In today’s technologically savvy climate, we have not only the opportunity, but the responsibility to leverage technology’s promise to improve education. There are more learning tools available online now than ever before. This is especially true when it comes to writing papers. If you’re used to writing papers in a word processor and hitting “spell check” to check for errors, now is the time to check out the many free online tools designed specifically for composition. Here are some of the most popular online tools:

Google Docs

If you’ve ever completed a multi-page paper, only to have it permanently deleted from your hard drive because you forget to save it, then Google Docs is for you. With Google Docs, all of your papers are automatically saved and stored in the cloud, in Google Drive, in real time. So even if your power were to shut down or you were to suddenly lose your internet connection, your paper would remain intact. As a bonus, you can access your docs and edit them from any device, including your phone. You can even switch to offline mode when there is no internet access an update once you are connected again.

Essay Map

For students who need help organizing their thoughts before starting a paper, a free online tool like Essay Map can guide you through a step-by-step process of creating a strong thesis, forming main ideas, fleshing out supporting details, and designing a conclusion for your paper.

TitleCap

Can’t quite figure out which words to capitalize in your paper’s title? Instead of having to look up title capitalization rules in various style manuals, TitleCap lets you enter your working title and then immediately gives you the proper capitalization. You can select from various writing styles, including APA and others.

SlickWrite

Nothing can quite replace human eyes when it comes to proofreading, but SlickWrite does get fairly close. It goes beyond spell check by showing whether you’ve used too many adverbs or prepositions. It also highlights when you’re using passive voice, when a phrase is redundant, and more.

Readability Test Tool

Your paper might be grammatically correct, but how readable is it? You can paste or link to text using the online Readability Test Tool, and it will rank your writing according to five different readability scales.

EasyBib

EasyBib is a free online bibliography generator. You simply enter a link or search for a particular book or journal, and EasyBib will automatically gather the information needed to complete the citation. If it isn’t able to gather all of the required information, it will ask you for your input. After that, it will generate your citation according to the style you select. You can even ask EasyBib to keep an organized list for you as you generate multiple sources so your bibliography stays current as you write.