Spring 2018 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 Workshops

Expanding Your Audience: How to Publish Outside Academia
Macrina Cooper-White, Psychology, Writing Consultant
Eric Newman, English, Writing Consultant
Alexandra Verini, English, Writing Consultant
Where can your writing and research interests go beyond a field-specific journal article or academic conference presentation? Writing for non-academic publications offers graduate students the opportunity to flex their creative muscles and develop a broader audience for their work. This workshop will help orient students within the world of non-academic writing, providing guidance on where to publish, how to translate complex ideas for a general audience and strategies for writing a pitch letter to a non-academic publication.
Tuesday, April 24th, 5:10-6:50 PM
Location: Conference Room 1, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Public Speaking in Academia
Allison Collins, Comparative Literature, Writing Consultant
This workshop introduces the genres of public speaking in academia, ranging from teaching lectures to conference papers to job talks. The workshop includes suggested strategies as well as hands-on practice.
Thursday, May 17th, 5:10-6:45 PM
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Getting Started on the Dissertation: How to Get Going and Keep Going
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Director
This workshop gives an overview of organization, time management, writing process issues and writing strategies. Recommended for people in the early stages of the dissertation, but useful for all stages.
Thursday, May 24th, 5:10-6:50 PM
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Finishing and Filing the Dissertation
Recent graduates of UCLA doctoral programs will address strategies for finishing the dissertation, such as writing and revising comprehensive introductions, literature reviews, and conclusions. The panel will also address incorporating multiple committee members’ feedback, dealing with the nuts and bolts of the final editing stages, and planning for the filing process itself. Recommended for those who are aiming to finish and file within the next year.
Tuesday, June 5th, 5:10-6:50 PM
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Workshops on Writing Grants and Fellowships

Introduction to Grant Writing in the Nonprofit Sector
Will Clark, English, 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.
Tuesday, May 1st, 4:00-5:30 PM
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Writing the Fulbright U.S. Fellowship Application
Samuel Anderson, Fulbright Recipient, Writing Consultant
Shannon Yu, 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 3rd, 4:00-5:30 PM
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Applying for the NIH Training Fellowship
Anna Sahakyan, NIH NRSA Recipient, Writing Consultant
This workshop will cover the application process and required components of an NIH NRSA application.. We will discuss preparation, documents needed, and writing strategies. The workshop will mainly focus on NIH Grant F31, but F30 and F32 are very similar. The workshop will also address how to find appropriate materials/resources for a complete application.
Friday, June 1st, 12:00-1:30 PM
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Humanities Writing Workshops

Expanding Your Audience: How to Publish Outside Academia (Humanities Focus)
Eric Newman, English, Writing Consultant
Alexandra Verini, English, Writing Consultant
Where can your writing and research interests go beyond a field-specific journal article or academic conference presentation? Writing for non-academic publications offers graduate students the opportunity to flex their creative muscles and develop a broader audience for their work. This workshop will help orient students within the world of non-academic writing, providing guidance on where to publish, how to translate complex ideas for a general audience and strategies for writing a pitch letter to a non-academic publication.
Friday, April 13th, 2:00-3:45 PM
Location: Royce Hall, Room 236

Social Sciences Writing Workshops

Science and Engineering Writing Workshops

Writing an Engineering Paper
Ariella Machness, Material Science Engineering, Graduate Writing Center 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 masters and doctoral theses and proposals.
Friday, May 11th, 1:00-2:30 PM
Location: Science and Engineering Library, Boelter Hall 8270 (Learning Commons)

ESL Workshops

Email Etiquette for the Job-Seeker
Miranda Procter, Business Administration, Writing Consultant
Erin Brown, Graduate Career Services 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.
Tuesday, April 17th, 5:10-6:50 PM
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Self-Editing Strategies for Non-Native Speakers of English
Alexandra Verini, English, Writing Consultant
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.
Thursday, April 26th, 5:10-6:50 PM
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) ( map )

Statistical Software Workshops and Consultation

Current and former workshops may be found here.

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.

Click the link below for more information about the research and teaching support offered by the UCLA Library: http://www.library.ucla.edu/support

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.