Graduate Writing Center Workshops
Winter 2008 Workshops
The Graduate Writing Center Winter offers a variety of workshops on both general writing issues and specialized topics, such as dissertation and thesis writing. We hold targeted writing workshops for graduate students in the areas of Humanities & Arts, Social Sciences, and Sciences & Engineering. We also publicize research workshops being offered by the UCLA libraries. Special thanks to all our campus programming partners: UCLA Library, Writing Programs, Academic Technology Services Statistical Consulting Group, Student Psychological Services, and the Career Center.
Research Workshops
EndNote
Miki Goral, College Librarian
This session offers a basic overview of the purpose, uses, and features of EndNote, a program that helps researchers manage references and produce bibliographies for projects large and small.
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2:00-3:30pm
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536
Finding Journal Articles Online - Humanities
Norma Corral, YRL Librarian
Learn how to find the full text of articles online, how to discover the best databases for articles on a given topic, and how to use these resources effectively through online demonstration and hands-on instruction. This session will focus on humanities resources.
Wednesday, January 23rd, 10:00-10:50am
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536
Citation and Academic Integrity Issues for Graduate Students
Eudora Loh, YRL Librarian
Common research and writing situations often present complex questions related to citation and paraphrasing. In support of maintaining academic integrity, this workshop will offer practical guidance for citing sources and using information ethically.
Thursday, January 24th, 3:00-5:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Power Analysis Worshop
Christine Wells, Statistical Consulting Group, UCLA Academic Technology Services
You have heard it before, "A great research project starts with a power analysis!" Power analyses are frequently required, but exactly what is a power analysis, and how do you do one? In this seminar, we will discuss many of the factors that affect the power of a statistical analysis and the various ways that you can increase that power. A power analysis will tell you much more than simply how many subjects you need; it is the roadmap to your research project!
Tuesday, February 12th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: 5628 Math Sciences Building (Visualization Portal)
There's Something About Statistics...and Data at the UCLA Library
Kris Kasianovitz and Joseph Yue, YRL Librarians
Elizabeth Stephenson, Archivist, Social Science Data Archives
Join us for a workshop that will help you navigate through the sea of statistics and data.
Wednesday, February 13th, 3:00-5:00pm
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536
Advanced EndNote
Gabriella Gray, YRL Librarian
This hands-on session will offer an overview of more advanced EndNote techniques. Note: Session will emphasize EndNote X1 for Windows.
Wednesday, February 20th, 2:00-3:30pm
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536
*RSVP Required* - space limited to 16. Please send an email to ahaymon@library.ucla.edu
with the subject heading "rsvp Advanced Endnote".
General Writing Workshops
Academic Writing Skills Workshop for ESL Graduate Students
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
In this interactive workshop, ESL graduate students will learn skills and strategies to build their fluency, accuracy, and comprehensibility in English academic writing. In addition, we will discuss useful on-campus, online, and print resources that will help students to work independently to improve their writing. There will also be time for questions and answers about ESL writing issues and concerns.
Tuesday, January 22nd, 4:30-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Citation and Academic Integrity Issues for Graduate Students
Eudora Loh, YRL Librarian
Common research and writing situations often present complex questions related to citation and paraphrasing. In support of maintaining academic integrity, this workshop will offer practical guidance for citing sources and using information ethically.
Thursday, January 24th, 3:00-5:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Introduction to Publishing an Academic e-Journal
Sharon Farb, Associate University Librarian for Collection Management and Scholarly Communication
Nanthia Suthana, Graduate Students Association Publications Director
Representatives from Graduate E-journals
This workshop will provide an introduction to general aspects of publishing an academic e-journal. It is geared toward UCLA graduate students involved with publishing a journal and interested in adding an online component. Students interested in beginning this process and planning to approach the Graduate Student Association for funds are welcome to attend. The workshop will also focus on aspects including publisher author agreements, copyright issues, creating and producing journal website, maintenance, dissemination and evaluation of e-journal impact and options for peer reviewed open access models. In addition, current campus online publishing options including the UC eScholarship repository platform will be discussed.
Thursday, February 21st, 3:00-5:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Best Practices for Writing Your Master’s Thesis
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
This workshop will begin with a discussion of scope, expectations, and time constraints as related to master’s theses. We will then consider writing and organizational strategies for the typical components of master’s theses in different disciplines. Lastly, we will discuss approaches to and tips for revision of the project. Students at any stage of writing are encouraged to attend.
Tuesday, February 26th, 4:30-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Strategies for Improving Your Writing: Drafting, Revising & Editing
Dr. Randy Fallows, Writing Programs
In this workshop we will review the writing process and discuss strategies for the different aspects. Bring your questions.
Thursday, March 6th, 3:00-5:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Dissertation, Thesis and Proposal/Prospectus Workshops
Strategies for Writing the Social Sciences Dissertation Proposal
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
Mac Marston, Archaeology
Jessica Preece, Political Science
This workshop will give an overview of the main components of a dissertation proposal in the social sciences and cover strategies for writing the introduction, literature review, methods, and significance sections. These strategies should be adapted to your department’s and advisor’s expectations about the structure and content of your proposal. Please bring two copies of your abstract to this workshop.
Tuesday, January 15th, 4:15-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP requested (to help us make sure we have enough room and enough handouts), but not required.
To RSVP, please send an email to gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu, with the subject heading "rsvp ss proposal")
Strategies for Writing the Humanities Dissertation Prospectus
Jeannine Murray-Román, Comparative Literature
This workshop is geared towards giving incipient prospectus writers the tools to write their prospectus over the course of two months. We will discuss literature review and argument development as well as how to turn the many different pieces of a prospectus into a coherent document. Nota bene: this is meant to be an addition to--not a substitution for--serious discussions with your advisor about what is expected of you in your home department.
Thursday, January 17th, 3:00-5:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP requested (to help us make sure we have enough room and enough handouts), but not required.
To RSVP, please send an email to gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu, with the subject heading "rsvp hum prospectus")
Revision Workshop: Strategies for Revising Longer Texts
with Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Coordinator
This workshop will be a hands-on workshop to give people ideas and strategies for how to revise longer texts, such as master's theses, dissertation chapters or proposals. Please bring a hard copy of your own work, at least 15-20 double-spaced pages (more is fine). If you would like to do some of the preparation work ahead of time, start working on a backwards outline by tagging each paragraph with a phrase describing its main point.
Monday, January 28th, 12:00-2:00pm
Location: Conference Room 2, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Writing Yourself into a Dissertation Topic in the Humanities
Dr. Randy Fallows, Writing Programs
This workshop will focus on how to develop a topic for your dissertation, how to distinguish your point of view from those of other scholars in the field, and how to extend the ramifications of your perspective into different chapters.
Thursday, February 14th, 3:00-5:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism and Other Pitfalls During the Dissertation Process
Dr. Nagamoto oversees the dissertation support groups at Student Psychological Services and has years of experience working with graduate students. He will explain how to overcome some of the major pitfalls common to dissertators.
Dr. Alan Nagamoto, Student Psychological Services
Wednesday, February 20th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Best Practices for Writing Your Master’s Thesis
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
This workshop will begin with a discussion of scope, expectations, and time constraints as related to master’s theses. We will then consider writing and organizational strategies for the typical components of master’s theses in different disciplines. Lastly, we will discuss approaches to and tips for revision of the project. Students at any stage of writing are encouraged to attend.
Tuesday, February 26th, 4:30-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Humanities & Arts Writing Workshops
Strategies for Writing the Humanities Dissertation Prospectus
Jeannine Murray-Román, Comparative Literature
This workshop is geared towards giving incipient prospectus writers the tools to write their prospectus over the course of two months. We will discuss literature review and argument development as well as how to turn the many different pieces of a prospectus into a coherent document. Nota bene: this is meant to be an addition to--not a substitution for--serious discussions with your advisor about what is expected of you in your home department.
Thursday, January 17th, 3:00-5:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP requested (to help us make sure we have enough room and enough handouts), but not required.
To RSVP, please send an email to gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu, with the subject heading "rsvp hum prospectus")
Finding Journal Articles Online - Humanities
Norma Corral, YRL Librarian
Learn how to find the full text of articles online, how to discover the best databases for articles on a given topic, and how to use these resources effectively through online demonstration and hands-on instruction. This session will focus on humanities resources.
Wednesday, January 23rd, 10:00-10:50am
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536
Writing for Article Publication in the Humanities
Dr. Randy Fallows, Writing Programs
This workshop will help you publish an article in the Humanities. We will examine how to find an appropriate journal for your article, how to write an effective cover letter, and how to turn dissertation chapters and seminar papers into articles.
Tuesday, January 29th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Writing Yourself into a Dissertation Topic in the Humanities
Dr. Randy Fallows, Writing Programs
This workshop will focus on how to develop a topic for your dissertation, how to distinguish your point of view from those of other scholars in the field, and how to extend the ramifications of your perspective into different chapters.
Thursday, February 14th, 3:00-5:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Social Sciences Writing Workshops
Strategies for Writing the Social Sciences Dissertation Proposal
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
Mac Marston, Archaeology
Jessica Preece, Political Science
This workshop will give an overview of the main components of a dissertation proposal in the social sciences and cover strategies for writing the introduction, literature review, methods, and significance sections. These strategies should be adapted to your department’s and advisor’s expectations about the structure and content of your proposal. Please bring two copies of your abstract to this workshop.
Tuesday, January 15th, 4:15-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP requested (to help us make sure we have enough room and enough handouts), but not required.
To RSVP, please send an email to gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu, with the subject heading "rsvp ss proposal")
Writing Statistical Results
Christine Wells, Statistical Consulting Group, UCLA Academic Technology Services
Whether writing the results section of a dissertation or publication, many people find writing the results section challenging, difficult and sometimes even painful. In this seminar, we will discuss ways of making this process easier and more manageable, including helpful preparation steps and resources for specific wording. General guidelines regarding what to include (and what not to include) in the results section will also be provided.
Tuesday, February 5th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: 5628 Math Sciences Building (Visualization Portal)
Power Analysis Worshop
Christine Wells, Statistical Consulting Group, UCLA Academic Technology Services
You have heard it before, "A great research project starts with a power analysis!" Power analyses are frequently required, but exactly what is a power analysis, and how do you do one? In this seminar, we will discuss many of the factors that affect the power of a statistical analysis and the various ways that you can increase that power. A power analysis will tell you much more than simply how many subjects you need; it is the roadmap to your research project!
Tuesday, February 12th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: 5628 Math Sciences Building (Visualization Portal)
There's Something About Statistics...and Data at the UCLA Library
Kris Kasianovitz and Joseph Yue, YRL Librarians
Elizabeth Stephenson, Archivist, Social Science Data Archives
Join us for a workshop that will help you navigate through the sea of statistics and data.
Wednesday, February 13th, 3:00-5:00pm
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536
Science and Engineering Writing Workshops
Funding Your Graduate Work: Tips and Strategies for Grant, Fellowship, and Award Applications in the Sciences
Elizabeth O'Hare, Neuroscience IDP Program
This workshop will provide an overview of funding opportunities for science graduate students at all stages of training (first year to dissertation year). The first part of the workshop will include a discussion of different funding opportunities and resources. We will also review some basic organizational and preparation strategies you can use in your applications. There will be ample time for questions.
Thursday, January 31st, 3:00-5:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Writing Statistical Results
Christine Wells, Statistical Consulting Group, UCLA Academic Technology Services
Whether writing the results section of a dissertation or publication, many people find writing the results section challenging, difficult and sometimes even painful. In this seminar, we will discuss ways of making this process easier and more manageable, including helpful preparation steps and resources for specific wording. General guidelines regarding what to include (and what not to include) in the results section will also be provided.
Tuesday, February 5th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: 5628 Math Sciences Building (Visualization Portal)
Power Analysis Worshop
Christine Wells, Statistical Consulting Group, UCLA Academic Technology Services
You have heard it before, "A great research project starts with a power analysis!" Power analyses are frequently required, but exactly what is a power analysis, and how do you do one? In this seminar, we will discuss many of the factors that affect the power of a statistical analysis and the various ways that you can increase that power. A power analysis will tell you much more than simply how many subjects you need; it is the roadmap to your research project!
Tuesday, February 12th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: 5628 Math Sciences Building (Visualization Portal)
Nuts and Bolts of NIH NRSA Applications
Elizabeth O'Hare, Neuroscience IDP Program
This workshop will cover the NIH NRSA application process. We will discuss ways of making this process easier and more manageable, including preparation, organization and writing strategies.
Tuesday, March 4th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
ESL Workshops & Tutorials
Academic Writing Skills Workshop for ESL Graduate Students
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
In this interactive workshop, ESL graduate students will learn skills and strategies to build their fluency, accuracy, and comprehensibility in English academic writing. In addition, we will discuss useful on-campus, online, and print resources that will help students to work independently to improve their writing. There will also be time for questions and answers about ESL writing issues and concerns.
Tuesday, January 22nd, 4:30-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Writing Skills Tutorials for ESL Graduate Students
These small-group tutorials, based on Swales and Feak's Academic Writing for Graduate Students, provide an opportunity for ESL graduate students to discuss writing issues and work collaboratively on writing tasks. All of the sessions include a grammar component. Students are encouraged to bring in their own writing samples and specific issues when related to the tutorial’s topic.
*Please note that you are welcome to come to one or many of the tutorials sessions over the course of each quarter.
5. Writing Summaries
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
In this session, we will discuss strategies related to writing descriptive and comparative summaries. Summary writing is especially useful for literature reviews and annotated bibliographies, in addition to being a skill used when preparing for exams, class discussions, research papers, theses, and dissertations. This session will also focus on avoiding plagiarism through paraphrasing and other essential skills.
Monday, February 4th, 12:00-1:30pm
Location: Conference Room 2, Student Activities Center (basement level)
6. Writing Critiques
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
This session focuses on strategies for writing critical assessments of texts (e.g., books, articles, and other manuscripts). We will concentrate primarily on these strategies as related to composing literature reviews, in addition to discussing book reviews, article evaluations, critical reading, reaction papers, and manuscript reviews. Vocabulary, sentence structure, and grammar issues specific to writing critiques will be highlighted.
Monday, February 11th, 12:00-1:30pm
Location: Conference Room 2, Student Activities Center (basement level)
7. Constructing a Research Paper I
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
This session focuses on some of the steps necessary for writing research papers in a number of disciplines. Activities will highlight skills and strategies for writing methods and results sections. Students are encouraged to bring in their own work.
Monday, February 25th, 12:00-1:30pm
Location: Conference Room 2, Student Activities Center (basement level)
8. Constructing a Research Paper II
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
This session concentrates on the remaining steps in writing research papers. Activities will highlight skills and strategies for writing methods and results sections. Students are encouraged to bring in their own work.
Monday, March 3rd, 12:00-1:30pm
Location: Conference Room 2, Student Activities Center (basement level)
