Summer 2014 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 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 11th, 12:00-1:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)

Writing the Fulbright U.S. Fellowship Application
Marilyn Gray, Director, Graduate Writing Center
Rocio Flores, 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.
Wednesday, July 16th, 10:00-11:45am
Location: Bunche Hall, Room 6275

Writing the Teaching Philosophy Statement
Marilyn Gray, Director, Graduate Writing Center
Renee Hudson, English
Teaching philosophy statements may be required in applications for academic jobs as well as some fellowship and grants. This workshop presents the elements of a well-constructed teaching philosophy statement and explores ways to develop a teaching philosophy and to write about your teaching effectively. Whether you are going on the academic job market soon or you are at an earlier stage of graduate school, we encourage you to attend. We also encourage you to bring any syllabi you have taught or developed to this workshop, but it is not required. Please RSVP for this workshop at the following link. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/academic-job-series-writing-the-teaching-philosophy-statement-tickets-12157163403
Thursday, July 17th, 2:00-4:00pm
Location: The Career Center, Room 200

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.
Wednesday, July 23rd, 5:10-6:50pm
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
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).
Friday, July 25th, 12:00-1:45pm
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. Participants are encouraged to bring one or two scholarly articles to the workshop to practice analyzing arguments in their own fields
Friday, August 8th, 12:00-1:50pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)

Self-Editing Strategies for Non-Native Speakers of English
Adrienne Lynett, Applied Linguistics
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.
Monday, August 11th, 5:10-6:50pm ( please note the new time )
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 15th, 12:00-12:45pm ( please note the new time )
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)

Strategic Reading
Rebecca Hill, English
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. Nota Bene: This workshop does not teach speed-reading techniques.
Thursday, September 11th, 3:30-5:00pm
Location: Conference Room 3, Student Activities Center (basement level)

Writing the Personal Statement
Matthew 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.
Friday, September 12th, 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
Lauren Krogh Slone, NSF GRF Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Professor Francesco Chiappelli, Graduate Division Faculty Extramural Fellowship Proposal Consultant
Cherie Francis, Graduate Division Fellowships and Financial Services
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 research proposal and personal statement, suggestions for writing style, and tips for Fastlane submission.
Please RSVP for one of the following workshop times:
1) Thursday, August 28th, 12:00-1:45pm
Location: Conference Room 3, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP 8/28: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/applying-for-the-nsf-graduate-research-fellowship-828-tickets-12713256693
2) Tuesday, September 9th, 5:10-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)
RSVP 9/9: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/applying-for-the-nsf-graduate-research-fellowship-99-tickets-12715683953

Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Sciences and Engineering Focus)
Lauren Krogh Slone, NSF GRF Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Cherie Francis, Graduate Division Fellowships and Financial Services
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.
Please RSVP for this workshop at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-successful-grant-and-fellowship-applications-sciences-and-engineering-focus-95-tickets-12715884553
Friday, September 5th, 12:30-2:15pm
Location: Career Center Room 200

Writing Successful Grant and Fellowship Applications (Humanities and Social Sciences Focus)
Pauline Lewis, Fulbright Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Cherie Francis, Graduate Division Fellowships and Financial Services
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. The workshop will also cover tips for organizing the application process.
Please RSVP for this workshop at the following link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-successful-grant-and-fellowship-applications-humanities-and-social-sciences-focus-910-tickets-12716133297
Wednesday, September 10th, 3:00-4:45pm
Location: Career Center Room 200

Applying for the NIH Training Fellowship
Sarah Al-Hiyari, NIH Fellowship Recipient, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
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.
Please RSVP for this workshop at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/applying-for-the-nih-training-fellowship-919-tickets-12715806319
Friday, September 19th, 12:00-1:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level)

Statistical Software Workshops and Consultation

Current and former workshops : http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/seminars/default.htm

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. The Statistical Consulting Services also keep an extensive archive of past workshops.

Research Workshops

Research Workshops
Click the link below for a current listing of research workshops offered by the UCLA Library:
http://www.library.ucla.edu/service/research-workshops

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 .