WHO CAN USE THE WRITING CENTER?
All College of Law students, faculty, and staff are welcome as well as those in the legal writing community. All types of writing are welcome.
AM I ALLOWED TO USE THE WRITING CENTER FOR HELP ON A COURSE ASSIGNMENT?
Yes, unless an instructor explicitly prohibits it. Generally, under the College of Law Student Code of Professional Responsibility, “doing academic work for another student” is not permitted. Furthermore, students are not permitted to obtain “any help from another student” or collaborate with another student. Visits to the Writing Center, however, are not prohibited under this policy. Writing Center staff will not edit or alter a student’s writing for them. Rather, we offer feedback and suggestions on the writing. Because of their position, the College of Law has given Peer Writing Consultants permission to assist their peers. For these reasons, a visit to the Writing Center does not violate the Student Code.
HOW DO I SCHEDULE A WRITING CONSULTATION?
All scheduling information is found on the Writing Center's eCampus page. From there,
students can check our availability and sign up for a consultation. Any students
having trouble accessing the Writing Center's eCampus page or scheduling a consultation
should email the Writing Center at
wvulawwriting@mail.wvu.edu.
HOW LONG DOES A CONSULTATION LAST?
Writing consultations can last just a few minutes or up to an hour for more complex writing or writing concerns. The typical consultation lasts approximately 30 minutes. Students who would like ongoing support of a specific writing concern or who are working on complex pieces of writing may choose to schedule regular meetings.
WHAT DO I NEED DURING A WRITING CONSULTATION?
Bring either a printed or electronic copy of a draft, the assignment instructions, and any sources or documents cited in the writing (or information on how to access sources electronically). Writers should come prepared to discuss where their writing is successful and explain what their goal is for the consultation. It is also helpful to have something to write with and take notes.
I DO NOT HAVE A DRAFT YET. CAN I STILL HAVE A WRITING CONSULTATION?
Absolutely. The Writing Center staff is happy to assist writers at any point in the writing process, including helping understand writing assignments, setting writing goals, and brainstorming or pre-writing to get started.
I NEED HELP WITH GRAMMAR OR STYLE CONCERNS, BUT I DO NOT HAVE A SPECIFIC PIECE OF WRITING TO REVISE. CAN I STILL GET HELP?
Of course. Writing consultations can focus on a specific writing concern instead of a specific writing assignment. Bring some of your writing with you, and we will devise a plan to address your concern. It is often helpful to schedule multiple consultations to see progress.
WILL YOU EDIT AND PROOFREAD MY WRITING?
Writing consultations are designed to be a collaborative learning experience where the consultant guides the writer to improve the writing. While we will not edit or proofread your writing for you, we can make recommendations for improvement and help you learn to edit and proofread yourself.
SHOULD I SEND IN MY WRITING PRIOR TO THE CONSULTATION?
If you have a longer draft or a complex piece of writing that you would like to send to the consultant in advance of your consultation, you are encouraged to do so; however, this does not guarantee the paper will be read in advance.
WHO SERVES AS THE WRITING CENTER STAFF?
The Writing Center is staffed by a full-time Writing Specialist and qualified law students serve as Peer Writing Consultants.
WILL MY INSTRUCTOR KNOW IF I HAVE VISITED THE WRITING CENTER?
Writing Center staff do not automatically report to faculty members when a student has a writing consultation. We do keep records of the consultations, and we may inform instructors if a student has visited and what topics were covered during the visit.
