Tutor and students at a writing workshopInstructors are invited to request Writing Center workshops. Workshops are an excellent way to introduce students to specialized topics in writing and give students a chance to practice on a specialized area of writing. Workshops are taught by a Writing Center tutor with specialized training. If you do not see a workshop that you need for your students, you can request a custom workshop through our online request form.

To request a group workshop, use this online request form. We will process your request and confirm the date and time with you within two business days. Please note that due to staffing and funding, we might not be able to accommodate all workshop requests, particularly early morning requests or requests for multiple workshops. 

The Writing Center also offers students the opportunity to attend Wednesday Workshops, which are workshops open to all students on campus and are held on Wednesdays throughout the semester at 7:00 p.m. in 210 Stabley Library.

Here is the current schedule of Wednesday Workshops available.

All workshops take place in the Writing Center computer lab (210 Stabley Library) or via Zoom and last about 50 minutes.

Undergraduate Workshops

American Academic Conventions for International Students

This workshop offers international students and multilingual writers insights and information about American academic conventions and strategies for successful writing in US institutions of higher education. The workshop will cover understanding writing assignments, rhetorical considerations of audience and organization, managing sources and source use, and common challenges that international and multilingual writers face.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for international students in any class

Avoiding Plagiarism: Tips and Strategies

This workshop for undergraduate students shares methods for how to avoid plagiarism in writing assignments. Students will learn to recognize the difference between pilfering someone else's work and honoring, studying, and remixing it instead. Additionally, this workshop demonstrates how to use other writers' work in your work using techniques developed by musicians. 

Approximate time: 50 minutes

Ideal for undergraduate, first-year composition students

APA Documentation

In this workshop, students are introduced to the APA documentation style (6th edition), including how to quote and summarize from an original source. It's a hands-on workshop in which students see examples and do exercises on their computers. Topics include citing within the text, using signal phrases, creating the References page, and documenting online sources.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in ENGL 202

Clarity and Conciseness in Writing

This workshop explores the critical importance of clarity and conciseness in a variety of writing contexts (including in academic and professional settings). Specifically, the workshop introduces students to the paramedic method, a method that can be used at the sentence and paragraph level to make writing more direct, active, and precise. We'll also explore purpose and audience-driven strategies for clarity and conciseness that can be used to reduce wordiness and provide clarity.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in any class

Clarity and Conciseness for Business and Professional Writing (Business Writing Series)

This workshop explores the critical importance of clarity and conciseness in professional settings. Specifically, the workshop introduces students to the paramedic method, a method that can be used at the sentence and paragraph level to make writing more direct, active, and precise. We'll also explore purpose and audience-driven strategies for clarity and conciseness that can be used to reduce wordiness and provide clarity.

Approximate time: 50 minutes

Ideal for students in any class

Communicating with Professors

Students often wonder how to approach their professors and what sort of style to use when they email, write a note, or speak in person. Formal? Casual? Polite? Direct? Urgent? Even brief communications require decisions about appropriate style. This workshop covers do's, don'ts, and tips for polite, professional, and effective communication with professors.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in ENGL 100 or 101

Cover Letters

This workshop introduces students to writing an effective cover letter. After reviewing models of successful cover letters, we'll discuss the purpose of the cover letter, how to tailor a cover letter to fit a specific job, and how to highlight relevant experiences. Students will get a chance to draft a cover letter for intended positions.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in any class

Creating an Effective PowerPoint

This workshop introduces students to how to create a rhetorically effective PowerPoint, including elements of audience, graphics, and design.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in any undergraduate class

DIY Personal Statements

Personal statements are an important component of applying to jobs, internships, or graduate schools. This workshop will help students plan and write a draft of a personal statement.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in any class

DIY Résumé

Most students will need a résumé at some point during or after their college years, and they can learn new features in MS Word that will make their résumé distinctive. Students can get started on one during this workshop, or polish up one they've already written.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in any class

From Student to Scholar: Synthesis and Source Integration Techniques

One of the most challenging writing activities for students is to learn how to move beyond summary and into source synthesis and integration. This workshop provides students with understanding of synthesis as a process of effective incorporation of sources with their own idea/words. It also provides interactive activities for students to engage in and practice creating conversation between the sources. The source integration part teaches students to introduce, integrate, contextualize, and cite source material successfully.

Approximate time: 60 min

Ideal for students in any class

Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a powerful tool that students can use for intelligent searching of information on the Web. In this workshop, students learn to use Google Scholar to search academic literature and locate full-text articles.

Approximate Time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in ENGL 202

Hearing Voices

Incorporating source material in one's writing requires multiple rhetorical moves. This innovative workshop illustrates the ways in which these moves work like a conversation between “speakers” with different “voices.” Students are asked to identify the voices in a text and are invited to compose a piece of writing that incorporates their own voice with the voice of a source.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in ENGL 100, 101, or 202

Introduction to the Writing Center

This workshop shows how tutors can help students with their writing. It explores some of the writing skills students can build upon in college and demonstrates how tutors can help writers work on those skills. It's also a great way for students to meet tutors and see everything the Writing Center has to offer them.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in ENGL 100 or 101

MLA Documentation

This workshop introduces the MLA documentation style (8th edition), including how to quote and summarize from an original source. It's a hands-on workshop in which students see examples and do exercises. Topics include citing within the text, using signal phrases, creating the Works Cited page, and documenting online sources.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in ENGL 202

Organizing and Writing Scientific Research Papers: Introductions and Literature Reviews

This workshop is designed for students who have to write a scientific research paper or report in the social sciences, sciences, or the professions (examples in the workshop can be tailored for specific disciplinary needs). The workshop focuses on how to structure a scientific paper, the different parts of the paper, how to engage with the literature of the field (beyond summary), making rhetorical choices based on purpose and goals, and strategies for source use and synthesis.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for advanced undergraduates or graduate students

Peer Review

In this workshop, students learn the concepts and practices of effective peer review. They will see examples of constructive and non-constructive feedback and learn why it's not helpful to correct every mistake in a paper or to give only positive feedback.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students ENGL 100, 101, or any class

Proofreading

This workshop helps students build the kinds of careful reading skills that are needed to proofread their papers, including reading slowly, using A Writer's Reference, and following rules of thumb.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in any class

Using Transitions for Smooth Writing

Scientist and author Isaac Asimov once said, “Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome.” This workshop has nothing to do with life or death, but it does deal with troublesome transitions, especially those that require smooth connections between ideas.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in ENGL 100, 101, 202, or any class

Word: Beyond the Basics

Most people use only a fraction of the many useful features in MS Word. This workshop focuses on features that are easily overlooked or hard to find, such as renumbering pages, hanging indents, modifying internal margins, and inserting a table, chart, or table of contents.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in any class

Words that Work: Strategies for Effective Communication (Business Writing Series)

This workshop is informed by a book titled Words that Work: It Is Not What You Say, It Is What People Hear by Frank Lunz.  Words that Work is full of strategies commonly used in business settings to engage in effective communication. In this workshop, students learn ten rules of effective language in business writing. Through practical examples, students understand more details about the use of effective language in different business writing genres. They also engage in activities to practice each of the ten rules and plan how to use them in their own writing.  

Approximate time: 50 minutes

Ideal for students in any class

Writing in Any Context: Introduction to Genre Theory and Rhetorical Situation

This workshop offers an introduction into understand and adapting to any writing situation, adapt one’s previous writing knowledge to a new setting, and how to address key writing concerns. This workshop is designed to introduce undergraduate students to the concept of genres, audiences, contexts, and purposes so that students may write in a variety of genres effectively. With the help of numerous interactive activities, it provides students with hands-on experience of engaging in composing in different contexts. This workshop covers all aspects of the rhetorical situation: understanding audiences, purposes, and contexts.

Approximate time: 60 minutes

Ideal for students in ENG 101 or 202, but suitable for any class

Writing Professional Memos and Email

Students entering many professions will need to learn the basics of crafting a professional internal memo and using email effectively. This workshop demonstrates the basic structure of memos and email messages and shares strategies for writing both in a professional work environment.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for students in any class

Writing for Publication for Undergraduate Researchers

This workshop focuses on writing for publication for undergraduate students. The workshop will cover the differences between course papers and publications, how to write for an interdisciplinary audience, and considerations of format, genre, and purpose. A special emphasis on the submission guidelines and submitting for the Hatchery will be covered.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for undergraduate students in any class

Graduate-Level Workshops

Avoiding Plagiarism for Graduate Writers

This workshop introduces graduate writers of any level to how to avoid plagiarism in their writing, both in graduate coursework and at the dissertation and thesis stages. The workshop will cover cultural expectations, reading and citation strategies, managing large numbers of sources, and self-citation. The workshop will also cover how to understand and work with the iThenticate program, which is used by the graduate school prior to submission of your thesis or dissertation. Finally, this workshop will also introduce the Jones White Writing Center's graduate editing service.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for all graduate students.

Common Challenges in Graduate Student Writing

This workshop covers five common challenges that graduate student writers face in their writing, particularly as they are transitioning from earlier degree programs. These challenges include: emotional management and self-efficacy, time management and goal setting, appropriate source use, avoiding unclear and imprecise language and overcoming verbosity, and using appropriate organizational strategies.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for all graduate students.

Completing Your Dissertation Successfully

This workshop offers graduate students strategies for successfully writing a thesis or dissertation, focusing on several areas: time management and handling feedback. The workshop offers research-supported strategies for time management, goal setting, and creating space for writing to help you successfully create time for writing. The workshop also covers how to manage feedback from your advisor and committee members and strategies for engaging in extensive revisions of your thesis or dissertation.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for all graduate students preparing to write a thesis or dissertation and/or in the process of writing.

Interactive Workshop: Synthesizing Sources, Building and Refining Arguments, and Writing Literature Reviews

For this interactive workshop, participants are asked to bring a working draft of a literature review they are currently working on and learn a variety of techniques for effective source synthesis, argument building, and organizing their literature review.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for all graduate students.

Introduction to the Writing Center and Graduate Editing Service

This workshop offers information for graduate students on the Writing Center and Graduate editing service. Typically, we pair this workshop with other content (see below).

Approximate time: 20 minutes
Ideal for graduate students who will need to complete a thesis or dissertation.

Introduction to Writing for Publication

This workshop offers graduate students an introduction to writing for publication. The workshop covers multiple strategies to publishing from your dissertation or thesis, and will present an overview of writing for publication in peer-reviewed journals, the difference between writing for coursework and writing for publications, and how to make contributions to your field. 

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for all graduate students.

Successfully Managing Committee and Advisor Feedback

This workshop delves deeply into revision techniques for graduate students, including revising based on committee/advisor feedback at the thesis or dissertation stage. We offer strategies for how to navigate and understand, developing revision plans and coordinating revision, and building support networks and writing groups.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for all graduate students.

Writing a Literature Review and Appropriate Citation Strategies

This workshop helps students understand the value of a literature review and offers strategies for how to effectively write one at the graduate level. It covers structuring a literature review, reading strategies, writing strategies, synthesis, and appropriate citation strategies. We will tailor this workshop to your student and disciplinary needs.

Approximate time: 50 minutes
Ideal for all graduate students.

“No Workshop”

Would you like to reserve our computer lab to teach your class or conference with your students while the class works on computers? Simply request a “No Workshop” workshop!