FAQs for Writers

The Writing Center is currently online only due to COVID-19 restrictions.  The Writing Center is part of the University of Miami Learning Commons and is normally located in Richter Library, 1st floor.  

Location and Hours

Yes.

Writers can make appointments online.

If you would like to see the same consultant, you can schedule appointments specifically with that person.  If you would like to see different consultants, you can arrange that as well.  

You may use the Writing Center throughout the term.  When we are especially busy, we limit students to two one-hour sessions per week.

You are welcome to bring any type of writing, including:

• Academic Projects (papers, theses, dissertations)
• Professional Projects (resumes, CVs, cover letters, grant applications, articles for publication)
• Personal Projects (creative writing)
• Digital Projects (PowerPoints, posters, infographics)

Writers at all levels can benefit from sharing their writing with someone who is both knowledgeable and trustworthy, someone who is not grading them or evaluating their work.  In fact, published authors, including many of your professors, routinely bring their work to the Writing Center and show their work to friends and colleagues to get feedback and constructive criticism.

We will try and provide whatever help we can offer in such a short time frame.   However, to get the most out of your visit to the Writing Center, you should leave yourself time to respond to the feedback you receive during the consultation.

No.  The Writing Center is a teaching environment.  We work with writers on ways to improve their writing; we do not perform a proofreading service.

Yes.  Every time you leave the Writing Center, we will send your professor an email telling him or her that you have visited the Writing Center. 

Yes.  We would be happy to go over the assignment with you.  However, your professor is the final authority on the assignment, and you might also consider meeting the professor to discuss the confusion.

We can help you with specific small passages.  We cannot help you with larger works.  If you need help with the reading for a specific class, you should consider contacting the Camner Center for Academic Resources.  They can provide you with tutoring for that specific class and can help you with the reading. 

Consultations are 50 minutes.

Yes.  We have consultants who are specifically trained to work with clients for whom English is not a first language, and all of out consultants have been trained to help international students.  We also have useful books and handouts you might want to review.

Yes.  If you are writing for a STEM project, we are happy to look over your writing.  We will not be able to critique the content of your document, but we can always help you work on the qualities all good writing should possess:  clarity, coherence, conciseness, awareness of audience, appropriate tone, etc.  We are also aware of the conventions required by different disciplines and genres.

The consulting staff at the Writing Center is composed of Lecturers from the Composition Program and Graduate Students from the English Department.

Please be prepared to share your written document and the prompt, if that would be helpful.

The typical consultation runs 50 minutes.  You and your consultant will look over your document, usually reading it aloud.  You will let the consultant know what areas of your writing you are most interested in addressing in this session.

Come early, come often.  The more often you come, the more help we can provide.  We are open all semester.

Location and Hours

We can work with you on all types of writing in your graduate work:  papers, theses, dissertations, proposals, C.V.s, letters, personal writing projects, research articles, and conference presentations.  We offer help at all stages of the writing process, from prewriting strategies to revision techniques. If you want to make a weekly or bi-monthly standing appointment throughout the duration of a longer writing project, we’ll be happy to accommodate you.  We also run a Dissertation Writing Group for PhD students who are in candidacy.

Yes.  We work with faculty in many disciplines who are writing journal articles, books, grant proposals, or personal projects.  If you're a faculty member interested in an appointment, call 305 (284-2956) so that we can schedule an appointment for you with a consultant who works with advanced writing or contact Joanna Johnson, Director of Writing for the College of Arts and Sciences.

If you are a member of the University of Miami community (staff or alumni), we are happy to provide assistance with your writing projects.

Please call or email ahead of time to let us know about cancellations or rescheduling.  This allows us to give your appointment space to someone else who might need it.  If you miss two appointments without letting us know in advance, our system automatically prevents you from making additional appointments.  At that point, you will need to contact us to schedule future appointments.