Welcome to the Writing Resource!
A fresh pair of eyes is a powerful tool during the drafting process. The Writing Resource is here to support you at every stage of your writing process, from conceptualizing ideas to polishing and publishing your work.
Our mission is to facilitate your individual growth as a writer and to foster a collaborative writing community. Our services are free to you throughout your experience as graduate students in the College of Education.
As-Needed Appointments
This fall, we are offering as-needed appointments from September 3 through December 13. As-needed appointments can be 30 or 60 minutes in length (max. total 120 minutes/weekly). Starting the second week of the semester, appointment slots are available three weeks in advance. To schedule an appointment, visit our online schedule.
Enrollment Appointments
Appointments are also available as 14-week enrollments, from September 9 through December 13. Fall 2024 enrollments are currently available. If you would like to request an enrollment, email us at writing-resource@uiowa.edu. Please indicate the following:
- Your degree program/year
- Modality preference (Zoom, doc review, or combo)
- Day/time preference
- Consultant preference (if applicable)
Our services are currently offered online. We offer two types of online appointments: asynchronous document review and synchronous video chat appointments. In-person appointments at the Writing Resource are available with some consultants by request; please email to request an in-person appointment.
For asynchronous document review appointments, schedule the appointment through our online schedule. You will receive a confirmation email and an invitation to add the appointment to your Outlook calendar. Make sure to email your draft to your writing consultant before your scheduled appointment time, unless you have arranged otherwise with the consultant. You will then receive your document back with feedback within 48 hours of your scheduled appointment.
For synchronous appointments, schedule the appointment through our online schedule. You will receive a confirmation email and an invitation to add the appointment to your Outlook calendar. The invite will include a Teams link for videoconference. At the beginning of the appointment, join the meeting by clicking the Teams link in your confirmation email or in the event on your calendar.
Who can use the Writing Resource and for what?
All Graduate Students in the College of Education can use the Writing Resource.
Come to the Writing Resource at any stage of the drafting process, even if you don’t have words on the page yet. We commonly work on:
- Abstracts
- Annotated bibliographies
- Brainstorming/generating ideas
- Conference proposals, papers, and posters
- Course assignments
- Cover letters
- CVs
- Dissertation proposals
- Dissertation chapters
- Journal manuscripts
- Multimodal documents
- PowerPoint slides
- Professional statements
- Presentations (support for spoken language)
- Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing
- Reading comprehension
- Teaching materials
What should I do if I need to cancel?
If you need to cancel an appointment, please do so as soon as possible. You can change your appointment by clicking the “Reschedule” button on your confirmation email.
Is the Writing Resource open during finals?
The Writing Resource is closed during finals week. We wish you the best of luck!
- Thesis and Dissertation Support Services, University of Iowa Graduate College
The Graduate College offers thesis and dissertation support services for students. Support staff will answer questions related to formatting requirements and guide you through Microsoft Word features to construct your manuscript. - APA Style
The APA Style manual is the preferred reference style for the College of Education. The website provides information about the APA Publication Manual, including how to format a references page and make in-text citations. - Writing Center, University of Iowa
The Writing Center is a place where anyone in the University of Iowa community can get help with writing. - Purdue Owl
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material. It includes an excellent collection of resources for multilingual English learners. - Endnote
EndNote Desktop is a client-based bibliographic management software program for organizing and formatting citations for publication. It is free to graduate students. - Grants and Research Services Center (GRSC), University of Iowa College of Education
The College of Education Grant and Research Services Center (GRSC) provides support for grant and research projects, training projects, and service projects in the College of Education. - Kelly Hangauer, Education Librarian
Kelly is happy to meet with students working on their research assignments. Some reasons you might want to meet with Kelly include getting help to define your research topic, to develop a search strategy, and to organize your research materials. Click on the link above to see Kelly's calendar and schedule an appointment.
Writing Resource Team
Sermantha Louisy
I am a PhD student in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education (LCLE) in the Department of Teaching and Learning. I previously worked in the University of Iowa Writing Center for two years as a Writing Tutor, which added to my prior experience in giving lots of feedback to many students. I've worked with writers and readers of all ages and on many levels of teaching and learning including in English, Rhetoric/Composition, Reading, and Special Education. I enjoy working with writers/students who lack confidence in their academic writing or writing in a second language, and with students looking for support in the early stages of drafting their writing projects, or those who have no idea and need writing support with brainstorming, free writing and writing first drafts which contain or can be transformed into potential for a polished final draft.
I look forward to working with you and providing writing support at any point in your writing process.
Robin Johnstone
I am a PhD student in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education (LCLE) in the Department of Teaching and Learning. Previously, I taught composition courses at The University of New Orleans and Delgado Community College for a combined total of ten years. Also, I have taught theatrical improvisation for over two decades. Using creative approaches to tackle professional and academic texts is my joy! I am very excited to work with my colleagues on a wide gamut of projects. Outside of academia, I love fitness, travel, animals, comedy, and popular culture.
Katherine Will
I am a research associate at the Iowa Reading Research Center in the College of Education. Previously, as an undergraduate and graduate student at the University of Iowa, I worked as an Honors Writing Fellow and as a tutor in the UI Writing Center. Having a BA in Spanish and an MA in Linguistics with a concentration in Teaching English as a Second Language, I am familiar with the challenges of academic writing, especially writing in a second language. Whether you are planning or polishing your writing, I'm happy to provide support at any point during the writing process.
Questions?
College of Education Writing Resource
writing-resource@uiowa.edu