For Graduates

The University Writing Center is available to all graduate students at the University of Denver. We work with certificate students who are just starting their coursework, masters students who are preparing to start internships, doctoral students writing their dissertations,  and everyone in between. We also work with faculty and staff.  

Writing in graduate school often means learning new genres, adapting to increasingly complex audience expectations, and considering how writing assignments apply to professional contexts. This is perhaps why about half of our 4500+ consultations each year are with graduate students.    

We encourage graduate students to make writing consultations part of their regular writing habits. Having a conversation with a writing consultant can be an invaluable part of the process: a consultant can ask you questions, introduce you to new strategies or practices, be a sounding board for your ideas, and help you develop new perspectives on your work.  

We also encourage grad students to inform themselves of the full range of support available for writing on campus and to let us know how we can help you with your work. You're welcome to write to director Dr. Juli Parrish and assistant director Megan Kelly at wrc@du.edu anytime.

Writing Resources for Graduate Students

  • Writing, Citation and Research

    We are always adding and updating content in our ePortfolio, where we curate and develop resources to help DU writers. Currently, our ePortfolio includes:

    • Citation handouts and links to handouts, videos, and official guides on APA, Chicago, MLA, and Turabian styles. Most academic writing requires that you work within an established citation style. A style system provides a systematic set of guidelines: these guidelines  help writers communicate with readers, and they help readers to understand writers. 
    • One-stop guides to all kinds of writing help from the best writing sites we've found. Having access to whole sites and not just specific topics means that you may be able to answer questions about writing you didn't know you had. 
    • Help with genres :  What is a lit review? What are the basic moves in a grant proposal? How do you write a methods section? We’ve curated reliable resources in a variety of media: handouts, webinars, videos, and samples of the genres you’re working on. 
    • Help with subject-specific research and writing:  the University Libraries offer subject guides and research help in a wide range of fields and disciplines. 

    Need help on a specific writing question and can't find a resource? Write to us at wrc@du.edu and ask! 

    Have a great resource that you'd like to share with others? Let us know! 

  • Small Group Workshops

    Whatever your education level or subject matter, we will work with you to plan a workshop for your group of 4+ students. Are you presenting your research in a poster for the first time? Do you want to learn how to synthesize texts in a literature review chapter? Do you want to learn some effective habits for being consistent and accurate in your use of Turabian or APA? 

    Write to wrc@du.edu to request a small group workshop on any writing issue, situation, assignment, or genre. Please give us at least two weeks notice! 

  • Resources for Graduate Teaching Assistants

    In addition to helping with your writing, we can help you teach your own students. We offer a range of offerings to graduate teaching assistants and faculty whose classes include writing of any kind, from informal, in-class writing-to-learn activities to formal papers. Our offerings include: 

    Class visits of 10-15 minutes, in which current consultants introduce your students to the services and programs we offer, with a focus on prompting students to ask questions and articulate their expectations for writing. 

    Facilitated peer reviews, in which an entire class visits the Writing Center during class time to work with consultants in small groups. 

    Classroom workshops of 45 minutes, in which one of our faculty or advanced consultants visits your class to facilitate and interactive workshop focused on a particular writing assignment. The facilitator will also ask to meet with faculty two weeks in advance to plan the workshop. 

    Consultations with faculty and graduate teaching assistants on planning, revising, and scaffolding writing assignments; integrating writing-to-learn activities into courses; responding to student writing effectively; and more. The Writing Program also offers resources for all those teaching writing across the curriculum.  

    For more information about these offerings, and to find statements about the Writing Center you can include in your syllabi, please read the full descriptions on our For Faculty & Staff page, and submitting a Collaboration Request Form for a class visit, facilitated peer review, faculty consultation, or workshop before the term starts to receive priority in scheduling.