Graduate Students

Need help with your papers, proposals, essays, theses/dissertations, or projects? We can help!

Sign in and book a session with a tutor	Learn to manage a thesis or dissertation	Too wordy? Unclear? Cure it in 5 minutes
Time management and editing tools	Publish your paper in the Arbutus Review	An introduction to academic writing

The Writing Centre - 250-853-3675 - twccoor@uvic.ca- Rooms 135K, L and M in the McPherson Library

1. Can you read my entire thesis, start to finish, in one session, while providing thoughtful, precise feedback?

No. TWC is not a proofreading or editing service. What we do is help you become a better writer. You are welcome to bring in sections of your thesis that are giving your problems, or that you have been asked to fix. Come see us early and often in your graduate student career. It's a free service, and we're pretty awesome. If you need to hire an editor, please contact your supervisor.

2. Do I need an appointment?

Appointments are highly recommended, but we do see students on a drop-in basis. There's a sign-up board outside our tutoring area in the McPherson Library.

3. Tell me more about appointments.

• Book an appointment online. Appointments are 25 minutes long, and you can have two booked appointments and one drop-in appointment per week.
• Bring specific questions and the assignment guidelines.
• If students miss more than two appointments, they are not allowed to book appointments online for the four months following email notification. These students are still welcome to attend the Writing Centre on a drop-in basis.
• Having trouble with the booking system? Watch the video.

4. Which tutor should I book an appointment with?

All tutors are trained to work with any discipline. However, they also have specialties, which you can read about on our TWC tutors page.

5. What are some helpful resources?

• We have PDFs, 2 minute YouTube Videos, and Workshops
• Academic Writing Essentials is a great handbook on all the basic information students need. It includes 6 free online writing tutorials. Available at the UVic bookstore for about $25.
• Managing Your Thesis or Dissertation provides useful hints about writing a large-scale project, time management tips, and self-editing strategies. Available at the UVic bookstore and at other bookstores for about $35.

• University of Ottawa's Graduate Writing Kit
  
• Citation guides
  
• Find out who your subject librarian is
  

6. I'm really concerned about plagiarism and academic integrity!

Watch this video and check out the LTC's academic integrity website for students as well as the FAQs. There are even some fun online quizzes you can try to test your understanding! Check out:

• York University's quiz
• University of Waterloo's quiz

7. MLA, APA, Chicago style…Can you help with citations and reference lists?

The librarians at the Reference Desk on the 1st floor of the library are better able to help you with specific questions regarding citation styles. You can access abbreviated citation guides through the Library website at http://library.uvic.ca/site/erf/citation.html or watch this video.

8. Does TWC have a library for graduate students?

Yes. Our books for loan are:

• Books for Women in Academia
• Books for Non-Traditional Graduate Students
• Books for Graduate and Post-Graduation Success
  

• Books for Preparing Publications