Fall 2015
Writing and Research Workshops
The Graduate Writing Center offers a wide variety of writing workshops, ranging from general to more specialized topics, such as academic genres, writing in certain disciplinary areas, or writing English as a Second Language. We also provide information on workshops and services from selected campus offices that provide assistance with research, data management, and data analysis. Special thanks to our campus programming partners: the UCLA Library, Writing Programs, the Institute for Digital Research and Education, Counseling and Psychological Services, and the Career Center.
General Writing Workshops
Strategic Reading
Rebecca Hill, English
Feeling overwhelmed by your reading lists? Concerned that you are missing the point of what you have just read? Are you taking pages of notes for every article you read? This workshop will cover effective reading and note-taking strategies so that you read more efficiently, assess your reading with a critical eye, and annotate each work so that important concepts are easily accessible. Nota Bene: This workshop does not teach speed-reading techniques.
Friday, October 2nd, 1:30-3:00pm
Location: Conference Room 2, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Academic Writing Skills Workshop for ESL Graduate Students
Adrienne Lynett, Applied Linguistics
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, October 6th , 5:10-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Email Etiquette at the University
Adrienne Lynett, Applied Linguistics
A graduate student will write hundreds of emails while getting his or her degree—emails that invite professors to serve on thesis/dissertation committees, emails that ask for extensions on papers, emails in which graduate students introduce themselves to potential mentors or advisors. Designed for graduate students who speak English as a second or foreign language, this workshop breaks down the language necessary to make polite requests over email. It also covers basic email etiquette and includes opportunities to edit real example emails written by graduate students.
Tuesday, October 13th , 12:00-2:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Writing the Personal Statement
Rebecca Hill, English
This workshop will cover strategies for writing personal statements for fellowship applications, internships, and Ph.D. programs. Among other topics, we will discuss organization, introductions and conclusions, and use of examples. Students from all schools and departments are welcome to attend. If you are currently working on a personal statement, we encourage you to bring your draft to the workshop.
Friday, October 23rd, 11:30am-1:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Teaching and Writing: What Teachers & TAs Need to Know
Bruce Beiderwell, Director, UCLA Writing Programs
Marilyn Gray, Director, Graduate Writing Center
This workshop, which is designed for TAs in the humanities and social sciences, will cover how to help students improve their writing and review how to teach writing concepts, such as thesis statements, organization, and summary versus analysis. The workshop will also cover appropriate ways to respond to student writing, including etiquette for commenting on student papers and best practices for one-on-one meetings with students. The workshop will also offer a few resources for writing paper prompts and integrating writing assignments into a course's design.
Thursday, November 5th, 5:10-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Workshops on Writing Grants and Fellowships
Applying for the NIH Training Fellowship
Sarah Al-Hiyari, NIH Fellowship Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Katelyn Caslavka, NIH Fellowship Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
This workshop will cover the basics of an NIH NRSA application including the application process and components. We will discuss preparation, documents needed, and writing strategies. The workshop will mainly focus on NIH grant F31. The workshop will also focus on how to find appropriate materials/resources for a complete application.
Friday, September 25th, 11:00am-12:30pm
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/applying-for-the-nih-training-fellowship-tickets-18525650720
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Humanities and Social Sciences Focus)
Eric Newman, Mellon Grant Recipient, Graduate Writing Consultant
Cherie Francis, Graduate Division Fellowships and Financial Services
This workshop will first briefly review funding opportunities for graduate students in humanities, social sciences, and related fields. The workshop will then focus on strategies for writing effective applications for grants and fellowships to support graduate study and research, especially for students seeking doctorates and research MAs. The workshop will also cover tips for organizing the application process.
Tuesday, September 29th, 5:00-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 2, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-successful-grant-and-fellowship-applications-humanities-and-social-sciences-tickets-18620633817
Applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Natsuki Atagi, NSF GRF Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Estevan Hernandez, Graduate Division Fellowships and Financial Services
This workshop will discuss strategies for applying for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Open to US citizens and permanent residents in the Social, Biological, and Physical Sciences, this highly competitive fellowship provides three years of fellowship funding to successful applicants. The workshop will focus on the intellectual merit and broader impacts criteria for NSF grants, the structure of the research proposal and personal statement, suggestions for writing style, and tips for Fastlane submission.
Thursday, October 1st, 2:00-3:45pm
Location: Conference Room 2, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/applying-for-the-nsf-graduate-research-fellowship-tickets-18620978849
Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Sciences and Engineering Focus)
Natsuki Atagi, NSF GRF Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Katelyn Caslavka, NIH Fellowship Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Cherie Francis, Graduate Division Fellowships and Financial Services
This workshop will first briefly review funding opportunities for graduate students in sciences and engineering. The workshop will then focus on strategies for writing effective applications for grants and fellowships to support graduate study and research, especially for students seeking doctorates and research MAs. The workshop will also cover tips for organizing the application process.
Thursday, October 1st, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-successful-grant-and-fellowship-applications-sciences-and-engineering-tickets-18620825390
Humanities Writing Workshops
Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Humanities and Social Sciences Focus)
Eric Newman, Mellon Grant Recipient, Graduate Writing Consultant
Cherie Francis, Graduate Division Fellowships and Financial Services
This workshop will first briefly review funding opportunities for graduate students in humanities, social sciences, and related fields. The workshop will then focus on strategies for writing effective applications for grants and fellowships to support graduate study and research, especially for students seeking doctorates and research MAs. The workshop will also cover tips for organizing the application process.
Tuesday, September 29th, 5:00-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 2, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-successful-grant-and-fellowship-applications-humanities-and-social-sciences-tickets-18620633817
Writing the Humanities Course Paper
Renee Hudson, English
This workshop will cover strategies for writing and revising graduate-level humanities course papers. In this workshop we will discuss ways to develop papers for graduate courses, including how to develop a more complex thesis and how to write a literature review.
Tuesday, October 27th, 5:10pm-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Social Sciences Writing Workshops
Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Humanities and Social Sciences Focus)
Eric Newman, Mellon Grant Recipient, Graduate Writing Consultant
Cherie Francis, Graduate Division Fellowships and Financial Services
This workshop will first briefly review funding opportunities for graduate students in humanities, social sciences, and related fields. The workshop will then focus on strategies for writing effective applications for grants and fellowships to support graduate study and research, especially for students seeking doctorates and research MAs. The workshop will also cover tips for organizing the application process.
Tuesday, September 29th, 5:00-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 2, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-successful-grant-and-fellowship-applications-humanities-and-social-sciences-tickets-18620633817
Writing the Social Sciences Graduate Course Paper
Mercedes Douglass, Anthropology
This workshop will cover strategies for writing and revising graduate-level course papers in the social sciences. In this workshop we will discuss ways to develop papers for graduate courses, including how to develop a more complex thesis and how to write a literature review. A few pointers on the differences between qualitative and quantitative papers will be covered as well.
Thursday, October 29th, 5:10-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Science and Engineering Writing Workshops
Applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Natsuki Atagi, NSF GRF Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Estevan Hernandez, Graduate Division Fellowships and Financial Services
This workshop will discuss strategies for applying for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Open to US citizens and permanent residents in the Social, Biological, and Physical Sciences, this highly competitive fellowship provides three years of fellowship funding to successful applicants. The workshop will focus on the intellectual merit and broader impacts criteria for NSF grants, the structure of the research proposal and personal statement, suggestions for writing style, and tips for Fastlane submission.
Thursday, October 1st, 2:00-3:45pm
Location: Conference Room 2, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/applying-for-the-nsf-graduate-research-fellowship-tickets-18620978849
Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Sciences and Engineering Focus)
Natsuki Atagi, NSF GRF Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Katelyn Caslavka, NIH Fellowship Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Cherie Francis, Graduate Division Fellowships and Financial Services
This workshop will first briefly review funding opportunities for graduate students in sciences and engineering. The workshop will then focus on strategies for writing effective applications for grants and fellowships to support graduate study and research, especially for students seeking doctorates and research MAs. The workshop will also cover tips for organizing the application process.
Thursday, October 1st, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-successful-grant-and-fellowship-applications-sciences-and-engineering-tickets-18620825390
Practical Tips for Writing a Scientific Paper
Katelyn Caslavka, Biochemistry
This workshop will cover the basics of how to plan for, prepare, and organize science-specific writing, including term papers, manuscripts and abstracts. We will also cover style, common structure, active versus passive voice, and first pronoun versus third pronoun usage. We will offer tips for avoiding problems such as excess jargon and ambiguously stated hypotheses.
Friday, November 13th, 12:00-1:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
ESL Workshops
Academic Writing Skills Workshop for ESL Graduate Students
Adrienne Lynett, Applied Linguistics
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, October 6th , 5:10-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Email Etiquette at the University
Adrienne Lynett, Applied Linguistics
A graduate student will write hundreds of emails while getting his or her degree—emails that invite professors to serve on thesis/dissertation committees, emails that ask for extensions on papers, emails in which graduate students introduce themselves to potential mentors or advisors. Designed for graduate students who speak English as a second or foreign language, this workshop breaks down the language necessary to make polite requests over email. It also covers basic email etiquette and includes opportunities to edit real example emails written by graduate students.
Tuesday, October 13th , 12:00-2:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Statistical Software Workshops and Consultation
Current and former workshops : http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/seminars/default.htm
For walk-in consulting information, Stat books for loan, and the most up-to-date listing of seminars, please see the Statistical Consulting Services web page of the Institute for Digital Research and Education. The Statistical Consulting Services also keep an extensive archive of past workshops.
Research Workshops
Research Workshops
Click the link below for more information about the research and teaching support offered by the UCLA Library: http://www.library.ucla.edu/support
The Research Library is offering workshops designed to give students a jump start on working with library resources, as well as sessions on citation management applications (that make collecting and citing sources easy), Social Explorer (a powerful tool for combining census data with maps), and teaching techniques (geared toward TA’s in the humanities and social sciences, but open to all).
For more details about any of the workshops listed below, please contact Margarita Nafpaktitis ( nafpaktitis@library.ucla.edu ). And see our website for the most complete and current list of Library workshop offerings.
Tuesday, October 6, 12 noon-1PM
Getting Started With Research
Learn to effectively navigate the Library's website to find what you need, search online catalogs for books and other materials, and discover the best databases for articles and other resources on a given topic. Meet in the Research Library Research Commons Classroom, room 11630F.
Reserve your place here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/getting-started-with-research-tickets-18765871226
Tuesday, October 13, 4-5PM
Introduction to Zotero
Find out about the purpose, uses, and features of Zotero, a free, open-source application that helps researchers manage references and notes and create formatted bibliographies. Meet in the Research Library Research Commons Classroom, room 11630F.
Reserve your place here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-zotero-tickets-18765046760
Wednesday, October 21, 2-3 PM
EndNote for the Social Sciences and Humanities
This hands-on session offers an overview of the EndNote citation management software program, which helps researchers manage and organize their references and automatically create and format citations and bibliographies. Taught by Gabriella Gray, librarian, Charles E. Young Research Library. Meet in the Research Library East Classroom, room 21536.
Reserve your place here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/endnote-for-the-social-sciences-humanities-tickets-18765124994
Wednesday, October 28, 1-2PM
Getting Started With Research
Learn to effectively navigate the Library's website to find what you need, search online catalogs for books and other materials, and discover the best databases for articles and other resources on a given topic. Meet in the Research Library East Classroom, room 21536.
Reserve your place here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/getting-started-with-research-tickets-18765912349
Wednesday, November 4, 5-6PM
Introduction to Zotero
Find out about the purpose, uses, and features of Zotero, a free, open-source application that helps researchers manage references and notes and create formatted bibliographies. Meet in the Research Library Research Commons Classroom, room 11630F.
Reserve your place here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-zotero-tickets-18765424891
Tuesday, November 17, 4-5PM
Intermediate Zotero
Already a Zotero user? Explore more features in this session, including working with groups, sharing bibliographies, generating reports, and more. Participants are encouraged to bring their own computers, but CLiCC laptops will also be available. Meet in the Research Library Research Commons Classroom, room 11630F.
Reserve your place here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/intermediate-zotero-tickets-18765476044
Thursday, November 19, 3-4PM
EndNote for the Social Sciences and Humanities
This hands-on session offers an overview of the EndNote citation management software program, which helps researchers manage and organize their references and automatically create and format citations and bibliographies. Taught by Gabriella Gray, librarian, Charles E. Young Research Library. Meet in the Research Library East Classroom, room 21536.
Reserve your place here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/endnote-for-the-social-sciences-humanities-tickets-18765608440
Research Guides
Online research guides link to key resources and reference books for certain courses and disciplines. Subject guides, course guides, and general research guides are available.
Research Appointments
Graduate students are encouraged to contact the Library's subject specialists for more specialized and personalized assistance with research, library resources, and subject databases; find a complete list of all subject specialists here.
Copyright Questions
Contact the Library's copyright experts for assistance with copyright, publishing, intellectual property, and other related issues at copyright@library.ucla.edu.
To see the most current schedule of UCLA Library workshops, consult the UCLA Library seminar page.