Writing Lab
Location: 409 SSBThe Writing Lab, a division of the Department of English, is a friendly place to bring your essays, reports, resumé, or term papers for a critique. No appointment is necessary, and tutors are prepared to help both undergraduate and graduate students in all the disciplines. Some of the issues covered in the lab include organization, sentence clarity, development, grammar and usage. The Writing Lab tutors, many of whom have taken the same writing courses you will be taking, can assist you in achieving your best writing effort. A visit to the Writing Lab will give you the opportunity to receive feedback on any writing assignment for any course. Regular visits to the Writing Lab will help you maximize your writing effectiveness.
We offer one-on-one tutoring to help you improve your writing:
- No appointment is necessary; use the lab services at your convenience.
- We view writing as a learning process rather than a product, and will help you with any step in this process.
- Windows, MS Word and laser printers are available for your use.
- There is no charge for using the lab.
- We will show you how to correct grammar errors, but will not take responsibility for correcting every one. The paper and the responsibility remain yours.
The links below provide help with problems many students encounter in their writing.
The writing process
- How to write a thesis statement http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_thesis.html
- How to outline: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_outlinS.html
- How to paraphrase http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/research/r_paraphr.html
- How to revise: http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/revise.html
- How to proofread:http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_proof.html
- Standards for Acceptable Submissions- Communication Dept.
Citing sources
- Internet citation etc.: http://www.library.ucla.edu/url/referenc/citing.htm l
- Quotation marks: http://www2.ncsu.edu:8010/ncsu/grammar/Quotes3.html
- APA style: http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/apa.html
- MLA style: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/06/
- Chicago style:
- Standards for Acceptable Submissions- Communication Dept.
- Sample research papers: http://dianahacker.com/rules/model.html
- Annotated bibliography: htttp://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/annotated_bibliographies.html#top
Special writing projects
- Memos:http://www.ccp.rpi.edu/memos.html
- Resume & cover letter: http://www.ccp.rpi.edu/resume.html http://www.ccp.rpi.edu/cover_letter.html
- Application essay:http://www.ccp.rpi.edu/gradapp.html
- Application essay: http://www.internationalstudent.com/essay_writing/index.shtml
- Abstract: http://research.berkeley.edu/ucday/abstract.html
Particular problems
- Commas: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_commaproof.html
- Apostrophes: http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/grammar/Apostro3.html
- Hyphens: http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/grammar/Hyphen3.html
- Affect/effect, Accept/except: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_spelprob.html
- Active/passive voice: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_actpass.html
- Grammar Rules and quizzes: http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar
For ESL students
- Word lookup & grammar info: http://www.m-w.com/
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Word lookup for ESL students: http://nhdheinle.com
For creative writers
- Advice and encouragement: www.crayne.com
Note: These sites provide general information. Consult your instructors about their particular requirements.
For instructors: Click here for student Writing Lab Referral Form.
Spring 2008 Hours --- Jan. 14--May 5, 2008
Hours subject to change.
| Monday | 10 a..m. to 7:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
| Thursday | 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
| Friday | 10 a m. to 2:00 p.m.. |
| Saturday | CLOSED |
| Sunday | 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
Finals week hours
| Sun., May 4 | 1-5 pm |
| Mon., May 5 | 10 am-7 pm |
| Tues., May 6 | 10 am-5 pm |
| Wed., May 7 | 10 am-5 pm |
| Thu., May 8 | 1-7 pm |
| Fri., May 9 | 10-2 pm |
Summer Term hours TBA
Guides by Writing Lab Tutors
Writing the Abstract
Meet the Writing Lab Tutors
To The Point Winter 08 The Writing Lab Newsletter
Writing Lab research project: Novelists' Careers