Writing and Research Workshops - Spring 2023
The Graduate Writing Center offers a wide variety of writing workshops, ranging from general to more specialized topics. We also provide information on selected campus offices that provide assistance with research, data management, and data analysis.
All workshops are conducted on Zoom unless otherwise noted.
General Workshops
Expanding Your Audience: How to Publish Outside Academia
Jessie Stoolman, Anthropology, Writing Consultant
Tony Wei Ling, 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 18th, 5:15-6:45 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/edu/events/1284513
Public Speaking in Academia
Adriana Mendez Leal, Psychology, 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, April 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/edu/events/1284528
Revision Workshop: Strategies for Revising Longer Texts
Abraham Encinas, English
Marilyn Gray, Director, Graduate Writing Center
This hands-on workshop will provide people with revision strategies for longer texts, such as master’s theses, dissertation chapters or proposals. Please bring a hard copy of your own work—at least 15-20 double-spaced pages (more is fine).
Pizza and snacks will be provided.
Tuesday, May 2nd, 4:30-6:30pm
Location (IN PERSON): Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) https://gwc.gsrc.ucla.edu/location
RSVP on Handshake (so we know how much food to bring): https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/edu/events/1284980
Mindful Writing Retreat Sessions (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. All sessions will be conducted remotely via zoom.
(More information coming soon)
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.
Tuesday, May 16th, 5:15-6:45 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/edu/events/1289317
Social Sciences 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.
Tuesday, May 16th, 5:15-6:45 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/edu/events/1289317
Science and Engineering Writing Workshops
Effective, Efficient, and Fair Peer Reviewing for the Sciences
Zoe Pierrat, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
This workshop will cover strategies and best practices for writing a peer-review in the sciences. We will discuss who is qualified and how to get involved in peer reviewing, effective structure for a peer review, how to decide when to accept, major revisions, or reject a paper, and common pitfalls to avoid when writing a peer review. The workshop is geared towards those in the physical and life sciences.
Thursday, April 20th, 5:15-6:15 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/edu/events/1287760
Strategies for Keeping Science Writing Engaging
Aidan Howenstine, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Graduate Writing Consultant
This workshop will use Joshual Schimel's book Writing Scienceto provide strategies for maintaining a narrative through scientific writing. We will address strategies for writing clearly, concisely, and with the reader's attention in mind. We will also discuss editing techniques and writing practices that can keep writing engaging.
Thursday, May 11th, 5:15-6:45 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/edu/events/1289319
Expanding Your Audience: How to Publish Outside Academia (STEM Focus)
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.
Thursday, June 1st, 5:15-6:45 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/edu/events/1289323
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.
Thursday, April 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/edu/events/1284532
Grants/Fellowships Workshops
Writing the Fulbright U.S. Fellowship Application [tbd]
Jackie Davis, Fulbright Recipient, Writing Consultant
Jessie Stoolman, Fulbright Recipient, Writing Consultant
Sherman Chew, 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.
Date/Time: TBA
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation:
Applying for the NIH Training Fellowship
Caroline Diehl, 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.
Tuesday, May 23rd, 5:00-6:30 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation:https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/edu/events/1289321
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.