips for effective business writing and Lynn Gaertner-Johnston's Business Writing blog.

Subjects

General/scholarly

 

Examples

Subjects

Try a search the following  subject terms in our catalogue.

Dictionaries and thesauri

Business-specific

Examples

The following resources are just a sample of what is available via the SFU Library and on the free web.

Subjects

The SFU Library has many specialized business dictionaries. Try  search a subject term in our catalogue for your research area followed by "dictionaries." For example, all of the following are subjects in the SFU catalogue.

General

 Examples

Subjects

There are many dictionaries and thesauri in the SFU Library. Try a subject search in our catalogue for the following subjects.

Theses & graduating projects

Examples

Subjects

The SFU Library also has a number of print books on this topic: try searching for the SUBJECT: Dissertations, Academic -- Handbooks, manuals, etc. in our catalogue.

Plagiarism & citing information sources

Writing well includes writing ethically.  This means that you need to cite every piece of information that you take from someone else (articles, websites, books, etc.).  If you are unsure about concepts such as paraphrasing, patch writing, and plagiarism, then it is your responsibility to learn more about it. Fortunately, there are resources at SFU to help: 

Read the SFU Library guide: Plagiarism - What is plagiarism and how you can avoid it (includes links to more guides of this sort).

Take the SFU Library interactive tutorial Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism to test yourself and to learn more about plagiarism.

Attend an SFU Learning Commons workshop on topics ranging from effective note-taking to critical thinking to writing for university, and browse their list of writing handouts.

Set up a consultation with a mentor to improve your writing and better understand how to speak with your own voice in your papers. Consultations are available at both the Student Learning Commons (in the Library) and via the Beedie Writing Mentors.

Finally, learn how to cite sources properly ... and when in doubt, cite it! See this three-part series of short videos for a "big picture" perspective on citing business resources: