Find citing tips and tricks from several styles including APA, Chicago, and MLA style among others. You will also find free citation tools (like Zotero) that will help you build and save your citations to make your research and writing process better. As a bonus, you will find a tutorial on how to identify parts of a citation.
Writing Commons
The Writing Commons provides free writing assistance to all Ohio University students. Our convenient options allow you to meet with a tutor at a time that fits your schedule.
For Undergraduate Students
The Writing Commons provides both in-person and remote (online) services to undergraduates.
Undergraduate peer tutors are available to assist at any stage of the writing process, from discussing and organizing ideas to polishing a final draft. The tutors will not edit papers but will guide you in improving your writing strategies.
- In-person sessions will meet in the Academic Achievement Center (Alden 230).
- Drop-in sessions are also available at certain times (check out TutorTrac offerings).
- Remote sessions meet remotely via Microsoft Teams.
You can schedule a remote appointment with a writing tutor by opening TutorTrac and selecting the appropriate course for which you need writing assistance and a day and time that fits your schedule.
Once you book an appointment, your tutor will send you an email that includes a link to your tutoring appointment, which will be a Teams meeting. Teams allows you and your tutor to talk, use chat, and share documents.
For Graduate Students
Graduate peer and professional tutors serve undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students working on longer writing projects such as theses, dissertations, journal articles, grants, and conference presentations. These tutors have the experience to help you move forward on your academic path. Visit our Writing Resources page to examine their expertise.
Email us with your request for writing assistance (course number and project), and we will match you with a tutor as quickly as possible.
Once we assign you to a tutor, that tutor will send you an email that includes a link to your tutoring appointment, which will be a Teams meeting. Teams allows you and your tutor to talk, use chat, and share documents.
Attend a Writing Commons Event
Students can sign up using the event's link.
| Event | Target Audience | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Know Your APA | All Students | September 10 | 4:00-5:00 p.m. | Ellis Hall 106 |
| Writing at the Graduate Level | Graduate | September 11 | 3:30-5:00 p.m. | Tupper Hall 104 |
| Killing the Five Paragraph Essay | Undergraduate | September 12 | 4:00-5:00 p.m. | Ellis Hall 114 |
| AI Roundtable | Undergraduate | September 18 | 3:30-5:00 p.m. | Alden 251 |
| Writing for Publication | Graduate | September 18 | 4:00-5:30 p.m. | Scripps Hall 016 |
| Creating an Outline | Undergraduate | September 19 | 5:00-6:30 p.m. | Gordy Hall 209 |
| Overcoming Writers' Block | All Students | September 26 | 3:00-4:30 p.m. | Gordy Hall 104 |
| Creative Writing Salon | All Students | October 2 | 3:00-5:00 p.m. | Ellis Hall 003 |
| Creative Writing Salon | All Students | October 16 | 3:00-5:00 p.m. | Ellis Hall 003 |
| Creative Writing Salon | All Students | October 23 | 3:00-5:00 p.m. | Ellis Hall 003 |
| Make-A-Zine | All Students | November 5 | 3:00-5:00 p.m. | Ellis Hall 006 |
| JOUR 1330 Success Session | Undergraduate | September 24 | 6-7:30 p.m. | Gordy 301 |
| JOUR 1330 Success Session | Undergraduate | October 22 | 6-7:30 p.m. | Gordy 301 |
| JOUR 1330 Success Session | Undergraduate | November 19 | 6-7:30 p.m. | Gordy 301 |
| JOUR 1330 Success Session | Undergraduate | December 3 | 6-7:30 p.m. | Gordy 301 |
Resources
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Plagiarism Guide and Tutorial
Find quick FAQs and information on how to properly paraphrase and quote resources. You will also find the interactive plagiarism tutorial, which is often required for students for an orientation or for a course.
For Faculty
The Writing Commons is eager to work with departments and colleges to increase student use of writing assistance. The students who have engaged with our services have an overwhelmingly positive view of their experience, and they leave more confident writers. The following is a list of the common ways students and faculty collaborate with the staff in our program.
Typical services we provide to all Ohio University students:
- One-on-one tutoring at all stages of the writing process, from brainstorming ideas for a paper to reviewing a final draft. We have undergraduate, graduate, and professional tutors who can assist their peers with many forms of writing, including:
- Course papers
- Lab reports
- Capstone projects
- Presentations and conference papers
- Publishable articles
- Dissertations
- Personal statements
- Job applications
- Workshops (group events) on various writing-related topics, including:
- Outlining
- Overcoming writer’s block
- Moving beyond the five-paragraph essay format
- Utilizing AI in the writing process
We also want to work with faculty to arrange targeted assistance to specific student populations. Our team can:
- Provide writing support for individual classes (including embedded tutoring)
- Stage classroom visits to talk about writing support
- Tailor workshops/events to meet the specific needs of a field or course curriculum
- Provide on-site, drop-in writing tutoring in a chosen location within your building
We at the Writing Commons are available to discuss any other ideas that chairs or faculty might have to connect students with writing support.