Welcome to the On-line Writing Center!
We encourage Distance Education students who are seeking help with a writing assignment in an on-line course to submit their work to the On-line Writing Center.
Writing that you submit to us online will be reviewed during regularly scheduled Writing Center hours. The Writing Center currently is open only during week days of the Fall and Spring semesters of each academic year. You may call The Writing Center at 814-393-2173. Our regularly scheduled Writing Center hours are:
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Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Writing Center supports all students in their efforts to become better writers and provides assistance with writing assignments in all subject areas.
What we can't do for you:
The On-line Writing Center is not like the drive-through lane at MacDonald's, or like instant photo developing at Wal-Mart. You can't submit your writing to us online and expect that we are simply going to clean it up or make it better for you and send it back. The Writing Center is not a proofreading or editing service. It is a support service for any writer who values feedback as part of the learning/writing process, and who wants to become a better writer. Therefore, when you send us your work online understand that we are not going to simply "fix" your mistakes or identify and "correct" all of your errors.
What we can do for you:
As with a face-to-face writing consultation, on-line writing consultants will not write the paper for you. Their aim is to help you be a better writer. Among other things, on-line writing consultants will help you be a better writer by helping you decide whether or not your writing fulfills the writing assignment, by asking you clarifying questions about certain parts of your writing, by identifying places in your writing that aren't communicating well, by helping you plan and organize your writing better, and by offering you feedback on the specific problem areas that you target when you fill out the Writing Consultation Form.
Before submitting your work to an on-line writing consultant, please read carefully:
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The work that you submit to us online will be reviewed only during our regularly scheduled Writing Center hours. The Writing Center is open only during the Fall and Spring semesters of each academic year and we are currently open only on week days. Our regularly scheduled Writing Center hours are: Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You may call the Writing Center at 814-393-2173.
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Responding to writing online takes more time than it does in a face-to-face consultation because each comment that the Writing Consultant wants to make must be typed out clearly on your paper. Therefore you must allow at least 48 hours from the time/date that we read your work to the time that we are able to return it to you. During peak times in the semester, such as weeks 8 through 10 (mid semester), and weeks 14-15 (end of the semester), the turn around time may take longer than 48 hours. Please plan accordingly. Do not expect us to return your work overnight.
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Remember: The Writing Center is not a proofreading or editing service. Online writing consultants do not simply "fix" or "correct" mistakes; on-line writing consultants will dialogue with you about the parts of your writing that you want to change and will help you develop and practice some useful strategies for making those changes.
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Your written work reflects your own ability and your own writing style. Writing consultants are here to help, but they are not responsible for the grade you earn on the paper, you are.
Submitting your work online:
To submit your writing to the On-line Writing Center follow carefully the instructions below:
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Copy and paste your teacher's writing assignment sheet to the document/file you are submitting to the On-line Writing Center.
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Click on the blue words in this sentence to find and complete the on-line Writing Consultation Form. Be sure to fill out all required fields (those marked with a red asterisk). Using the drop-down menus on that form, indicate as specifically as you can what you would like help with. Use the "Paper to be Reviewed" field and the "Writing Assignment" field at the bottom of the form to make sure that both your paper and your teacher's writing assignment are attached.
When you click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the form, the form and documents you have attached to it will be automatically sent to the On-line Writing Center.
An on-line writing consultant will review the materials submitted and will try to respond back to you within two business days. During busy times of the semester, the response time may take longer than that.
Questions about the On-line Writing Center?
If you have questions about the On-line Writing Center and its services, please e-mail them to The Writing Center or The Writing Center Director, Dr. Christopher McCarrick.
