When it comes to studying and writing papers, we college students could use all the help we can get. Thankfully, with technology and the internet at our fingertips (literally), it’s easy to find websites that can make our homework sessions more effective and efficient. I’ve compiled a list of my go-to websites for studying, researching, and paper-writing, all of which never fail to help me out, in hopes that you’ll benefit from them too.
Dictionary.com
Not sure of the exact meaning of a word? Dictionary.com is my go-to website when writing a paper or when I come across a word I don’t know in my readings. It’s perfect for a quick look-up of the definition of a word.
Thesaurus.com
I don’t think I get through one single paper without using Thesaurus.com! If you find yourself using the same word over and over again and in need of a different word to express it, look no further: this website is excellent for finding synonyms.
Google Drive
I write and store almost all of my papers, assignments, and study guides on Google Drive. It’s just as good as Microsoft Word, but what makes it even better is that it’s online. This means you can access your files anytime from any device ~ a school computer, someone else’s laptop, or even your phone. It also saves your work as you go ~ so you can say goodbye to losing all your unsaved changes when your computer dies unexpectedly. Furthermore, you can share Google Docs with other people to collaborate on projects or study guides, which is an awesome feature. Google Drive has come in super handy for me (I couldn’t live without it), so I’m sure it will for you too!
Tomato Timer
I’ve written about the Pomodoro technique before, so as you know, it’s a study method that I highly recommend! This webpage has a Pomodoro timer (a Tomato Timer), and I go to it whenever I use the Pomodoro method to study. If you haven’t tried this technique yet, give it a shot next time you sit down for a homework session, using this handy online timer!
Bibme
Writing bibliographies can be a pain (as a literature major, I know this to be true!). Bibme is a free online bibliography and citation generator, and you can select MLA, Chicago, or whatever style you need. I make use of this site often ~ it makes bibliography-writing so much easier!
Google Scholar
This is a Google search engine specifically for finding articles, journals, and scholarly information. I use it all the time to find articles and books on my topic when researching for a paper. Next time you’re doing research, try using Google Scholar as your starting point ~ it’s amazing!
JSTOR
JSTOR is a digital library full of academic journals ~ and if you’ve never heard of it, you really need to check it out! I began using it my freshman year, and I’ve not done one research paper since then without it. In fact, the majority of the articles I use as sources for my research papers I find on JSTOR. It really is an excellent database with easily accessible articles and journals, and I highly recommend it.
Leave a Reply