Fall 2020 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.

All Fall 2020 workshops will be conducted remotely.

Past Workshops

Workshop Videos

General Workshops

Strategic Reading
Drew Fleshman, Comparative Literature, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Jesslyn Whittell, English, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
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.
1) Wednesday, October 7th, 5:15-6:30 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/581390
2) Thursday, October 8th, 5:15-6:30 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/581398

Writing the Personal Statement
Michelle Luna, Psychology, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
This workshop will cover strategies for writing personal statements for fellowship applications, residencies, and PhD 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.
Tuesday, October 20th, 4:30-5:30 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/581408

Introduction to Writing a Literature Review
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Director
This workshop will cover strategies and best practices for writing a literature review, including note-taking strategies, writing process issues, and common organizational patterns. The workshop focus will be on literature reviews for original research projects but will be generally applicable to all literature reviews.
Tuesday, October 27th, 5:15-6:30 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/585484

Humanities Writing Workshops

Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Humanities and Social Sciences)
Jesslyn Whittell, English, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Cherie Francis, UCLA Graduate Division
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. We will also cover tips for organizing the application process.
Thursday, October 15th, 5:30-7:30 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/581420

Getting Started on the Master's Thesis (Humanities and Social Science focus)
Jeanette Charles, History, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
This workshop will give an overview of how to write a master's thesis or project of similar length (like a qualifying paper) for students in the Humanities and Social Sciences. It will include writing activities and discussion to help participants develop their thesis topics. We will also present strategies for organizing research and literature reviews, as well as tips for drafting and revision.
Thursday, October 29th, 5:15-6:45 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/589065

Social Sciences Writing Workshops

Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Humanities and Social Sciences)
Jesslyn Whittell, English, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Cherie Francis, UCLA Graduate Division
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. We will also cover tips for organizing the application process.
Thursday, October 15th, 5:30-7:30 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/581420

Science and Engineering Writing Workshops

Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Science and Engineering Focus)
Rob Ulrich, NSF GRF Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Jaime De Anda, NSF GRF Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Cherie Francis, UCLA Graduate Division
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.
Tuesday, October 13th, 5:30-7:30 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/581431

Practical Tips for Writing a Scientific Paper
Rob Ulrich, Geochemistry, 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 ambiguously stated hypotheses.
Tuesday, November 17th, 5:15-6:30 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/585482

ESL Workshops

Writing Strategies for International Students
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Director
This workshop covers specifics of English communication in academic and professional settings with an emphasis on resources and self-editing skills for second language writers. We will discuss expectations for citation in the U.S. and ways to avoid plagiarism. We will address email etiquette in academic and professional communication. We will also discuss strategies and resources for improving English grammar, word choice, and style.
Thursday, October 22nd, 5:15-6:15 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/581439

Workshops on Writing Grants and Fellowships

Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Humanities and Social Sciences)
Jesslyn Whittell, English, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Cherie Francis, UCLA Graduate Division
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. We will also cover tips for organizing the application process.
Thursday, October 15th, 5:30-7:30 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/581420

Statistical Software Workshops and Consultation

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.

Research Workshops at the Library

To see the most complete, current schedule of UCLA Library advanced research workshops, consult the UCLA Library research workshop page.

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.