Writing and Research Workshops - Spring 2021

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 Spring 2021 workshops will be conducted remotely.

Past Workshops

Workshop Videos

General Workshops

Mindfulness for Graduate Students
Marilyn Gray, Director, Graduate Writing Center
This workshop will offer a general overview of mindfulness concepts and practices, as well as potential benefits for wellness and learning. We will then briefly discuss how mindfulness may support teaching, research, and writing. Finally, we will go over mindfulness resources that are available to UCLA students.
Monday, April 5th, 12-1 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/718965

UCLA IRB Review: Policy and Procedures
Tiffany Rose & Anya Rosensteel, UCLA Office of the Human Research Protections Program (OHRPP)
This workshop will provide an overview of the UCLA IRB application process and related policies and procedures.
Thursday, April 15th, 3:00-4:00 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/733108

Public Speaking in Academia
Rob Ulrich, Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, 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.
Tuesday, April 20th, 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/733209

Mindful Writing Retreat (Online)
Marilyn Gray, Director, Graduate Writing Center
The mindful writing retreat will integrate simple techniques from mindfulness to support the writing process and cultivate an approach to writing that fosters balance, self-care, and well-being. Please bring a current writing project because much of the retreat time will be allocated for writing.
Saturday, April 24th, 10:00AM - 4:00PM (with one hour lunch break)
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/733210

Humanities Writing Workshops

Getting Started on the Dissertation (Humanities, Social Sciences, and Related Fields)
Marilyn Gray, Director, Graduate Writing Center
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 27th, 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/733212

Social Sciences Writing Workshops

Science and Engineering Writing Workshops

Expanding Your Audience: How to Publish Outside Academia (STEM Focus)
Macrina Dieffenbach, Psychology, 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 will 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 STEM or the general public.
Tuesday, April 13th, 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/733101

How to Make an Argument (STEM Focus)
Michelle Luna, Psychology, Graduate Writing Consultant
This workshop will focus on the components of creating an argument. We will talk about incorporating arguments into writing and examine examples of argument structures.
Thursday, May 13th, 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/733213

ESL Workshops

Self-Editing Strategies for Non-Native Speakers of English
Abraham Encinas, English, Writing Consultant
This workshop will provide concrete strategies and online tools to enable non-native speakers of English to improve their writing and editing process, check grammatical issues, make appropriate vocabulary choices and approach issues like article and preposition usage in their own writing projects.
Tuesday, May 4th, 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/733215

Grants/Fellowships Workshops

Applying for the NIH Training Fellowship
Alex Sun, 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 required, and writing strategies for the F31, but the F30 and F32 are very similar. We will also address how to find appropriate materials/resources for a complete application.
Thursday, April 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/733217

Writing the Fulbright U.S. Fellowship Application
Hannah Carlan, Fulbright Recipient, Writing Consultant
Shannon Yu, Graduate Division Fellowship Services
his 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.
Tuesday, May 18th, 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/734382

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.