Spring 2016 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

Email Etiquette for the Job-Seeker
Alexandra Verini, English
Amanda Cornwall, UCLA Career Center
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.
Friday, April 15th, 12:00-1:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Introduction to Scrivener
Mercedes Douglass, Anthropology
In this workshop, we will explore the use of Scrivener for compiling research notes and managing the initial stages of the drafting process. Although originally designed for novelists, Scrivener's versality and clean, simple format is also well suited to the work that humanists and social scientists do. In addition to Scrivener, we will take an introductory look at Scapple, a mind-mapping tool by the same makers, Literature and Latte.
Thursday, April 28th, 5:10-6:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Workshops on Writing Grants and Fellowships

Writing the Fulbright-Hays Fellowship Application
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Director
Estevan Hernandez, Graduate Division Fellowship Services
This workshop will cover strategies for writing the Fulbright Hays fellowship application. We will discuss the structure and content of key documents using examples. We will cover writing tips for fellowship applications as well as specific advice for the Fulbright Hays.
Thursday, April 14th, 4:00-5:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Writing the Fulbright U.S. Fellowship Application
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Director
Mikelle Nickens, Graduate Division Fellowship Services
This workshop will cover strategies for writing the Fulbright U.S. fellowship application. We will discuss the structure and content of key documents using examples. We will address writing tips for fellowship applications as well as specific advice for this Fulbright fellowship.
Thursday, May 5th, 4:00-5:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Humanities and Social Sciences Focus)
Eric Newman, English
Tahseen Shams, Sociology
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, May 10th, 5:10-6:50pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Applying for the NIH Training Fellowship
Katelyn Caslavka, NIH Fellowship Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Diane Goldenberg, 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, May 27th, 12:00pm-1:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Humanities Writing Workshops

Conference Proposals and Presentations in the Humanities
Allison Collins, Comparative Literature
Rebecca Hill, English
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. We will discuss 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.
Thursday, April 21st, 5:10-6:50pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

An Introduction to Publishing Journal Articles (Humanities)
Renee Hudson, English
Thinking about preparing an article manuscript for submission? Based on Wendy Belcher's workbook, Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks, this workshop will focus on the aspects of the process of getting an article published that most differ from other graduate writing projects, such as selecting appropriate journals and interacting with editors. We will discuss how to structure an article as well as the writing and revision process.
Thursday, June 2nd, 5:10-6:50pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Social Sciences Writing Workshops

An Introduction to Publishing Journal Articles (Sciences and Social Sciences)
Natsuki Atagi, Psychology
Laura Fink, Psychology
Diane Goldenberg, Psychology Thinking about preparing an article manuscript for submission? Based on Wendy Belcher's workbook, Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks, this workshop will focus on the aspects of the process of getting an article published that most differ from other graduate writing projects, such as selecting appropriate journals and interacting with editors. We will also discuss strategies for revising articles for a target journal.
Thursday, May 19th, 5:10-6:50pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Science and Engineering Writing Workshops

An Introduction to Publishing Journal Articles (Sciences and Social Sciences)
Natsuki Atagi, Psychology
Laura Fink, Psychology
Diane Goldenberg, Psychology
Thinking about preparing an article manuscript for submission? Based on Wendy Belcher's workbook, Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks, this workshop will focus on the aspects of the process of getting an article published that most differ from other graduate writing projects, such as selecting appropriate journals and interacting with editors. We will also discuss strategies for revising articles for a target journal.
Thursday, May 19th, 5:10-6:50pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Conference Proposals and Presentations in the Sciences
Katelyn Caslavka, Biochemistry
This workshop will cover strategies for presenting at conferences. We will address 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.
Tuesday, May 24th, 5:10-6:50pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

ESL Workshops

Self-Editing Strategies for Non-Native Speakers of English
Alexandra Verini, English
This workshop will provide concrete strategies and online tools 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.
Friday, April 8th, 12:00-1:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

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

The Research Library periodically offers 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 workshops, please contact Margarita Nafpaktitis ( nafpaktitis@library.ucla.edu ). And see our website for the most complete and current list of Library workshop offerings.

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.