The Journalist's Toolbox: Writing Resources

Recent Additions to This Section
(This section features sites added to the page in the last few weeks.
Each link is cross-referenced on the page in its proper category.)

Jim?s Word/Writer?s Links
A great collection of writing resources for journalists and others.

Internet-Resources.com: Writers
More than 1,900 useful links for writers.

NetLingo.com Internet Dictionary
This is a modern dictionary of everyday jargon used at work, in cyberspace, and in "the real world." Easy-to-understand, its mission is to help all computer users learn some basic concepts about what the Internet is, how the Web works, and what you need to know to take part in the online world.

WritingWithClarity.com
An excellent site from Ken O'Quinn, a former news journalist turned writing coach/consultant.

The Power of Words
Bob Wyss of The Providence Journal has a great site on writing and writing well.

Florida State: Duties of a Courthouse Reporter
Journalist Craig Pittman offers great advice on walking a beat.

Lost Remote: Converting TV Scripts to the Web
A great set of tips.

ClickZ: Seven Qualities of Good Online Writing
An online directory of writing education for journalism, poetry, screenwriting, etc.

Connect Online, LLC
An online directory of writing education for journalism, poetry, screenwriting, etc.

The WorkingReporter.com
Information and links for all reporting needs.

Virtual Reference Desk
Quick research on almanac questions.

Libraryspot.com
One-stop shopping for dictionaries, encyclopedias and other reference materials.

Phaster Lookups Reference Database
Do quick searches for reference tools: encylopedias, economic terms, legal dictionary, biblical reference, quotes and more. Great one-stop reference shopping.

Allwords.com
Look up spellings quickly.

Dictionaries on the Web
More than 100 links to dictionaries in 40 languages

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Comptons Encyclopedia Online

Thesaurus.com
Look up words quickly.

Encyclopedia.com

Acronym Finder
Not sure what alphabet soup means? Look up the acronym for the full spelling.

Dictionary
Quick reference for word searches.

Supercharged Dictionary
The Exploding Dictionary scours the Web for publicly available dictionaries and then cross-references them.

Your Dictionary.com: 100 Most Misspelled Words

Your Dictionary.com: 100 Most Mispronounced Words

Slanguage: Slang Terms
A collection of regional, national and international slang terms.

Webopedia
Look up the latest in high-tech jargon; definitions in layman's terms.

Netlingo
The Internet Language Dictionary

Onelook Dictionary
A glossary of 743 subjects.

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
Not sure who said it? Look it up!

Elements of Style

InfoPlease Online Almanac

Newsthinking.com
An excellent site on newspaper writing and reporting from Bob Baker of the LA Times. The site offers a dynamic e-newsletter on writing, editing and newsroom collaboration.

The Vocabula Review

Poynter: What Readers Want -- Pyramid Writing vs. Storytelling
Some studies and suggestions on writing news pieces.

Mervin Block's Broadcast Newswriting Workshop
A tips section is available from two of his newswriting textbooks. An occasional mailing list is available by writing to mervinblock-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Newscript: Writing for Radio
This site is run by Michael Meckler, a professor of classical and medieval Latin literature at Ohio State University. A useful guide to various forms of audio journalism, along with practical tips on writing for the ear.

Inscriptions
An e-zine for professional writers.

Community Media Workshop
Dozens of resources and tips pages on reporting issues.

E-journals.org
Search for journals on hundreds of wide-ranging topics.

Webgrammar.com
Writing tips, grammar index, online tips and more.

Spelling Links

About.com: Freelance Writers Page

Jim?s Word/Writer?s Links
A great collection of writing resources for journalists and others.

WritersHome.com: Freelance Writing Resources

Chip on Your Shoulder Writing Column
From Poynter.org?s Chip Scanlan.

OmniGlot: Language Guide
A guide to writing systems ? about 150 languages in all ? includes alphabets, histories, and free downloadable fonts.

Columbia Journalism Review Resource Guides
Covers a variety of journalism topics.

Obit Writing Tips
Suggestions from journalist Gerry Goldstein.

WritePath.com
Reference materials for writers to address the questions journalists do.

ProJo's Power of Words

Logophilia.com
Features terms tied to current events. A very helpful resource. You have to pay for some items, though.

AmericanDialect.org
The site selects "Words of the Year." Hilarious.

ReverseSpeech.com
Ever wonder what you're saying backwards?

Perpetual Calendar
A very cool tool. Type in month and year and it will give you a monthly calendar for that year. Helpful in projecting what days events will fall on.

World Clock
Convert time, date to anywhere in the world.

Who, What, When Database
A cool tool that allows you to quickly search historical timelines.

Common Errors in English
Is it further or farther? Settle all newsroom bets.

Simpli.com
For finding words in their proper context, this directory is also useful for finding alternate words to concepts or ideas.

Oingo.com
For finding words in their proper context, this directory is also useful for finding alternate words to concepts or ideas.

The Writer's GuruReporters can post queries about research, grammar, spelling, etc.

SEC's Plain English Handbook
A guide to clutter-free writing for business. Includes commission's guidelines.

Buzzwhack's Buzzword Complaint Dictionary
A funny site that helps you clarify what your boss or client is talking about.

Reporter's Desktop
Several great reporting tools.

Itools.com
Language and library aids, research materials

Guiness Book of World Records
If your momma claims it's a world record, you'd better check it out!

The Elements of Style

Online Grammar Handbook

Jack Lynch's Guide to Style

Research and Style Guides for Students
Nearly 100 links to helpful research sites.

Webster's Guide to Grammar and Writing

LSU's Ready Reference Style Guide

Essential Grammar: Common Mistakes in Usage

The Writing Center's Online Handouts

Garrison Keillor's Writers Almanac

Citation Styles to Electronic and Internet Sources

Shakespeare Search Engine
Look up anything on the Bard.

Shakespeare's Complete Works

SFLink.net
Puts journalists in touch with science fiction experts including authors, artists and fans.

Openweb Analysts
This company helps journalists and news people with the concepts behind Open Source software, such as Linux, Apache web server and OpenOffice.

Poynter.org: Narrative Journalism

Poynter.org: Remarkable Journalism
A collection of links on a variety of industry-related issues.

Web Writer Weekly

Wacky Writer's World
A web site for writers about the writer's craft, the "business" side of writing, and other topics of interest to writers and others.

Internet-Resources.com: Writers
More than 1,900 useful links for writers.

Television Newswriting Workshop
A free site loaded with writing and storytelling tips for broadcasters.

Editorial Freelancers Association

The WritersManual.com
Great resources and industry news.

WebSeed Writing Portal

Pronunciation Guide
Helpful deadline tool for TV reporters, anchors, editors and researchers. Merriam Webster also has a pronunciation guide on its site.

The Journalists Club
A place for serious professional journalists. (Hosted by Michael Geffner).

NewsPlace.org
A search site that features a "Grammar Matters" review section.

Dictionaries on the Web
More than 100 links to dictionaries in 40 languages

The Semantic Rhyming Dictionary

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Bedford St. Martin's Web Resources for Writers

Columbia Encyclopedia
The sixth edition has 51,000 entries and 80,000 cross references and search capabilities.

The Modern Word: Writing
A great collection of writing resources, including bios, images, criticism and more, The site explores the lives and works of some of the 20th century's literary greats.

Write to Inspire
A religion writing site with a nice resources page.

Poynter.org: Journalism Tips
A nice collection of journalism and writing tips.

Poynter.org: Writing Tips from Buster Olney
New York Times beat reporter shares suggestions on writing on deadline, covering a beat and staying fresh.

Writing for the Web/Online Tools

Jakob Nielsen's Writing for the Web
Dozens of great tips and research on developing online content.

CyberJournalist.net Tips
Tips such as "Writing News Online - A Dozen Tips," "Online Storytelling Forms," "Online Thinking" -- and from others: "Converting TV Scripts for the Web," "Thinking Outside the Templates," "Web Writers' Mistakes."

Gahran.com
Web consultant Amy Gahran, who offers super tips on writing, editing and designing for the Web.

WritetheWeb.com
News for Web users who write back.

Writing for the Web and Creating Effective Online Content
A Webword.com interview with online writing expert Amy Gahran.

Writing for the Web
The basic do's and don'ts from Webnovice.com.

Dan Bricklin on Writing for the Web

Stanford Poynter Project
Results of an "eye-track" study of how people look at Web pages.

Web Review Archives
Search a huge archive of articles about writing online.

NY Times Weekly News Quiz
Do you read the newspaper? You better!

SearchSpell.com
Check your spelling as you submit a query.

Interactive Spelling Test
Test yourself with an interactive quiz of common spelling mistakes. See how well you do!

Interactive Usage Test
Test yourself with an interactive quiz of common language usage mistakes. See how well you do!

Pew Center Web User Study
Some fine information, but it's dated 1998.

TimeTicker.com
Use this database to check what time it is anywhere in the world.

Online Search Tips
Basics rules for finding information quickly on the Internet.

EditAvenue.com
Claims to be the he Internet?s "premier editing resource." You can select English professors, technical writers, lawyers, copy editors, scientists, or more than 200 other editing experts to correct and enhance your writing.

Internet Public Library Pathfinder
University of Michigan librarians organize subject pages that included annotated suggestions for both the Web and library books. A great starting point for any story.

Brizcomm.com
Aims to be the benchmark for online content in Australia. Includes an archive of content-related tips from a weekly e-mail newsletter; a database of Web site reviews from a weekly columnist and weekly radio show; a free content jobs database for web work and workers; FAQs for content employers and employees; and contributed columns and reviews.

Writing and Publishing Links

TipsforWriters.com
Advice and instruction on contracts, copyrights, plagiarism.

The Beat Page
A literature and publishing news site.

Eliterature.org
Dozens of resources for all types of writing. A great site!

Presidential Libraries

The Editorial Eye
A great publication full of publishing resources.

The Author?s Guild
Dozens of great resources for writers and publishers. Legal information, tips, etc.

PublishersLunch
News and notes on the book business. Sign up for a free daily e-mail newsletter.

Poets.org

Modern Library: 100 Best Novels

Book Magazine: 100 Best Fiction Characters
Developed by an attorney specializing in dog bites, this is an extensive research site for dog bite victims, dog owners, parents, journalists and others. Covers topics such as the legal rights of victims, how to protect children, and other aspects of the dog bite epidemic.

RandomHouse 100 Best Novels

Writer's Digest

National Writer's Union

Writer's Guild of America

Writer's Union of Canada

TipsforWriters.com
Advice and instruction on contracts, copyrights, plagiarism.

Eliterature.org
Dozens of resources for all types of writing. A great site!

Presidential Libraries

Modern Library: 100 Best Novels

RandomHouse 100 Best Novels

Writer's Digest

National Writer's Union

Writer's Guild of America

Writer's Union of Canada

U.S. Copyright Office

American Booksellers Association
National trade association.

Bookwire.com
Publishing news, features and interviews.

AuthorsDen
Gathering place to share information between unpublished authors.

Authorlink
Buys and sells rights to unpublished manuscripts.

Small Publishers Association of North America

American Self-Publisher Association
Devoted to teaching authors how to self-publish and market their books.

National Association of Independent Publishers
Publishers, authors and vendors belong to this informal organization.

IndependentPublisher.com

Publink.net
A database of authors, author bios, interviews, etc.

U.S. Copyright Office

The Complete Review
A literary review site.

Neil Gaiman's Writing Journal
A regularly-updated journal as quirky as his professional work.

American Booksellers Association
National trade association.

Bookwire.com
Publishing news, features and interviews.

BookFinder.com
Links to 20,000 independent book-sellers and lists more than 30 million books (new, used, rare, etc.).

AuthorsDen
Gathering place to share information between unpublished authors.

Authorlink
Buys and sells rights to unpublished manuscripts.

Small Publishers Association of North America

American Self-Publisher Association
Devoted to teaching authors how to self-publish and market their books.

National Association of Independent Publishers
Publishers, authors and vendors belong to this informal organization.

Related Toolbox Pages: Copy Editing Daily News Sites News Industry/Organizations Media Ethics

Also on This Page: Writing for the Web and Writing and Publishing Links

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