Wednesday Workshops are held both in-person at the Writing Center computer lab (210 Stabley Library) and online via Zoom. All workshops will be held on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Workshop attendees can request attendance vouchers. For questions about our workshops, please email us at w-center@iup.edu. Several of the below workshops can be counted toward the Business Writing Credential, a co-curricular certificate that students may add to their résumé or curriculum vitae (CV). Learn more about the Business Writing Credential.
MLA Documentation
January 31, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate
This workshop introduces the MLA documentation style (8th edition), including how to quote and summarize from an original source. This hands-on workshop is where students see examples and do exercises. Topics include citing within the text, using signal phrases, creating the Works Cited page, and documenting online sources.
APA Documentation
February 7, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate
In this workshop, students are introduced to the APA documentation style (7th 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.
Words that Work: Strategic Language for Professional Communication
February 14, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential Series
A workshop based on the book Words that Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear by Frank Luntz. This workshop explores the principles of Words that Work, including simplicity, brevity, credibility, novelty, and speaking in an aspirational tone and gives students a chance to practice each of the principles. The workshop concludes by exploring how the strategic choice of words can be an asset in professional communication.
American Academic Conventions for International Students
February 21, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate or Graduate International Student/ Multilingual Writer
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.
Résumé Writing Workshop
February 28, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate - Business Writing Credential Series
This workshop introduces students to developing the content and designing an effective résumé. We explore effective résumé samples, how to frame experiences to diverse audiences, and the different content that goes in a résumé. Students also can learn new features in MS Word that will make their résumé distinctive. Students can get started on one during this workshop or polish what they've already written.
Using Artificial Intelligence to Support Business and Technical Communication
March 6, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential Series
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is radically reshaping the professional workplace, including business and technical communication. This workshop offers insights, tips, and tricks to leverage AI in a professional setting, including exploring how AI can support business and technical communication, exploring how to write good prompts, and evaluating output. We will also consider the benefits and drawbacks of using AI in professional settings.
Writing and Designing your Poster Presentation
March 20, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Scholars Forum
This workshop covers how to create professional poster presentations appropriate for
conferences, including for IUP’s Scholars’ Forum. Students attending this workshop will learn how to plan, design, and write your poster presentation in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, business, or professional fields. This workshop covers software options, readability, scannability, and audience awareness to create effective poster presentations.
Proofreading Your Writing
March 27, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential Series
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. We will also discuss the role of using AI language models for proofreading and paraphrasing support as part of this workshop.
Avoiding Plagiarism Workshop
April 3, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Advanced Undergraduate/Graduate
This workshop introduces undergraduate and graduate writers on how to avoid plagiarism in their writing, including through papers written in coursework and at the honors thesis, MA thesis, or dissertation stage. The workshop will cover cultural expectations, reading and citation strategies, managing large numbers of sources, and self-citation. We will also discuss iThenticate, which is used by the graduate school for submission of a thesis or dissertation.
Source Synthesis and Source Integration
April 10, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate or Graduate
Across campus, one of the biggest challenges that students have is integrating and synthesizing secondary sources. This workshop provides students with an understanding of synthesis as a process of effective incorporation of sources with their own ideas/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.
Selling your Proposal in Professional Settings
April 17, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate, Business Writing Credential Series
Proposals of ideas, new approaches, or new products are how you can make change. This workshop introduces students to how to write innovative short proposals to create change in their organizations and beyond. This workshop will discuss how to create short proposals in a business setting, how to pitch ideas and proposals to various audiences, and how to sell your ideas to others. This hands-on workshop will include proposal pitching and practice.
Writing Personal Statements for Grants and Applications
April 24, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Undergraduate/Graduate
This workshop offers a thorough introduction to how to write a personal statement for a grant or application. The workshop covers the purpose of personal statements, their length, and major features. We explore how to capture the reader’s interest and tell specific stories in the personal statement. This workshop also covers how to tailor your personal statement for a specific audience, including by matching your writing to the information provided by the grant agency or program you are applying to.
Completing Your Dissertation Successfully
May 1, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Level: Graduate
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