The Center for Scholarly Communication provides comprehensive dissertation and thesis writing support for students at all stages of their dissertation. This includes: workshops, boot camps, graduate writing groups, and our Scholarly Editing and Writing Service. We also provide support for articles, poster presentations, conference presentations, and other scholarly activities.
How often can I submit my dissertation?
During off-peak times (July to mid-October, January to mid-February, and May) we are happy to schedule as many consultations with you as we have available. This is still limited to one consultation a week.
Peak times for our office include the four to six weeks before the dissertation due dates (November 15, April 15, July 15). Thus, we strongly recommend you schedule appointments in advance, as otherwise, you may have to wait several weeks for an appointment. During peak times, you must schedule a consultation, and we will offer seven hours of editing (a long consultation) per document.
What if I have a quick question about formatting, dissertations, etc.?
We offer Office hours for the CSC (as noted at the bottom of this page). If you have short questions about formatting, feedback, or Thesis and Dissertation Office requirements, we are happy to meet with you during these times to address the problems. You are also welcome to meet with us during the Thesis and Dissertation boot camps, held each October and March.
Who can I work with?
We use a client-based model where once you begin working with a consultant, we will continue to schedule you with that same person. See a list of our consultants. We want to ensure that you are working with a consultant who will best meet your needs. Our policy is to pair consultants with clients based on expertise and disciplinary knowledge. Thus, if you choose a consultant and they are not comfortable with your manuscript, or think that someone would be better suited to work with your writing, your manuscript may be sent to a different consultant to work on.
What is the typical turnaround time for manuscripts?
The turnaround time for most chapter or article-length manuscripts is one week. Consultations are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. To ensure timely feedback, we recommend scheduling in advance, particularly during peak times when turnaround may take longer. Otherwise, it may take several weeks before we have a consultation slot available for you.
In some cases, manuscripts may be returned before the standard Tuesday deadline, but please note that this may reduce the time available for comprehensive review and feedback, and early notice is required. Early notice during busier periods will help accommodate requests more effectively.
Is my manuscript complete once it’s returned from the service?
Your manuscript is not necessarily complete once it is returned from the service. The goal of the Center for Scholarly Communication is to guide you through understanding and addressing recurring issues in your writing, which may involve more than just fixing errors. After receiving feedback, it's important to take time—one to two weeks, as recommended—to review the suggestions, answer any questions posed by the editor, and potentially make structural changes to clarify and strengthen your writing.
This process is different from standard copyediting, where the focus is on correcting errors to produce a polished document. The instructional editing offered by the CSC emphasizes helping you learn from the feedback and take responsibility for your own writing, so your manuscript may still require revisions after you incorporate the suggestions provided.
Can you help me with classwork?
No. For any coursework writing, you should be using the Jones White Writing Center. We focus on public, scholarly communication—articles, dissertations, presentations, grants, etc.
Can I meet with my consultant prior to them working on my document?
We encourage you to join our Virtual Office Hours (see bottom of each page for office and a link). If you do feel like additional context is needed for your consultant to properly review your work, please reach out to us to schedule a meeting.
After reviewing your consultant’s feedback, we encourage you to schedule a Zoom follow-up to make sure you understand all comments and feedback.
Faculty may schedule a meeting with our director.
Is my work ready to submit to the CSC?
Your document is ready to submit to the CSC when:
The document is fully drafted. This means all sections are written, including the introduction, body, conclusion, and any required appendices or references. The draft does not need to be polished, but it should reflect your best effort at a coherent structure and content.
You have an idea of your goals for the document and specific areas where you seek feedback. This helps us to tailor your feedback to your needs. For example, if you are uncertain about how your argument is structured or how well you’re explaining something, please note this in your submission.
You have time to revise. We encourage you to submit your manuscript at least two weeks before any major deadlines. This will give you enough time to incorporate feedback, reflect on the editor's questions, and make necessary revisions.
When you submit a well-prepared manuscript, you’ll ensure that your consultation is as productive as possible and aligns with our goals to grow your writing skills.
If you have questions about when to submit, please visit us during our office hours.
What kind of consultation do I need?
We offer two kinds of consultations. When you are filling out our consultation form, you can select your appointment type based on the following:
- Short Consultations: any works less than 15 pages, including grant proposals
- Long Consultations: dissertation chapters, manuscripts for publication, other documents over 15 pages
Graduate Writing Group Policy
Students are placed into writing groups on a first-come, first-served basis. We prioritize those who are no longer in coursework, those who are new to a writing group, and those who have consistent attendance at previous writing groups. If you sign up and then consistently do not show up for your writing group, we will place you in future semesters at the bottom of our priority list.
Scholarly Editing and Writing Service Policies for Faculty, Staff, and Visiting Scholars
The Center for Scholarly Communication provides comprehensive support for all scholarly communication, including articles, grants, poster presentations, and professional applications.
I’m just getting started on an article or project. Can you help?
Yes, we are happy to help you at any stage of the process. Please reach out to us at scholarly-communication@iup.edu to schedule a consultation with our director, Dana Driscoll. We can talk through your ideas, create an outline, and create a writing plan.
What is the typical turnaround time for manuscripts?
We recommend that you make an appointment in advance, especially if you are on a deadline. Otherwise, we are also happy to take requests for editing services on a first-come, first-served basis.
Once we begin working on your manuscript, we have a one-week turnaround. If you are under a tight deadline, let us know and we will do our best to return your manuscript more quickly, although this may result in less time for us to review and edit your work.
Who can I work with?
We use a client-based model where once you begin working with a consultant, we will continue to schedule you with that same person. Faculty often work with our director to discuss getting started, revisions and higher order concerns, idea generation, or the publication process. Faculty may also work with one of our consultants for copyediting, iThenticate, or formatting. You can see a list of our consultants.
We want to ensure that you are working with a consultant who will best meet your needs. Our policy is to pair consultants with clients based on expertise and disciplinary knowledge.
Is my manuscript complete once it’s returned from the service?
We will return your manuscript with changes tracked and MS Word comments. You will want some time to go through your document to review the changes.