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Writing and MLA/APA Documentation

The Academic Support Center offers assistance for writing:

• Writing Center
• Satellite Writing Centers in Residence Halls
• Satellite Writing Center in Andersen Library
• Supplemental Instruction/In-Class Tutoring
• Cybertutoring
• MLA/APA Documentation Workshops
• Helpful Links for Writing

The Writing Center

Whether you are working on an essay, report, research paper, poem, short story, or resume, the Writing Center can help. Our staff of upper-level English-education, English-writing, and journalism majors is there to assist in the development of a client’s communication skills and scaffold the writing process at all its stages.

The Writing Center is located in Room 4 of McCutchan Hall.

To schedule a half-hour long, one-on-one appointment, either stop by our main office in Room 7 of McCutchan Hall or call 472-1230.

• Appointments are made for 30-minute sessions during the hours of operation. No more than two sessions can be provided in a day to the same client; if there is availability, two back-to-back sessions can be requested, but the 2nd half hour of the back-to-back session may be given to another client once the daily schedule fills. Appointments are limited to four sessions in a week.
• Walk-ins are welcome, but if you come in without an appointment, we can't guarantee that a tutor will be available.
• Tutors are typically booked for a consultation two or three days in advance. During peak periods, such as the weeks leading up to final exams, the Writing Center may be fully booked as early as a week or two ahead of time. Students should make an appointment as far in advance as possible.
• Please arrive promptly for your appointment and report to the main office, McCutchan Room 7, upon arrival, or call us at 262-472-1230 if you need to cancel. Due to the high number of students needing tutoring, we cannot facilitate late appointments. If you are not present within 5 minutes of the start time of your appointment, your appointment will be canceled and your time slot will be given to those waiting for walk-in.
• Our "No-Show" policy is that after three missed appointments without canceling (or what we call "no-shows") you are prohibited from booking further appointments for the current term and can only utilize the service on a walk-in basis. Sessions may be canceled up to an hour prior to the scheduled session. Students who do not cancel in time and fail to appear for a session will be counted as a "no-show." We have this policy to try to ensure that all students needing help will be served.
• We cannot guarantee that a tutor will be present when you arrive for your appointment, as it is possible that a tutor may be unavailable to report to work. When this happens, the appointment will have to be rescheduled for a later time or day, when an opening is available. When we know in advance that a tutor will not be reporting to work, if possible we will attempt to contact the affected clients beforehand and/or secure a replacement tutor (but there is no guarantee a replacement tutor will be available). In addition, due to scheduling issues, conflicting assignments, illness, and other reasons determined valid by the Director of Campus Tutorial Services, the availability of a specific writing tutor may vary greatly, so there is no guarantee that a specific writing tutor will be available for a given tutorial session, despite what may have been communicated by office staff prior to the session, and tutor substitutions may occur.

We Can Help You

• Discover ideas before you start writing
• Develop ideas while working on a draft
• Write clearly and grammatically
• Learn how to revise and edit a paper
• Cite in MLA and APA style

This, however, is not an editing service where you just drop a paper off to be proofread.  For further explanation, see the Educational Philosophy section below.

To Help Us Help You

• Stop by during each stage of your writing process: planning, composing, revising, and editing.
• Come to the Writing Center with information about your assignment; if your instructor gave you an assignment sheet, please bring it along. Check with your professor if you have any questions about it.
• You may consult us before you start writing to discuss ideas and readings that you will be writing about.
• Do not wait until the last minute. Bring your working draft in early enough to allow ample time to revise and edit your work.

What Will This Cost You?

NOTHING. We will work with all University of Wisconsin-Whitewater students free of charge.

Services and Staff

The Writing Center offers support for all kinds of writing needs. Located in the lowest level of McCutchan Hall, its staff consists good writers and friendly critics who are eager to help you find ways to improve your writing.

Writing Center Staff for Spring 2013

Alissa Carroll	Amy Matthews	Ashley Pozel
Brynn Barrows	Carly Knoche	Cassandra Steiner
Craig Snider	Dorothy Kou	Erica Haglund
James Cooney	Jami Puth	Jaxom Smith
Jenna Bruhn	Jennifer Larson	Katherine Yets
Kayla Dunning	Kenneth Penzkover	Lea Schoenberg
Melissa Kennedy	Nathan Moon	Nicholas Thom
Nicole Lutter	Sarah Berger	Sarah Sterbin
Sean Van Aacken	Shelby Hicks	Terilyn Heling

Educational Philosophy

Our first tenet is to emphasize the process of composition. Thoughtful reading of material, brainstorming for ideas and writing from a plan are essential preparations for a first draft. We also stress that such a draft is only the beginning of a revising process that culminates in a carefully edited and proofread paper. In brief, we discourage all forms of hasty and ill-considered work.

Our second belief is that the responsibility for developing, rewriting and editing a paper remains at all times with the student. We do not proofread papers. Students cannot drop off their work and later pick it up corrected. On the contrary, they must make an active commitment to the tutor and the work at hand. Further, tutors do not go over the entire paper with students but selectively call attention to typical problems, suggest solutions, and leave the tutees with the responsibility for revising adequately.

A third tenet concerns tutorial neutrality. While consulting with students about their writing assignments, tutors do not speculate about the grade a person might receive on a particular revision and do not discuss either the merits of the instructors' grading systems or the quality of their assignments.

Finally, we believe that the Writing Center serves the entire university student community. Staff members not only assist individuals who want to improve their basic writing skills but also consult with undergraduates and graduate students who wish to refine their already developed style.

For an online writer's handbook and other internet writing sites, go to www.wisc.edu/writing.