Supporting Graduate Students' Academic and Professional Success
GWC Policies and FAQ
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How does the Graduate Writing Center operate?
We are currently offering all services remotely. Please visit WCOnline to make an appointment for a consultation via Skype or to attend a workshop hosted through Zoom. If you are needing in-person accommodation, please reach out to Dr. Lauren Hammond, the GWC Specialist, for assistance.
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Who can take advantage of the Graduate Writing Center’s services?
We offer free writing consultations to all UCR postdocs and enrolled graduate students who are not in certificate-only programs. You can make an appointment with us. We also offer responsive, by-request programming for departments and graduate student groups across the UCR campus.
We reserve the right to restrict future access to the Graduate Writing Center in cases where our policies have been violated.
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What kinds of writing assistance can I receive from the Graduate Writing Center?
We provide assistance for writing in any academic genre during any stage of the writing process. Need help drafting your seminar paper or writing an abstract? Want to distinguish your fellowship application, CV, cover letter, or online professional profile? Does your journal article need polishing before submission? Make an appointment today!
Please note that some consultants can only offer certain consultation types. For instance, some consultants cannot offer dissertation consultations or are not eligible to work with DYP/GRMP applications. As such, it is important to select the accurate appointment focus when scheduling a consultation (use the “Limit to:” drop-down menu in WCOnline if you need help selecting the correct appointment type). Failure to do so could result in your appointment being canceled.
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Will Graduate Writing Center consultants edit and proofread my writing?
No. We are not an editing and proofreading service. Consultants trained in writing pedagogy work with graduate students and postdocs to help identify areas for improvement and understand the genre-specific conventions of different academic writing endeavors.
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How long are appointments? How many appointments can I make per week?
Appointments are 50 minutes in length and begin on the hour. You may book one appointment per day and two appointments per week.
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What should I bring to my appointment?
As much or as little as you’ve got: a draft, an outline, your ideas. It’s especially helpful to bring instructions or guidelines for an assignment or application. Please create a google document of the material you are working on to share with your consultant during your remote appointment.
Prepare for your online appointment by creating Skype account, if you do not already have one, and add your Skype ID to your WCOnline profile.
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If I send my document to you in advance, can you look at it before the appointment begins?
No. All reading and consulting will take place only in the allotted 50-minute appointment time. As such, for longer pieces of writing, it is advisable to make multiple appointments well in advance of any potential deadlines.
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Do you offer appointments for students who can’t come to campus?
Currently, all appointments are being conducted remotely. Please make sure to add your skype ID in WCOnline when you schedule an appointment so that our consultants will be able to reach you.
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Your schedule is full and I can’t book an appointment! What do I do?
During busy times of the quarter, we do often become quite booked. However, appointments also frequently become available as others cancel their appointments. While we do not offer walk-in appointments, it is often possible to make an appointment for the same day, as other students often cancel the night before or morning of their appointments. Additionally, there is a waiting list function that will alert you as appointments become available.
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What if I need to cancel or reschedule appointment?
No problem. Review or make changes to your appointment by logging into your account. Please note that if you fail to cancel your appointment and do not show up three times in one quarter, you will be unable to use the Graduate Writing Center or any other GradSuccess resource for the balance of the quarter. Cancellations must be made at least two hours before your scheduled appointment time. If you arrive more than 25 minutes late for your appointment, the appointment will be cancelled and counted as a no-show.
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Can I bring my friend/colleague/classmate to the consultation? What about their writing (including co-authored writing with faculty)?
Generally, only two people are permitted to attend the same consultation at a time, and both persons must be co-authors on the paper for which the appointment was booked.
We will only look at writing from a single author who is present, or up to two co-authors. If you are co-authoring with faculty, bring in your own materials only, as we do not serve faculty at the Graduate Writing Center. Please refer to the next question for further information on co-authors.
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I’m working on a group project. Can different members of my group make two appointments on the same day?
In order to give all graduate students as many opportunities as possible to utilize the Graduate Writing Center, co-authored papers or group projects will be reviewed only twice per week, and the two consultations must be booked by the same person. Multiple consultations booked by multiple members of the same group on the same day will be canceled.