Workshop Videos

The Graduate Writing Center has recorded a number of workshops on a variety of writing topics. Click on a category of interest or scroll down to view them all.

General Workshops

An Introduction to Publishing Journal Articles
Lauren Slone, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
Thinking about preparing an article manuscript for submission? Based on Wendy Belcher's workbook, Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks, this workshop focuses on the aspects of the process of getting an article published that most differ from other graduate work, such as selecting appropriate journals and interacting with editors. It discusses how to structure an article as well as the writing and revision process.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 1 hour, 20 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2016.

Strategic Reading
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Director
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. Note: This workshop does not teach speed-reading techniques.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 30 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2019.

Citation and Academic Integrity, Part I: Strategies to Avoid Plagiarism
Gabriella Gray, UCLA Young Research Library Librarian
Marilyn Gray, UCLA Graduate Writing Center Director
What does it really mean to plagiarize? With online text at our fingertips, plagiarism is an important ethical issue for graduate students in the U.S. university environment. UCLA holds its students to a high standard of Academic Integrity and penalizes plagiarism – whether inadvertent or intentional. This workshop clears up common misconceptions about incorporating references into academic writing and introduces good citation practices; these strategies will help you avoid plagiarism.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 20 mins.)
For further reference, see: UCLA Guide to Academic Integrity, Office of the Dean of Students.

Citation and Academic Integrity, Part II: What’s in a Citation?
Kathryn Renton, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
Incorporating research into graduate writing raises complex questions about citing the work of other scholars. Do you always need to provide a citation? When should you quote and when should you paraphrase? Good citation practices, like good writing practices, bring clarity and integrity to academic work. This interactive workshop provides a variety of practice scenarios that will test your knowledge and demonstrate how to apply ethical citation guidelines in your own writing.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 20 mins.)
For further reference, see the Guidelines to Citation Practices and Citation Styles web pages.

Dissertation and Thesis Support: Writing Groups and Resources
Marilyn Gray, UCLA Graduate Writing Center Director
This workshop covers strategies and best practices for organizing writing groups for thesis and dissertation writing. The presentation focuses on independent writing groups organized by graduate students and offers tips on establishing meeting rules and structures for running meetings effectively. The workshop also addresses other campus resources available to support dissertation and thesis writers.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 20 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2020.

Expanding Your Audience: How to Publish Outside Academia
Eric Newman, English, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
Scholars from all fields can benefit from publishing outside the traditional academic publishing world. This workshop will help you explore the myriad writing opportunities that exist for academics beyond the so-called ivory tower, with discussions of the benefits of publishing work for a general audience, how to translate your academic research into accessible prose for a general readership, and how to pitch an essay or review idea to an editor.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 30 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2018.

Time Management for Writing
Marilyn Gray, Director, Graduate Writing Center
In this workshop, we will discuss effective strategies for goal setting and time management as they relate to research and writing projects, especially the writing component. We will also address some approaches to working effectively from home.
Click here for the workshop. (Approximately 38 minutes.) This workshop was recorded in 2020.

Navigating Graduate School: Academic Success Strategies for First-Generation College Students
Michelle Luna, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
This workshop will provide useful strategies for navigating graduate school successfully. We will focus on tips and tricks that will help you succeed, as well as elucidate aspects of the "hidden curriculum," or things you're expected to know but not explicitly taught. We will cover a broad spectrum of topics such as managing writing requirements, using organizational tools to stay on track, communicating effectively with mentors to meet your needs, and networking at conferences to build professional relationships. Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 53 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2023.

Humanities Workshops

Introduction to Publishing Journal Articles in the Humanities
Marilyn Gray, UCLA Graduate Writing Center Director
The purpose of this workshop is to describe the process for publishing a journal article in the Humanities, including choosing a paper to submit, revision and editing strategies, journal selection, and addressing feedback.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 40 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2018.

Writing in the Humanities: The Seminar Paper and Beyond
Eric Newman, English, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
The purpose of this workshop is to introduce writing in the Humanities, focusing on the seminar paper. The workshop will provide strategies for annotating, writing the literature review, refining the argument, and editing and revising.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 1 hour.) This workshop was recorded in 2018.

Writing the Humanities Dissertation Prospectus
Eric Newman, English, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
This workshop will focus on how to plan and begin writing your dissertation prospectus in the Humanities. It covers prospectus components, time and file management tips, and preparing for the defense.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 45 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2018.

Writing a Literature Review in the Social Sciences and Humanities
Marilyn Gray, UCLA Graduate Writing Center Director
This workshop covers strategies and best practices for writing a literature review, including note-taking strategies, writing process issues, and common organizational patterns. The workshop focus is on literature reviews for original research projects but will be generally helpful for all literature reviews.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 40 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2019.

Conference Proposals and Presentations in the Humanities
Allison Collins, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
The purpose of this workshop is to present strategies for writing a conference paper, from A to Z, from deciphering a call for papers to writing a proposal to transforming an already existing document or starting your presentation from scratch. The workshop addresses different methods for preparing an engaging and substantive oral presentation, including various technological aids you may want to use, as well as methods to prepare for round-table and Q&A formats.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 23 mins.) This workshop was recorded in April 2017.

Social Sciences Workshops

Writing in the Social Sciences
Adrienne Lynett, UCLA Graduate Writing Center Program Manager
This workshop covers strategies for reading, writing, and project management for graduate students in social science disciplines, with a focus on the course paper. The most common types of papers will be discussed, including the literature review, analysis paper, and research proposal. Strategies for citation and time management will also be discussed.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 40 mins.) This workshop was recorded in July 2018.

Conference Proposals and Presentations in the Social Sciences
Anne Blackstock-Bernstein, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
This workshop covers strategies for preparing conference proposals/abstracts and for presenting papers orally at conferences. It addresses the expected content of a submission as well as the structure and aesthetics of typical 10-20 minute presentations. The workshop specifically focuses on using PowerPoint as a platform.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 45 mins.) This workshop was recorded in April 2017.

Preparing a Conference Poster in the Social Sciences
Anne Blackstock-Bernstein, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
This workshop describes the steps involved in preparing, printing, and presenting a conference poster for students in social science disciplines. It covers aspects of poster preparation including choosing a template and layout, design and formatting tips, and advice on how to best present your material during a poster session.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 30 mins.) This workshop was recorded in January 2019.

Strategies for Writing the Social Sciences Dissertation Proposal
Adrienne Lynett, Graduate Writing Center Program Manager
This workshop will give an overview of the main components of a dissertation proposal in the social sciences and cover strategies for writing the research questions, literature review, and methods sections, as well as some tips for getting through this sometimes daunting process. (These strategies should be adapted to your department's and advisor's expectations about the structure and content of your proposal.)
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 30 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2019.

Sciences and Engineering Workshops

Conference Proposals and Presentations in the Sciences
Katelyn Caslavka, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
This workshop covers basic strategies for presenting at conferences. It addresses how to effectively prepare the abstract, figures, and PowerPoint slides as well as appropriate structure, content, and format for a conference presentation. We will specifically discuss the 10-minute talk format and how that structure can also be adapted for longer talks.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 27 mins.) This workshop was recorded in December 2016.

Preparing a Conference Poster in the Sciences
Katelyn Caslavka, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
This workshop will cover strategies for preparing and presenting a poster at conferences. We will address how to write an abstract for a poster presentation and general content and structure of presented posters. We will also discuss how to use PowerPoint to format a poster.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 30 mins.) This workshop was recorded in December 2016.

Writing the Sciences Dissertation
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Director
This workshop will address structural options for the dissertation. The workshop will then focus on writing the final dissertation components, including global introduction and background sections, global conclusions, and abstracts. Finally, the workshop will cover strategies for revising, editing, and formatting the dissertation. Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 40 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2020.

Best Practices for Writing Scientific Articles and Article-Based Dissertations
Elizabeth O'Hare, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
This workshop covers general writing principles for writing scientific articles and also gives practical advice for writing an article-based dissertation in the sciences and engineering.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 48 mins.) This workshop was recorded on June 5, 2008.

Writing an Engineering Paper
Sarah Gibson, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
In this workshop, we will cover the basics of how to structure and write an engineering paper. We will also discuss voice, style, and transitions, as well as compare models of "good" vs. "bad" writing. The workshop will be applicable to engineering journal and conference papers, as well as to master's and doctoral theses and proposals.
Click here for workshop. (Approx. 34 mins.) This workshop was recorded in Summer 2012.

Writing the Literature Review in the Sciences
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Director
This workshop will cover strategies and best practices for writing a literature review or background section, including note-taking strategies, writing process issues, and common organizational patterns. The workshop focus will be on literature reviews for original research projects, such as research proposals and article manuscripts, but will generally be applicable to all literature reviews.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 40 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2019.

Expanding Your Audience: How to Publish Outside Academia (STEM Focus)
Macrina Dieffenbach, Psychology, Writing Consultant
Maureen Sampson, Molecular Toxicology, Writing Consultant
Where can your writing and research interests go beyond a field-specific journal article or academic conference presentation? Writing for non-academic outlets offers graduate students the opportunity to spread knowledge about new scientific discoveries and innovations beyond the lab. This workshop will help students improve their science communication skills, providing guidance on how to translate complex scientific ideas for different audiences. We discuss the use of plain language and clear, focused writing to help make your science more accessible. These techniques will improve readability and are appropriate whether the audience is technical or the general public.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 1 hour.) This workshop was recorded in 2019.

Practical Tips for Writing a Scientific Paper
Karen Cheng, Neuroscience, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
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 unclear writing flow. In Part 2, we will briefly describe the publication process.
Click here for the workshop. (Part 1: 48 mins. Part 2: 19 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2020.

Writing the STEM Dissertation Proposal
Macrina Dieffenbach,, Psychology, Writing Consultant
This workshop, geared toward students in STEM fields, will cover dissertation proposal structures and components, as well as writing process strategies and time management. In addition, we will address issues related to the oral defense portion of the proposal.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 54 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2021.

ESL Workshops

Academic Writing for ESL Graduate Students
Adrienne Lynett, UCLA Program Manager
This workshop introduces the concept of academic English, defines important terms such as flow, style, and structure, and discusses ways to improve fluency and comprehensibility in academic writing.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 40 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2019.

Self-Editing Skills
Adrienne Lynett, UCLA Program Manager
This workshop provides strategies and resources to enable non-native speakers of English to make appropriate vocabulary choices and approach issues like article and preposition usage in their own writing projects. This workshop in divided into four separate videos on the following topics: revision, editing, and proofreading; general grammar; articles; and word choice. Watch them in any order. Click here for the workshop videos. This workshop was recorded in 2020.

E-Mail Etiquette for the Job Search
Adrienne Lynett, UCLA Program Manager
As a graduate student, you will write many emails in the service of finding a job—emails that request informational interviews, set up interviews, and follow up on interviews. This workshop will break down the language necessary to make polite requests and arrangements over email. It will also cover basic email etiquette and include opportunities to edit real example emails written by graduate students.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 40 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2020.

E-Mail Etiquette at the University
Adrienne Lynett, UCLA Program Manager
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, but open to everyone, this workshop breaks down the language necessary to make polite requests over email.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 20 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2020.

Law Workshops

Introduction to Publishing Law Journal Articles
Sabine Jean, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
This presentation is an introduction to publishing law journal articles, with information on choosing a paper to submit, selecting an appropriate journal, revising, submitting, and responding to journal decisions.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 30 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2017.

Substantial Analytical Writing Requirement Workshop
Sabine Jean, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
This presentation is an introduction to the Substantial Analytical Writing Requirement at UCLA School of Law. This overview will provide information on the SAW and its requirements, as well as some details on writing the SAW paper, including the argument, organization, and style/formatting.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 30 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2017.

Policy Workshops

Policy Writing
Drew Westmoreland, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
This presentation is an introduction to writing in policy-related fields such as public policy and public health. In particular, the presentation focuses on writing memos and white papers.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 17 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2017.

Grant and Fellowship Workshops

Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Sciences and Engineering Focus)
Lauren Slone, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant, NSF GRF Recipient
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 master's degrees. The workshop will also cover tips for organizing the application process.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 51 mins.) This workshop was recorded in Summer 2015.

Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Humanities and Social Sciences Focus)
Pauline Lewis, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant, Fulbright U.S. Fellowship Recipient
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.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 36 mins.) This workshop was recorded in Fall 2014.

Introduction to Grant Writing in the Nonprofit Sector
Will Clark, English, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant, Former Nonprofit Grant Writer for Foundation and State of California Grants
The grant writing workshop will cover best practices and strategies for securing funds in the nonprofit sector. Topics of discussion will include methods by which to determine funding opportunities, strategies for building long-term relationships with funders, practices for reporting on successes and opportunities during a funding period, budgeting, and more. The goals of this workshop are to introduce graduate students to the nonprofit funding environment and to translate skills learned in graduate school into non-academic contexts.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 48 mins.) This workshop was recorded in Spring 2019.

Research and Analysis Workshops

Coding as Part of the Qualitative Research Process
Tahseen Shams, UCLA Graduate Writing Consultant
This presentation gives an introduction to qualitative coding and how it can be incorporated into the research writing process. Using examples, this overview will provide information on types of coding, some common challenges in the process, and ideas for moving from the coding stage to the writing stage.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 13 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2018.

Transcription as Part of the Qualitative Research Writing Process
Adrienne Lynett, UCLA GWC Program Manager
This presentation introduces transcription, describes various strategies and conventions involved in the process of transcribing, and looks in depth at an example of a transcript and how it was developed. The presentation also discusses moving from the transcription stage to the writing stage and provides links to important resources for writers using transcripts in their work.
Click here for the workshop. (Approx. 30 mins.) This workshop was recorded in 2019.

Academic Job Search Workshops

Academic Job Application Documents: Humanities and Social Sciences
Erin Brown, UCLA Career Center
This page contains resources about how to write the components of an academic job application, with an orientation to the humanities and social sciences.
Click here to access the resource.

About the Presenters

Anne Blackstock-Bernstein completed a PhD in Human Development and Psychology division of the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies in 2019. Her research interests include oral language development during early childhood and language assessment in elementary school, with a particular focus on English language learners. She earned her BA in Psychology, Sociology, and Education Studies from Brandeis University. Prior to attending UCLA, she did research in neuroanesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Erin Brown is a PhD candidate in the History department. Erin is completing her dissertation in American History. Her research examines town-building and urban growth in the late- nineteenth and early twentieth century, focusing on the intersections of economic and community development. She previously earned a BA in Economics and History from UCLA and an MS in Construction Management from California State University, Chico. Erin has taught in the School of Engineering at Chico State and has been awarded multiple teaching fellowships to teach undergraduate writing courses at UCLA.

Katelyn Caslavka completed a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2017. She specialized in protein methylation in yeast organelles using mass spectrometry. During her graduate studies, she received the UCLA Alumni Association Fellowship and was a trainee on the Cellular and Molecular Biology Training Grant (part of a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award).

Karen Cheng completed her PhD in Neuroscience at UCLA in 2021. Her research focuses on uncovering the mechanisms underlying multisensory processing in Drosophila melanogaster. Many of her days involve gluing fruit flies to sticks to observe their flight behavior. Karen earned a B.S. in Neuroscience and B.A. in International Development Studies from UCLA in 2013. As a graduate student, she has received an honorable mention from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

Will Clark completed a PhD in English at UCLA in 2018. Before graduate school, he worked for a Bay Area nonprofit, where he successfully secured grants from California state agencies and major private foundations. He specializes in the relation between LGBT studies, U.S. literature, and the law, and his dissertation examines literary representations of citizenship from the Fourteenth Amendment to the Great Depression, with a particular interest in the late-century emergence of queer social membership.

Allison Collins completed her PhD in Comparative Literature at UCLA in 2020. Her research focuses on Renaissance literature and culture, and her dissertation focuses on the lovesick female body in early modern literature. Allison earned her BA in Renaissance Studies from Yale University and her MA in Humanities from New York University. She has experience in teaching and academic publishing.

Macrina Dieffenbach is a PhD candidate in the Psychology department. At UCLA, her research involves borrowing tools from cognitive neuroscience to investigate complex social phenomena, including attitude change, impression formation, and conflict resolution. After earning her BA in Cognitive Science from Yale University in 2012, she worked for two years as a science editor at The Huffington Post. Macrina is a recipient of the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) fellowship.

Sarah Gibson completed a PhD in Electrical Engineering at UCLA in spring 2012. Her dissertation work focused on neural engineering, a field that combines electrical engineering with neuroscience. Her research interests included algorithms for neural signal processing and their FPGA implementations.

Sabine Jean completed a JD from UCLA School of Law with a Critical Race Studies Specialization in 2017. She also completed the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy. She has BA degrees in Government and Afro-American Studies from Smith College and a MST degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Fordham University Graduate School of Education. She is a Teach for America alumna and has three years of experience teaching ESL at the elementary school level, and was managing editor on the UCLA Law Review and the National Black Law Journal.

Pauline Lewis completed a PhD in History at UCLA in 2018. Her research focuses on the history of technology in the modern Middle East, and her dissertation explored the social and cultural implications of telegraphy in late Ottoman Empire society. Before graduate school, Pauline received a Fulbright Fellowship to study in Egypt and worked as a program officer for the National Democratic Institute.

Adrienne Lynett is completing her PhD in Applied Linguistics. Her research interests are in conversation analysis, language and literacy acquisition, and multilingualism. She has also done work on medical communication in the mental health field. She earned her BA in English Literature from UCLA and her MA in Linguistics from Georgetown University and has professional experience in journalism, education, and international development.

Eric Newman completed a PhD in English at UCLA in 2018. His research focuses on the interrelation between queerness, literary form and political imagination in early twentieth century American literatures across the color line. Prior to UCLA, Eric received a BA in English and Journalism from NYU, and an MA in Humanities with a focus on American literature, critical theory and queer studies from the University of Chicago. He freelances for a number of culture, entertainment and travel publications; his academic scholarship has been published in Callaloo and Modernism/modernity (forthcoming). He is also the Gender & Sexuality editor at the Los Angeles Review of Books, as well as Co-Host for the LARB Radio Hour on KPFK 90.7FM.

Elizabeth (Libby) O'Hare completed a PhD in the UCLA Interdepartmental Neuroscience Graduate Program in 2008. Libby's dissertation research focused on developmental cognitive neuroscience, and she used functional and structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to examine relationships between brain growth and improving cognitive capacities in typically developing children and adolescents and those with prenatal exposure to alcohol. While in graduate school, Libby received the NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA) to support her dissertation research.

Kathryn Renton completed a PhD in History at UCLA in 2018. She specializes in the intellectual and cultural history of early modern Europe. While in graduate school, Kathryn received a Social Science Research Council International Dissertation Research Fellowship to support her dissertation research. Her dissertation investigates styles of horsemanship in the Spanish empire and their diplomatic uses in western Mediterranean and trans-Atlantic encounters.

Maureen Sampson completed her PhD in Molecular Toxicology at UCLA in 2020. She is studying the serotonin system in Drosophila melanogaster. In 2014, she wrote a successful NSF GRFP application to fund her work examining developmental serotonin dysregulation. Prior to beginning her studies at UCLA, she worked as a research chemist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. Here, she received training in the application of reader expectation theory in scientific writing.

Tahseen Shams completed a PhD in Sociology at UCLA in 2018. She is interested in, and has published articles on, international migration, race, ethnicity, nationalism, and religion. She was a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the UCLA Graduate Division University Fellowship, and the Dissertation Year Fellowship.

Lauren Slone is completing her PhD in Developmental Psychology. Her research focuses on mechanisms of perceptual and cognitive development during infancy and early childhood. She earned her BS in Biological Sciences and Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. and her MA in Psychology from UCLA. Lauren is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, as well as UCLA’s Graduate Research Mentorship and Graduate Summer Research Mentorship.

Drew Westmoreland completed a PhD in Epidemiology at UCLA in 2018. Her research interests are in infectious disease and social epidemiology specifically focusing on the influences of social networks on sexual health behaviors and sexually transmitted diseases.