To schedule, log into WCOnline (Undergrad) with your Microsoft Office 365 account. To make the most of your visit, see our Guide to the Writing Center. The Undergraduate Writing Center is open January 29th – May 3rd. In-person and online consultations are available Monday-Thursday 10am-6pm, Friday 10am-4pm, & Sunday 1-4pm (online only).
Planning Your Visit
Spring 2024 Schedule
How We Support Writers
Our goal is to support you in the writing you do throughout your time at URI, and to help you become a more confident, effective writer in college and beyond.
We believe that all writing has the same overall goal: to communicate clearly to an audience, for a purpose. No matter what kind of assignment you are working on, peer writing consultants are trained to help you make decisions about how best to communicate your ideas through writing.
Consultants work with you at any stage of writing, even if you are just getting started.
They can help you:
- Identify your audience and purpose
- Brainstorm topics
- Develop your argument
- Organize and refine your ideas
- Strengthen language and tone
- Revise a draft
- Learn effective proofreading strategies
- And more!
Consultation Types
The Undergraduate Writing Center offers three forms of support:
In-Person Consultations:
- Meet one-on-one with a peer writing consultant for 25 or 50 minutes in Roosevelt Hall 009
- We recommend scheduling ahead to ensure availability, especially during busy times of the semester
- Same-day appointments may be available if consultants are not already booked
- Visit multiple times, at different stages in writing
Best for: Individualized support for any stage of writing, group assignments, getting started (even if you have nothing written yet), talking through ideas, clarifying an assignment, clarifying grammar rules
Online Appointments (Synchronous):
- Schedule a 25- or 50-minute online appointment to meet with a consultant via WCOnline video chat
- If able, we ask you to turn on the video and microphone on your computer so you can interact fully with the consultant
- Please make sure you are in a quiet, comfortable environment where you can concentrate, hear, and be heard (note: we find most public spots on campus are not conducive to this type of appointment–if you are on campus, we encourage you to visit in person)
Best for: Individualized support when you are unable or have difficulty making it to campus, any stage of writing, group appointments when members are unable to physically meet (note: online group appointments require advance notice for set up time)
Written Feedback (Asynchronous):
- Submit your writing and a writing consultant will respond with feedback, usually within 24 hours or next business day (M-F)
- Consultants will not proofread, edit, or make changes to your document, but may point out recurring errors
- Professor verification will not be provided for written feedback submissions
Best for: Follow-up feedback after you have met with a consultant in person or online, late stage drafts, overall feedback from a reader’s perspective, accessibility when your schedule does not allow for an in-person or online appointment
Writing Resources
Here are resources we find helpful as writers:
Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) provides resources in all areas of writing, including the following guides:
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center’s Tips & Tools provides comprehensive resources on all aspects of academic writing, including handouts on College Writing, Understanding Assignments, addressing style and sentence-level concerns (such as Commas, Conciseness, Parallelism, Passive Voice) approaching specific types of assignments across various disciplines, and English Language Resources.
KU Writing Center’s Writing Guides provide resources on topics such as Writing Academic Essays, Using Research, Formatting, Chicago Manual Style, and Personal Statements.
The University of Houston – Clear Lake Writing Center’s Tip Sheets and Writing Guides includes printable handouts on Using Sources and Documentation, Planning and Writing, and Editing, along with Citation Guides and Grammar and Writing Guides.
Harvard College Writing Center’s Writing Resources page includes Strategies for Essay Writing and Brief Guides for Writing in the Disciplines.
NC State University Academic Success Center’s Writing and Research Resources include resources on Citation Styles, Essay Components, Grammar, Undergraduate Genres, and Strategies for Writing Process Stages.
The WAC Clearinghouse Writing Resources page provides a range of resources for writers, including Writing Guides for specific disciplines.
URI’s Center for Career and Experiential Learning (CCEE) provides resources for career-related writing, such as resumes and cover letters:
- Cover Letter Module (self-directed module that takes you through the process of creating a cover letter)
- Resume Module (self-directed module that takes you through the process of creating a resume)
- Critical Reflection Module (self-directed module that includes how to write a reflective essay)
- Career Resources By Major (includes sample resumes and cover letters for various disciplines)
Policies
- Writing Center Policies (printable version)
Peer consultants CANNOT:
- Consultants will NOT proofread or edit your work for you. They WILL work with you collaboratively to help identify and address concerns across all stages of the writing process.
- Consultants are NOT permitted to assist with written exams.
- Consultant will NOT evaluate or “grade” written work. For questions about assessment or clarification of instructor feedback, consult your instructor directly. If you have questions about the assignment and what the instructor expects, be sure to ask your instructor ahead of time.
- Consultants will NOT tell you what to write or write your paper for you. They WILL help you as the writer make choices about your writing by asking clarifying questions, providing feedback, and offering a reader’s perspective on what is on the page.
Policies for Written Work:
- Submissions must be your own original work.
- We cannot provide support for written exams.
- Visit the University Manual for full University policies relating to academic integrity (see 8.27.10 Cheating and Plagiarism and sections following).
Late/No-Show Policies:
- Arriving late will deduct time from your session. Sessions begin on the hour and half-hour, and run for 25 or 50 minutes to allow consultants preparation time between appointments.
- After 2 missed appointments, your account will be automatically deactivated for the rest of the semester. To have your account reactivated, you must meet with the Writing Center Coordinator. You are considered a “no-show” if you have not arrived within 15 minutes of start time and we have not heard from you. You will receive an email indicating if this is your 1st, 2nd, or 3rd missed appointment.
Professor Verification Policies:
- To receive professor verification of your visit, you must actively participate in an in-person or online session. Consultants are not permitted to provide verification “just for showing up.” Bring a current assignment and come with specific questions or areas you would like to work on. We can work with you on any assignment, at any stage of the process.
- Professor Verification will NOT be provided for written feedback consultations. If you are visiting for class credit, make an in-person or online appointment.
Want to Tutor in the Writing Center?
Our writing consultants are undergraduate students from all majors across the University who have been trained to work collaboratively with student writers. Learn more at our Work at the Writing Center page.
Contact: Writing Center Coordinator Heather Price | writingcenter@etal.uri.edu | Phone:401-874-5839