Writing Center

Get Free One-on-One Writing Help in All Subjects

Improve your writing skills. Get feedback on your projects. Overcome writer's block. We can help you with your essays, papers, bibliographies, transfer and scholarship applications, and more.

You can write, revise, edit and print your work from the computers in the Learning Commons. 

Check out our Writing Center resources.

Make a Writing Center Appointment

Also, Sierra offers many Student Success workshops each semester. 

Attend a Student Success Workshop

Academic Help

We Can Help with Any Subject

Papers and Essay Exams

  • Clarifying assignments
  • Interpreting literature
  • Citing sources in MLA, APA, Chicago and other formats
  • Oral presentations
  • Essay exam strategies

Writing Skills

  • Developing and organizing ideas
  • Editing and proofreading skills
  • Grammar and punctuation
  • Research process
  • Word processing

Resume and Application Essays

  • Transfer applications to four-year schools
  • Scholarship essays
  • Resumes
  • Cover letters

Resources

To open the following PDFs, you need Adobe Reader®. If you need additional help, contact the Writing Center.

Papers and Essays

Citing Sources

MLA Style

APA Style

  • APA Handbook. Based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition. This format is generally required in psychology, social science, and some science courses.
  • Using Figures in APA format. How to include and reference images, charts and tables in an APA-style paper.

Chicago and CSE Style

  • Chicago (and Turabian) Handbook. Based on A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 9th edition, and The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition. This format is required in some history courses.
  • CSE Handbook. Based on Scientific Style and Format, 8th edition, and Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences, 6th edition. This format is required in some biology courses.

Formatting in Microsoft Word and Google Docs

APA Style

MLA Style

Chicago/Turabian Style

Copyright Policy

You are free to download or reproduce these materials for educational purposes. These materials may not be published or otherwise reproduced for profit without written permission from Sierra College Writing Center.

For more information about Writing Center Workshops, email writingcenter@sierracollege.edu.

The following writing websites and videos can help you write your papers and assignments. For additional help, visit the Writing Center

Writing Labs and Guides

Purdue University Online Writing Lab
Over 200 resources on:
  • Writing
  • Research
  • Grammar
  • Style
  • English as a Second Language (ESL)
  • Professional writing
Writing the Personal Statement
 (UC Berkeley)
Write the personal insight questions for an application to the University of California or other four-year universities.

Citing Sources

MLA Style
The new approach to citing sources from the MLA Handbook, 8th Edition, 2016. Watch videos below on how to cite sources with MLA.
APA Style FAQ
The American Psychological Association (APA) documentation style: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Chicago Style
Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide
ASA (Sociology) Style
 (The Purdue Online Writing Lab)
Guides to formatting manuscripts, in-text citations and references page

Videos about MLA 8th and 9th Editions

MLA Style: An Introduction
Length 4:30. A quick introduction to the major changes in the MLA Handbook
Understanding MLA Style
Length 11:20. Many examples showing the logic of the new changes and to explore some of the most noticeable new details 

Research Paper and MLA Video Series

MLA Style Part 1: Using Research in Your Paper, In-Text Citations
Length 7:35. Introduces the MLA Citation Style 8th Edition, explains when to cite sources, the different ways to use information in your paper and how to correctly format in-text citations.
MLA Style Part 2: Core Elements, Formatting Works Cited Entries
Length 15:24. The works cited list elements, format, punctuation and containers, quotations and titles.
MLA Style Part 3: Template, Works Cited Examples
Length 12:33. How to use the MLA template to organize citation information and properly create MLA entries for cited works.

Contact Writing Center

How to Meet with the Writing Center Staff

Rocklin
  1. Learn how to make a Writing Center appointment using Sierra Connect: [Watch video] [Read instructions]
  2. Appointments are online via Zoom or in-person at the Writing Center (LRC, second floor)
  3. Make an online or in-person appointment for 30-minutes or one-hour using your Sierra Connect account. View step-by-step instructions to help you schedule an appointment.
  4. If you have an online appointment with one of the Writing Center staff and you are on campus, you can access Zoom on a computer in a Writing Center and Reference Zoom Appointment Room in the Rocklin library. To do so, check in at the Circulation desk (LRC, second floor) to find out where to go. 
Nevada County Campus

Call us to make an appointment. All appointments are via Zoom or in-person at the library.

Tahoe-Truckee

Call us to make an appointment. All appointments are via Zoom.

Rocklin Campus LR 2nd floor

  • Summer Hours
    M-Th: 8:00am - 6:30pm

    Summer hours are for June 13 - August 4

Nevada County Campus N6

  • Phone: (530) 274-5362

Tahoe-Truckee Campus LRC/Library

  • Phone: (530) 550-2284
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5100 Sierra College Blvd.
Rocklin, CA 95677
Phone: (916) 624-3333

Sierra College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education. About Sierra College's Accreditation and SLOs.