Resources
Sometimes being a graduate student can be a bit overwhelming … especially when it comes to taking on an academic writing project. Whether you are working on a term paper, writing a thesis or submitting a grant proposal, it is important that your writing be clear, concise and direct. But what if you need some extra help?
There are several writing resources—both online and on campus—available to graduate students at UT. Below, we have listed some of these resources that we hope will both improve your writing and help you to feel a bit less stressed.
The Graduate School Web site
The Graduate School’s Web site is another resource for graduate students who want to improve their writing. From giving information on setting up and running writing groups to giving publication pointers to providing links to numerous online writing resources, this site is a valuable tool for students working on a major writing project.
In addition to providing tips and tools, the site enumerates important formatting guidelines that must be met in order to successfully complete a thesis or dissertation.
Graduate Student Writing Services
The University of Texas offers graduate students the opportunity to take advantage of peer tutoring through Graduate Student Writing Services (GSWS), located on the third floor of Jester Hall.
GSWS is essentially a “peer tutoring program” for graduate students, says Dr. Pamela Way, a learning specialist in Counseling, Learning & Career Services.
There are approximately eight graduate students who currently work as tutors at GSWS, and their sole responsibility is to help their peers improve their writing. From theses and dissertations to resumes and grant proposals, GSWS will help grad students no matter the project.
“We will do anything they need, short of editing,” says Way.
GSWS, which saw several hundred graduate students last year, helps a wide variety of students, including many whose native language is not English. Students can walk in or be referred by a professor, but no matter the impetus, GSWS is able to provide at least one or two free tutoring sessions to each of them.
For more information about GSWS, visit them online at: http://www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/tutoring/grad_writing_services.php.
Dr. Leslie Jarmon’s Workshops
Dr. Leslie Jarmon, Faculty Development Specialist with the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment, taught Graduate Writing at UT for the past 11 years. Jarmon has taken her years of teaching and writing experience and created a workshop specifically designed to help graduate students become more in control of their writing projects, both large and small.
Using an organized, stress-reducing approach, Jarmon’s methods are designed to help students stop fearing their papers and start making real progress.
“The workshops are designed to let students have a way to take back control,” says Jarmon. “[A way] to make the whole project manageable.”
Jarmon’s most recent fall workshop filled up immediately—within 24 hours—but she says there is a hope that there may be more writing workshops in the spring.
Jonathan Hunt, a third-year graduate student studying American Foreign Relations, suggests that further developing your writing should begin on day one of graduate school.
“I’m a third-year student and I probably made every mistake that [Dr. Jarmon] pointed out,” says Hunt after attending one of Jarmon’s sessions. “I wish that every first-year history graduate student had to sit through [Jarmon’s] seminar….it would have saved me a lot of time and suffering.”
Stay tuned for more information on potential upcoming workshops.
The “Diss List”
If you are in the throes of writing a dissertation—or even just beginning to write—you know what a challenge this process can be. It is always helpful to be able to give and receive feedback from people who are in the same position, but how do you find them?
If you are struggling with a certain aspect of your dissertation, have a question you just can't find the answer to or simply want a forum to discuss this process, the Dissertation Listserv provides this opportunity. The Diss List is an online forum for students and faculty to discuss all things dissertation, answer each other’s questions and share ideas and information.
“It’s a way for students to support each other and share ideas,” says Tommy Darwin, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. For more information, visit the Diss List: https://webspace.utexas.edu/cherwitz/www/ie/disslist.html.