Resources for Graduate Student Writers

Let’s face it: writing in graduate school is radically different from writing in college. You not only have to write in entirely new genres — thesis proposals, conference abstracts, and dissertations, for example — but you are also expected to sound like an expert.

On this site, you’ll find annotated links to the best resources on the Web (and at UCLA). These include resources on navigating the library, writing in your field, writing in specific genres, and staying motivated and productive as you embark on longer writing projects. We have resources on style, grammar, punctuation, usage, and citation. And if English is not your first language, we’ve included the best resources for you, too.

Thriving in Graduate School

• Productivity Tools and Advice 
• Running an Effective Writing Group
• Professional Development for Graduate Students and Faculty

Empirical Research on Graduate Student Writing

These journal articles present empirical research on the behaviors associated with productive writing.

• Lavelle, E., & Bushrow, K. (2007). Writing approaches of graduate students. Educational Psychology, 27 (6), 807-822. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01443410701366001
• Margarita Huerta, Patricia Goodson, Mina Beigi & Dominique Chlup. (2017). Graduate students as academic writers: writing anxiety, self-efficacy and emotional intelligence. Higher Education Research & Development, 36:4, 716-729, DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2016.1238881
• Torrance, M., Thomas, G., & Robinson, E. (1994). The Writing Strategies of Graduate Research Students in the Social Sciences. Higher Education, 27(3), 379-392. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3448190

To suggest a resource or report a broken link, e-mail us at gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu.