Mount 101 Guide

The Learning Commons is a centralized support system that boosts your ability to succeed at the Mount. Services offered by the Learning Commons include: writing assistance, academic coaching, individualized assistance with study strategies, and study tables for athletes.

How to Make an Appointment with the Learning Commons:
Visit the Learning Common's online scheduling site and enter your MSJ login to schedule an appointment.

Questions or interested in employment?
Contact the Learning Center via email at learning.center@msj.edu

For additional information about the Learning Commons' services or to learn more about employment opportunities, please visit

• the Learning Common's site

Writing Assistance:

Individual consultations are available for every stage of the writing process from developing, writing, and editing strategies.
There is also assistance for citation styles. Visit the Learning Common's scheduling site for drop-in hours and options for writing appointments.

Academic Coaching:

Drop-in hours and individual appointments are available for peer support in many classes. Visit the Learning Commo's scheduling site for drop-in hours and options for appointments.

Individual Study Skills Assistance:

Individualized study skills assistance can help you gain a greater understanding of yourself and of the basic skills needed for success in the classroom.

Study Tables:

Evening study tables with peer tutors are offered for student-athletes in the MSJ Library, Monday-Thursday from 7pm-9pm. Athletes can also complete required study tables hours by signing in and studying in the Learning Center, Monday-Thursday from 8am-9pm.

When should I use the Learning Commons instead of the Library?

Why Cite?

Citation Styles

Citation Management

Reference management tools are software that can help you organize and manage your references for papers. We recommend using Zotero as it is free and open-source software and can be used as a desktop or online version. Some of Zotero’s features are creating and generating bibliographies and organizing your references.

Cite Tools in Library Databases

Many databases that the MSJ Library offers have tools built-in to article records that will assist you in creating your citation for your sources. For instance, the vendors EBSCO and ProQuest use "Cite" tools throughout their article records.

Learn more about Cite Tools in Library Databases.

Remember to verify the generated citation to ensure that it correctly follows the citation style that you are using. For example, it is not unusual to see capitalization issues within the autogenerated citations, especially for APA citations.

Citation Generators
If using citation generators, remember to verify the generated citation to ensure that it correctly follows the citation style that you are using. For example, it is not unusual to see capitalization issues within the autogenerated citations, especially for APA citations.