The George Mason University Writing Center

1
The George Mason University Writing Center

• The Writing Center is a free writing support
  service for Masons students, faculty, and staff
  at all levels and across all disciplines.

2
Locations and Hours

• Central Location Fairfax, Robinson A 114
• Hours of Operation
• Monday Thursday 930 a.m. 730 p.m.
• Friday 930 a.m. 230 p.m.
• Additional Locations (hours vary)
• Fairfax campus Enterprise 076
• Arlington campus Original Bldg. 311
• Prince William campus Occoquan Bldg. 219 A
• Or at our Virtual Location, the Online Writing
  Lab
• SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT ONLINE!!!
• www.writingcenter.gmu.edu

3
About Appointments

• Sessions last for 45 minutes
• You may schedule up to TEN appointments a
  semester
• TWO appointments per week
• ESL specialists are available!

4
In the typical session, you and the tutor will

• Review the assignment (please bring the prompt!)
• Read through the piece of writing
• Have a conversation about your work in order to
  help you figure out how to improve your writing
  and you as a writer!
• Set your goals for the session jointly
  prioritize what aspects of your essay you will
  discuss (depending on when the essay is due).
• Focus on what we call higher-order concerns
  (thesis, organization, flow, introductions and
  conclusions) and then, address the lower-order
  concerns (grammar, sentence structure,
  punctuation or style)unless you want to focus
  the session differently.

5
WE WILL HELP YOU

• improve your writing skills by working
  one-on-one with you. We aim to help improve you
  as a writer, not only the draft at hand.
• throughout the writing process, from
  brainstorming to finishing touches.
• with any type of writing across all disciplines.
  We can also help you with personal writing
  (creative writing, application essays, cover
  letters, etc.)
• learn a variety of helpful skills and strategies
  practiced by successful writers
• WE WILL NOT
• edit or proofread your paper. We are not an
  editing service.
• just read and comment on your paper. When you
  sign up for a session you are signing up to have
  a conversation with someone about your writing!

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Resources for Writers
http//writingcenter.gmu.edu/writing-resources.php

• On-Site Workshops
• Evaluating, Documenting, and Citing
• Paraphrasing, Quoting, and Summarizing
• Thesis, Organization, and Flow
• Online Workshops
• Taking an Essay Exam
• Summary Vs. Interpretation
• How To Do Poster Presentations
• Guides, Handbooks, and Discipline-specific
  resources
• Handouts about writing and the writing process
• Handouts on grammar and mechanics
• Quick Reference Style Guides (MLA, APA, Chicago)
• All handouts and guides are also available online!

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Resources for Writing in the Disciplines

• Discipline-specific writing guides available
  online
• School of Management
• Public and International Affairs
• Psychology
• Biology
• Nursing
• History
• New Century College
• Religious Studies
• Natural Sciences
• Information Technology
• Quantitative Sciences

www.writingcenter.gmu.edu/resources/index.html
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Online Writing Lab (OWL)

• Receive tutoring with the convenience of email!
• We try to make OWL sessions as close to a
  face-to-face session as possible. The tutor will
  spend 45 minutes reading, asking you questions
  and offering you writing advice to help you
  decide what to do next and help you grow as a
  writer.
• Sign up for OWL via our Online Scheduler. YOU set
  the date and time the tutor will look at your
  writing.
• Once youve scheduled your appointment, email
  your document to owl_at_gmu.edu AT LEAST ONE HOUR in
  advance of your online session so we make sure we
  have the document you would like to have tutored.
  
• As with all of our sessions, please remember to
  provide the prompt and an idea of what you would
  like to focus on during the session.