Mentor Texts

Use these guidelines and sample texts from education and media to question, explore, and inspire your own approach to writing in different academic genres.

APA

“APA Sample Paper” by the Purdue Online Writing Lab

Comparative Essays

Schulten, Katherine. “Writing Comparative Essays: Making Connections to Illuminate Ideas.” NYTimes.com, The New York Times, 5 Dec. 2019.

Cover Letters

Penn State Brandywine Career Services: Resumes and Cover Letters Penn State Career Resource Center: Cover Letters

Ethnography

Brown, Amanda Christy and Holly Epstein Ojalvo. “The Power of Place: Doing Ethnographic Studies of Local Sites.” NYTimes.com, The New York Times, 15 Apr. 2010

Explain a Concept

“STEM Writing Contest: Explain a Concept in a Clear, Engaging Way.” NYTimes.com, The New York Times, 23 Jan. 2020

Film Analysis & Review

“Film Analysis” by the Writing Center at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Scott, A.O. “‘Moonlight’: Is This the Year’s Best Movie?” NYTimes.com, The New York Times, 20 Oct. 2016

Instructions

Wollan, Malia. “How to Fast.” NYTimes.com, The New York Times, 11 June 2019 Wollan, Malia. “How to Hold a Venomous Snake.” NYTimes.com, The New York Times, 30 June 2017

Lab Report

“Scientific Reports” by the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Sample Lab Report: Hamilton College General Biology Sample Lab Report: Manchester Community College

Literature Review

“Literature Reviews” by the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Sample Literature Review – Ashford Writing Center See “APA Sample Paper” by the Purdue Online Writing Lab

Memoir

Polson, Emily. “15 Essay-Length Short Memoirs to Read Online on Your Lunch Break.” BookRiot.com, Book Riot, 22 Feb. 2018

MLA

“MLA Sample Paper” by the Purdue Online Writing Lab

Podcasts

Daniels, Nicole and Katherine Schulten. “Making a Podcast That Matters: A Guide With Examples from 23 Students.” NYTimes.com, The New York Times, 22 Apr. 2020

Problem/Solution Essay

Sample Problem Solution Paper – Ashford Writing Center

Profiles

Legro, Michelle. “Longreads Best of 2017: Profile Writing.” Longreads.com, 18 Dec. 2017

Reader or Personal Response

Schulten, Katherine. “Writing Rich Reading Responses: Participating in Our Summer Contest.” NYTimes.com, The New York Times, 30 Apr. 2020

Research Paper

Sample Undergraduate Research Paper – Ashford Writing Center

Resumes

Penn State Career Resource Center: Resumes Penn State Brandywine Career Services: Resumes and Cover Letters