The University of Toledo

Student Resources

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The Writing Center provides assistance, at the individual's request, to members of the University of Toledo community. Details of how this assistance is provided appear below. For information NOT provided here, please call 419-530-4939 and we will answer your additional questions.
 

Who comes to the Writing Center?

• Students (from both Main and Health Science campuses) at all levels of study, from first-term freshmen to masters and doctoral candidates.
• English as a Second Language students (there are ESL tutors available to work with ESL writers)
• Staff throughout the University community
• Faculty in any college 
   

What kinds of “writing” does the Writing Center provide assistance with?

• Assigned papers such as essays and research papers in all colleges and disciplines (e.g.,  education, biology, or engineering)
• Proposals for senior thesis, capstone projects, master's thesis or dissertations
• Group projects and proposals
• Short stories, poetry, and other types of creative writing
• Letters of application and resumes for jobs, scholarships, personal statements, and/or grad school admission
• Writing assignments being developed by TAs or fellow colleagues for their courses
• Reviews and chapter drafts for dissertations or sustained writing projects
• Proposed submissions for conferences or publication
   

How do Writing Center tutors help?

• We may talk about an assignment to assist writers to better understand what they have been asked to produce or what they want to accomplish in order to clarify where they are in the writing process for a given project. Having a copy of the assignment during the tutorial helps in this task.
• We ask writers to talk about their writing projects in order for both tutor and writer to determine the kind of assistance most useful to the student for a given tutoring session and to gauge how tutors can help the student to improve and finish the project.
• We discuss ideas, notes, and outlines to help the student develop a plan for how to write a specific paper.
• We read drafts and finished projects with the writer to begin our review of what was produced so that we can work with the writer to create a stronger selection.
• We respect a writer's ownership of her or his words and style but we work as an “informed audience” to ask questions and to guide the writer to consider changes that improve communication.  To this end, tutors ask questions and offer suggestions that the writer can consider as he or she revises a text.
   

What can a writer do to make a visit to the Writing Center most productive?

•  In addition to the draft of the paper, bring a copy of the writing prompt or assignment if there is a hard copy available.
•  Come early in the process of writing so we can provide help before a writer becomes lost, stuck, or overwhelmed.
•  Identify specific kinds of help needed (e.g., correcting run-on sentences, feedback about “staying on track” or whether the point being made is clear to the reader).
•  Allow enough time to read and review a paper thoroughly.
   

What can the Writing Center NOT do?

• WE WILL NOT grade a paper or suggest the letter grade: only the classroom instructor determines the extent to which a student's writing fulfills a specific assignment.
• WE DO NOT edit or proofread a paper for a writer: we provide direction to help guide a writer to develop improved writing skills.  We are not a drop-off service; all writers must be present throughout the entire tutorial.
• WE CANNOT adequately assist a writer who brings in a long paper (over ten pages) that is due the same day as the tutoring session: longer and more complex assignments take more time to read and review so the writer should come to the Center with a draft at least a week in advance.
   

What happens when I come to the Writing Center?

When arriving for a tutoring session you will be asked to fill out a brief form to record the date and time of your visit, the type of writing project you want to work on, and specific types of assistance you request. This helps both the writer (you) and the tutor working with you to focus on the intended work of the session. 

You will also be asked if you want to inform an instructor of the visit; if you want your instructor notified—which many students do—you must check a box giving us permission to notify your instructor of your visit.

Demographic data is reported statistically for accountability; this means that numbers of students who visited the Writing Center each term, what colleges and courses they came from, and the number of writers who visited the Writing Center on more than one occasion will be tallied. Names or other identifying features of a given writer will not be shared publicly with staff, faculty, administrators, other students or parents/guardians.