Winter 2021 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.
All Winter 2021 workshops will be conducted remotely.
General Workshops
Strategic Reading
Jesslyn Whittell, English, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
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. Note: This workshop does not teach speed-reading techniques.
Thursday, January 7th, 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/640260
Time Management for Writing
Marilyn Gray, Director, Graduate Writing Center
In this workshop, we will discuss effective strategies for goal setting and time management as they relate to research and writing projects, especially the writing component. We will also address some approaches to working effectively from home.
Thursday, January 21st, 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/641737
Introduction to Writing a Literature Review
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Director
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 applicable to all literature reviews.
Tuesday, February 23rd, 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/640850
Humanities Writing Workshops
Getting Started on the Master's Thesis (Humanities and Social Science focus)
Jeanette Charles, History, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Abraham Encinas, English, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
This workshop will give an overview of how to write a master's thesis or project of similar length (like a qualifying paper) for students in the Humanities and Social Sciences. It will include writing activities and discussion to help participants develop their thesis topics. We will also present strategies for organizing research and literature reviews, as well as tips for drafting and revision.
Wednesday, January 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/640271
Strategies for Writing the Humanities Dissertation Prospectus
Alana de Hinojosa, Chicana/o and Central American Studies, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
This workshop is geared towards giving prospectus writers the tools to write their prospectus over the course of two months. We will discuss literature review and argument development as well as how to turn the many different pieces of a prospectus into a coherent document. Nota bene: this is meant to be an addition to--not a substitution for--serious discussions with your advisor about what is expected of you in your home department.
Thursday, February 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/events/640298
Social Sciences Writing Workshops
Getting Started on the Master's Thesis (Humanities and Social Science focus)
Jeanette Charles, History, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
Abraham Encinas, English, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
This workshop will give an overview of how to write a master's thesis or project of similar length (like a qualifying paper) for students in the Humanities and Social Sciences. It will include writing activities and discussion to help participants develop their thesis topics. We will also present strategies for organizing research and literature reviews, as well as tips for drafting and revision.
Wednesday, January 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/640271
Strategies for Writing the Social Sciences Dissertation Proposal
Hannah Carlan, Anthropology, Graduate Writing Center Consultant
This workshop will give an overview of the main components of a dissertation proposal in the social sciences and cover strategies for writing the research questions, literature review, and methods sections, as well as some tips for getting through this sometimes daunting process. (These strategies should be adapted to your department's and advisor's expectations about the structure and content of your proposal.) If you have preliminary drafts of an abstract or research questions, please bring them.
Thursday, February 18th, 5:15-6:45 p.m.
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/641601
Science and Engineering Writing Workshops
Getting Started on the Master's Thesis (STEM Focus)
Macrina Dieffenbach , Psychology, Graduate Writing Consultant
Rob Ulrich, Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, Graduate Writing Consultant
This workshop will give an overview of how to write a master's thesis for students in STEM fields. It will include writing activities and discussion to help participants develop their thesis topics. We will also present strategies for organizing research and literature reviews, as well as tips for drafting and revision.
Thursday, January 28th, 5:15-6:45 p.m.
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/641077
Dissertation Proposal (STEM) Workshop
Macrina Dieffenbach, Psychology, Graduate Writing Consultant
Michelle Luna, Psychology, Graduate Writing Consultant
This workshop, geared toward students in STEM fields, will cover dissertation proposal structures and components, as well as writing process strategies and time management. In addition, we will address issues related to the oral defense portion of the proposal.
Thursday, February 4th, 5:15-6:45 p.m.
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/641078
ESL Workshops
Writing Strategies for International Students
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Director
This workshop covers specifics of English communication in academic and professional settings with an emphasis on resources and self-editing skills for second language writers. We will discuss expectations for citation in the U.S. and ways to avoid plagiarism. We will address email etiquette in academic and professional communication. We will also discuss strategies and resources for improving English grammar, word choice, and style.
Thursday, January 14th, 5:15-6:15 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/640267
Grants/Fellowships Workshops
Writing the Fulbright-Hays Fellowship Application
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Director
Ross Fenimore, Graduate Division Fellowship Services
This workshop will cover strategies for writing the Fulbright Hays fellowship application. We will discuss the structure and content of key documents using examples. We will cover writing tips for fellowship applications as well as specific advice for the Fulbright-Hays.
Friday, January 8th, 12:00-1:00 PM
This workshop will be conducted remotely via Zoom. RSVP on Handshake to receive an invitation: https://ucla.joinhandshake.com/events/640253
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.