Summer 2013 Writing and Research Workshops
The Graduate Writing Center offers a wide variety of general writing workshops and workshops on more specialized issues. We also hold targeted writing workshops for graduate students in the areas of Humanities & Arts, Social Sciences, and Sciences & Engineering. Special thanks to our campus programming partners: UCLA Library, Writing Programs, Academic Technology Services Statistical Consulting Group, Student Psychological Services, and the Career Center.
General Writing Workshops
Grammar & Punctuation 101: A Refresher Workshop
Rebecca Hill, English
What is the difference between "who" and "whom"? When should I use active or passive voice? When should/shouldn't I use a comma? Designed for both native and non-native speakers of English, this workshop will review sentence structure, punctuation, restrictive/non-restrictive clauses, dangling and misplaced modifiers, pronoun case, relative pronoun use, noun/verb agreement, and passive/active voice. Participants will practice editing for grammatical accuracy in addition to discussing methods and resources for self-correction.
Friday, July 12th, 1:15-3:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
How to Write an Abstract: Concrete Recommendations
Matt Knauff, Philosophy
This session will help any graduate student write the abstracts required for journal articles, conference papers, and fellowship applications. We will consider the elements of convincing abstracts in various disciplines. Then, you will assemble your own abstract, piece by piece. For speakers of other languages, strategies for English-language abstracts will be analyzed. If possible, please bring a draft of your article or paper for this hands-on workshop.
Wednesday, July 17th, 2:30-4:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
An Introduction to Publishing Journal Articles
Lauren Krogh, 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 discuss how to structure an article as well as the writing and revision process.
Friday, July 19th, 12:00-2:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Editing for Style: How to Improve Your Writing
Stacey Meeker, Information Studies; GSA Director of Publications
Rebecca Hill, English
I've been told that my writing is "dense" and "passive" and that my sentences don't "flow." How can I fix these problems? This hands-on workshop will cover strategies for improving writing at the sentence level. We will look at common problems like the overuse of weak verbs, passive voice, and nominalizations as well as offer specific tips to strengthen clarity and cohesion. Please bring a hard copy of your own work, at least 5-10 double-spaced pages (more is fine).
Wednesday, July 24th, 2:30-4:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
How to Make an Argument
Matt Knauff, Philosophy
This workshop will discuss how to make, situate, and qualify arguments appropriately in graduate-level academic writing. Participants will learn what the basic components of any solid argument are and how to structure them into a coherent, persuasive whole. They will practice constructing their own arguments and analyzing arguments from scholarly articles. If participants would like to practice analyzing arguments in their own fields, they should bring one or two scholarly articles to the workshop.
Friday, July 26th, 12:00-2:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
The Art of Writing the Literature Review
Renee Hudson, English
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 helpful for all literature reviews. Although this workshop is for a general audience, it is oriented more to the humanities and social sciences.
Friday, August 2nd, 12:00-2:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Writing the Personal Statement
Matt Knauff, Philosophy
This workshop will cover strategies for writing personal statements for fellowship applications, internships, and Ph.D. 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.
1) Wednesday, August 7th, 3:00-4:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
2) Monday, September 9th, 5:15-6:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
UCLA IRB Review: Policy and Procedures
Paul Lillig, 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.
Friday, August 9th, 12:00-1:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Writing Review Articles
Aaron Green, Chemistry
Lauren Krogh, Psychology
This workshop will cover strategies and best practices for writing a review article, including note-taking strategies, writing process issues, and common organizational patterns. Although this workshop is for a general audience, it is oriented more to the sciences.
Friday, August 16th, 12:00-2:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Management of Research Data
Libbie Stephenson, Data Archivist, UCLA Social Science Data Archives
This workshop covers best practices for managing research data generated in the social sciences. Topics include: rationale for data management planning; best practices for collecting and organizing research data; and best practices for protecting privacy and confidentiality. The workshop provides tips on handling video, audio, qualitative and quantitative data formats and will provide a list of resources and contact information for additional support. The workshop also provides tips for preparing data plans for dissertation proposals and funding applications.
Friday, August 30th, 12:00-1:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Workshops on Writing Grants and Fellowships
Applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Aaron Green, Chemistry, NSF GRF recipient
Lauren Krogh, Psychology, NSF GRF recipient
This workshop will discuss strategies for applying for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Open to US citizens in the Social, Biological, and Physical Sciences, this highly competitive fellowship provides three years of fellowship funding to successful applicants. The workshop will focus on the intellectual merit and broader impacts criteria for NSF grants, the structure of the proposal, suggestions for writing style, and technical details of Fastlane submission.
1) Wednesday, August 21st, 3:00-4:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
2) Friday, September 13th, 12:00-1:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications
Sarah Al-Hiyari, Oral Biology, NIH fellowship recipient
Aaron Green, Chemistry, NSF GRF recipient
Lauren Krogh, Psychology, NSF GRF recipient
This workshop focuses 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 also covers tips for organizing the process. Finally, the workshop addresses briefly a few major funding opportunities for graduate students, including the NSF and NIH fellowships.
1) Friday, August 23rd, 12:00-1:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
2) Wednesday, September 11th, 3:00-4:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Applying for the NIH Training Fellowship
Sarah Al-Hiyari, Oral Biology, NIH fellowship recipient
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, September 6th, 12:00-1:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
Statistical Software Workshops
For walk-in consulting information, Stat books for loan, and the most up-to-date listing of seminars, please see the ATS Stats Group website. Click for more detailed location information, including directions to the Visualization Portal in the Math Sciences building.
Research Workshops
Research Workshops
The UCLA Library offers researchers helpful workshops on a variety of topics. Unless otherwise noted, sessions are open; no advance registration is required. Click for a listing of all current workshops, only some of which included below.
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.