Student Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who can use the OWRC, and for what?
Q: Help! You're booked on the date/time that I need! What can I do?
Q: I'm a graduate student. What services are available for me?
Q: What if I don’t have a research paper—can I still come to the OWRC?
Q: Where is the OWRC, and when is it open?
Q: How long does a conference take, and how often can I come in?
Q: Can I request a particular staff member?
Q: Can I drop off a paper and pick it up later? Or send it to you by email?
Q: Can one member of a group bring in a paper that the group has worked on together?
Q: Can you show me how to cite the sources I use in a paper?
Q: Can you help me with grammar?
Q: Will my instructor know that I have come to the OWRC?
Q: Will you look at papers on the computer?
Q: How can I become a writing consultant?
Q: To whom should I go if I have a question, complaint or a suggestion about the OWRC?
Q: Who can use the OWRC, and for what?
A: The
Q: Help! You're booked on the date/time that
I need! What can I do?
A: Don't panic! There are
plenty of options available! Please visit this
page for more info. Also, we strongly encourage you to
e-mail the center requesting more tutors be made available during the
date/time you need. If we get enough requests for more tutors on a
specific day/time, we'll add one or more tutors to the schedule permanently!
Return to questions
Q: I'm a
graduate student. What
services are available for me?
A:
Currently the OWRC is in the process of trying to determine how we
can best accommodate our graduate student population.
Having graduate and advanced undergraduate writing consultants is a
strong start, but we recognize that because graduate-level writing is more
demanding, 45 minute sessions may not provide you with all the feedback you
need. At this time, we recommend: 1)
focusing on only 1-2 concerns at each session and 2) signing up for multiple
appointments if your paper is longer than 8-10 pages.
NEW: Are you working on your MA thesis,
dissertation, or an article for publication and need specialized tutorial
assistance on a regular basis? Please e-mail Tish Lopez at
owrc@u.washington.edu
with your name, department, synopsis of your writing project, and the specific
writing and/or research needs you have.
If we have a qualified graduate
level tutor on staff, we'll pair you up for one or more appointments
throughout the quarter! Also, if enough graduate students from your
discipline are interested, opportunities exist for joining an OWRC
tutor-moderated writing group as well.
Return to questions
A: Because all writers deserve good readers. The OWRC is a safe place to ask questions about writing and to try out your work on a friendly, responsive reader who will make suggestions and help you find answers to your questions. The extra time you spend on your writing at the OWRC will give you an edge, and will boost your confidence and your performance as a writer. (See What to Expect for more information about what goes on in a conference.) Besides, it’s free!
Return to questions
Q:
What if I don’t have a research paper—can I still come to the OWRC?
A: Of
course! While the OWRC is an ideal
center to visit if you need to locate and/or utilize sources in your paper
(after all, we’re located in the Odegaard Undergraduate Library and work
closely with the research librarians on staff) we're more willing to help you
with all of your writing needs!
Return to questions
Q: Where is the
OWRC, and when is it open?
A: The OWRC is located on the
third floor of the Odegaard Undergraduate Library (campus
map) in room 326. We are
open during the following hours (except for select campus holidays):
Return to questions
Q: Do I need an appointment?
A:
Yes and no.
Signing up for an appointment is highly
recommended. If you do so,
you’re guaranteed to see a tutor of your choosing at a specific day/time.
There is no hassle, no wait time, and no worries.
What more can you ask for?
Students who drop in without an appointment risk not being seen and/or having to wait for a long period of time if we’re busy. That said, if you need writing assistance and are unable to make an appointment, we recommend you drop into the center regardless. Sometimes appointments are cancelled last minute and/or one of our writing professionals is scheduled to serve our drop-in clientele only. For more information about our drop-in policies, please visit this page.
Q: How long does a conference take, and how
often can I come in?
A: We limit conferences to
forty-five minutes, but up to that limit, the length of a session depends on the
length of your paper and the questions that you have. You may come in as often
as you like. We do limit students to three appointments a week, but you can drop
in anytime. For more information
about our appointment policies, please visit this
link.
Q: Who is on the staff?
A: Please visit this link for more information.
Return to questions
Q: Can I request a particular staff member?
A: Sure, as long as that person is
working at the time you want to come in.
Return to questions
Q: What should I bring?
A: Bring as much information as
you can about your assignment; bring your work-in-progress at any stage; bring
your questions; and bring an open mind!
*REQUEST: If you bring a paper draft to the center,
please make sure it is double-spaced so that we may write on the paper if
applicable/necessary. Thank you!
Return to questions
Q: Can I drop off a paper and pick it up
later? Or send it to you by email?
A: Sorry, we don’t “fix” or
work on your paper in your absence. The OWRC is all about conversation. Both you
and your consultant will be asking and answering questions -- reading your paper
together and engaging in a dialogue about what is working and what isn’t,
looking for solutions to problems, and exploring different options together.
(See What to Expect
for more information about what goes on in a writing center conference.)
If what you have in mind is just getting your paper
proofread, you should know that we don’t provide that service. We’re happy
to do some “supervised proofreading—that is, to help you recognize and learn
how to correct persistent errors—but you have to be here!
Return to questions
Q: Can one member of a group bring in a
paper that the group has worked on together?
A: If different group members have
written different parts of the paper, they all need to be here to ask and answer
questions about their parts. (And yes, that includes proofreading; if there are
errors to be found, the person who made them has to be here to correct them!)
Return to questions
Q: Can you show me how to cite the sources
I use in a paper?
A: Yes. If you have kept track of
all the necessary publication information, and if you know which system of
documentation you want to use (MLA, APA, CBE, and CSE to name a few), we will
help you look up answers to your questions about citation of print and
electronic sources. You can also find a lot of information about citing sources
(include sample papers formatted in APA, MLA, CBE, and CSE format!) in the Writing Resources
section of this web site.
Q: Can you help me with grammar?
A: Yes. We always ask you what
special concerns you have about a paper when you bring it in, and if
“grammar” is one of those concerns, then we will help you find answers to
your questions. And as readers, correct grammar and usage are among the many
things we look for in reading drafts of papers with students. However, please
keep in mind the following:
The OWRC is not an editing and proofreading
service, and we don’t promise instant results. Our job is to provide
instruction (in the context of the writing you have done) so that you gradually
come to recognize and correct your own errors—not to fix them for you.
Every writing center session involves setting
priorities and making choices about what to emphasize. Sometimes grammatical
concerns will be the major focus of a conference, but often we will spend our
time together on more “global” questions (Does this make sense? Can you
follow the structure of my argument? Do I need to explain this more?) and save
the fine tuning and polishing for another day and another draft.
You may want to look at our Writing
Resources page for online grammar and punctuation handouts and tutorials.
Return to questions
Q: Will my instructor know that I have come
to the OWRC?
A: Yes, if you want him or her to
know, we can send either an email or a paper note. With your permission, we will send a brief
summary of your conference to your instructor – not to evaluate you or your
writing, but just to mention what you and your consultant discussed. (“Jim and
I talked about ways to make his introduction into a clear roadmap for the rest
of his paper. We also checked the APA manual to find out how to cite some of his
sources.”) We send these notes upon request because we know that most instructors are
pleased and impressed to learn that a student was conscientious enough to spend
extra time on his writing at the OWRC; however, if you would rather not have us
send a note, we won’t.
Return to questions
Q:
Will you look at papers on the computer?
A:
Our
policy is on a tutor-by-tutor basis. Some of our tutors will examine documents
on a computer while others will not. If you bring a laptop computer to our
center and encounter a tutor who is uncomfortable looking over your paper in
electronic format, we suggest you have a copy card handy so that you may print
out a hard copy at one of the library’s many print stations.
Return
to questions
Q: How can I
become a writing consultant?
A:
We are always on the lookout for good undergraduate and graduate tutors.
Please feel free to e-mail Tish Lopez at owrc@u.washington.edu
to inquire about possible job openings. We welcome and encourage applicants from
all disciplines.
SPECIAL NOTE FOR INTERESTED GRADUATE APPLICANTS: At this time, we are only interested in post MA graduate students who have experience and/or are capable of working with graduate students
on specialized writing assignments such as scholarly publications, the dissertation prospectus, dissertation chapters, etc..
Return
to questions
Q: To whom should I go if I have a
complaint or a suggestion about the OWRC?
A: The director of the OWRC, Tish
Lopez, would love to hear from you. If she’s not in the center, please send
her an e-mail at owrc@u.washington.edu.