The Writing Lab

Writing Lab

We do more than merely proofread; we teach you strategies & techniques to improve your writing for academic growth, career success, and lifelong learning.

What We Do

We believe writing is a valuable life-long skill and strive to help undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines become more effective, more confident writers.

Tutorial Overview: Tutorials consist of a brief conversation about how the paper was written and as review of what the student wants to focus on. We encourage students to shape the direction of the tutorial through our questions. Sometimes we ask students to read their work out loud; other times, a consultant will model editing and proofreading strategies that the student can try on her own later in the paper. This means we often do not get through an entire paper in a session but expect the students to complete the work on their own, using what they learned in their session.

How to Prepare

Once you've made your appointment in Navigate its time to prepare for your appointment. Please fill out the comments portion of the scheduled appointment with information regarding your class, assignment, and any other information your consultant should know beforehand. All in-person sessions are located in Jack K. Williams Library room 107A.

Please have your materials present on a usb or ready to share with tamu.edu users as a google doc

If the appointment is scheduled to occur virtually and you have not previously downloaded Zoom, please go to https://tamu.zoom.us to download the free Zoom through TAMU. If you do not have technology available to attend an appointment, please visit the Front Desk Services of the Jack K. Williams Library to inquire about materials check out.

Students

Students can utilize the center during any stage of the writing life-cycle, research, organizing/brainstorming, first review for revision, second review for editing, grammar and formatting, citations and references, and writing presentations, and for any written or verbal project. We'll teach you strategies and techniques to improve your writing for the long term. Schedule your appointment in Navigate through the HOWDY portal, or drop by the Library Public Services Desk or Room 107A.

How can we connect?

In-Person through 1-on-1 visits in the Writing Lab (Library 107A)

Online through Zoom

Distance (asynchronously) by request with consultant through Navigate

What can we share and discuss?

Brainstorming

Research & Writing Lifecycle

Research Strategies

How to Avoid Plagiarism

Science Communication

& More: ESL, Writing Communities, Presentation/Script, Resumes...

Who are your Peer Consultants?

Undergraduate Students: Our trained tutors can help you with grammar, punctuation, citation styles, personal statements, & more.

Graduate Students: Our graduate tutors help master's & Ph.D. candidates with course papers, publications, theses, or dissertations.

Faculty/Staff

Supporting writers at all levels involves helping them become aware of their writing process and modeling how to take responsibility for it.

Syllabus Statement

TAMUG Writing Lab: The mission of the University Writing Lab is to help you develop and refine the communication skills vital to success in college and beyond. You can choose to work with a trained peer consultant in person or via web conference. Consultants can help with everything from lab reports to application essays and at any stage of your process, from brainstorming to reviewing the final draft. The Lab is located behind the Jack K. WIlliams Library front desk (Building 3010). To schedule an appointment go to Navigate within your Howdy portal or find more instructions here: https://www.tamug.edu/cals/navigate.html. While Writing Lab consultants can provide assistance with the assignment, they cannot evaluate students’ work for grading purposes.

Faculty and Course Support

We can visit your class or share orientation information with your students through Canvas at your request.

We can also meet one-on-one with faculty to help them think about how to address writing in their classrooms. We can also work with them on writing assignments or help them talk through approaches for working with students who have writing issues.

How We Help

Writers develop their habits—good and bad—over a period of time. Any change in writing requires practice; the more students write, the more changes you'll see in their writing. Learning Consultants model editing and proofreading strategies that students can try on her own later in the paper with the expectations that the students will complete the work on their own, using what they learned in their session.

Because we don't correct or proofread student papers, student papers may still have errors. Some students might need multiple appointments over the course of a semester. The degree of improvement depends on students' individual needs and the time they're able to put into their writing.