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Laurier writing tutors offer support to help students become better writers

June 9, 2023

Academic writing can seem like a mystery wrapped in an enigma. How do you structure an essay? How do you navigate citations? Why are the rules of English grammar so confusing?

Fortunately, Wilfrid Laurier University offers Writing Services in Waterloo and Brantford that can help with these questions and more. Students can book an in-person or online writing appointment to get one-on-one support.

At the heart of Writing Services are paid student writing tutors who have one goal: to help you become a better writer so you can achieve your academic aspirations.

Below, now-graduated writing tutors Scott Lu (BA ’23) and Alexa Dupuis-Bissonnette (MA ‘23) discuss what Writing Services has to offer.

What advice do you have for students who want to improve their academic writing?

Alexa Dupuis-Bissonnette (ADP) : My biggest advice is that writing at the academic level is very formulaic. If you are feeling lost, or feeling unable to be a “good writer,” there are formulas to follow. It’s not just something you’re inherently good at, but it is something that anybody can become practiced at . If you’re feeling discouraged, just know that it is learnable, and it’s actually not that inaccessible.

Sometimes we just need to break it down: here’s how to write an essay; here’s how you navigate citations. Students often don’t know they can ask questions about writing. Not knowing how to improve, it can be really demoralizing and stressful. Writing Services can help with that.

Scott Lu (SL) : My best advice is to read for enjoyment. I know that can be hard, especially if you’re in a program where you have to read a lot, it becomes like a job. But try to create some kind of space where it doesn’t matter what it is. It doesn’t have to be classic literature, it just has to be something you enjoy.

I have another piece of advice that applies not just to writing, but to school in general. Often students would come to the writing centre and say, “I’m not sure what to do about this.” And I’d say, “Did you ask your professor or TA about this?” And you’d be surprised how many said they didn’t. Students can really benefit from the fact that Laurier has a very collegial atmosphere . Professors are there to help, whether after class or during their office hours. Writing tutors can give you advice about writing, but when it comes to the subject matter itself the best person to ask is your professor or TA.

What did you learn in your time as a writing tutor?

ADP : For me, being a writing tutor is about student interactions and making sure I understand what a student’s needs are. I’ve had people coming to me every single year because they value the connection and the learning . It’s less about the pedagogy or the technical aspects of writing and more about just asking students what they need.

SL : I learned a lot of communication skills. You can’t just tell students, “Write it like this!” That goes against the job description – and it’s also not very realistic or effective. They won’t understand why you do something a certain way or the principle behind it. I needed to be able to get them to be open to some of that critique and support.

What was your favourite part about being a writing tutor?

ADP: For me, the best moments as a tutor came when a student would say, “Wow, you just changed everything.” Not because I needed the pat on the back, but because they realized this was not an issue of them not being able to do it. They just needed it explained . Maybe they will be more confident or ask more questions next time. Maybe there was one key piece missing and now they feel more empowered.

SL: My favourite part was seeing students develop and grow over time . You’d see students at the beginning and then again three months or a year down the line and you would see how much they improved. And, more than that, you would see them developing their own style as a writer.

In Waterloo, Writing Services is located in the Teaching and Learning Commons, second floor Peters Building, in the Writing and Learning Lab, Room P226. In Brantford, Writing Services is located at One Market, Room OM207. For more information or to book an appointment, visit the Writing Services page .

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University Library

• University Library Home
• Washington and Lee University Research Guides

Writing Resource and Research Guide

• Support for Writing Intensive Courses

About This Guide

• Using the Library Catalog
• Citation Styles
• Grammar & Writing Guidebooks
• Getting Help

Mary Abdoney

Welcome to the library resource and research guide for the writing intensive courses.

Browse the blue tabs (to the left on a computer and below on a mobile device) for information on:

• Using the Library Catalog;
• Citation Styles;
• Grammar & Writing Guides
• Zotero [an awesome citation manager].

Need help with something not covered in this guide, please contact Mary Abdoney , Chat with the Library , or email [email protected] . 

• Next: Using the Library Catalog >>
• Last Updated: Jan 14, 2024 2:03 PM
• URL: https://libguides.wlu.edu/writing

Resources for Students

How to thrive in a virtual learning environment.

Seven ways to keep your learning sharp in virtual classes!

Peer Tutoring

The mission of the Academic Peer Tutoring Program is to provide assistance for students, both through this site and with their peers. This program is available to all students at Washington and Lee University, free of charge. Upper-division students are available to all students in most entry-level courses.

The program is not only for students who are struggling, but those students who would like an extra boost towards achieving a desired success level in their classes.

All Peer Tutors undergo a rigorous departmental application and screening process followed by a training program to help them assess the best way to work with their students.

Request a Tutor

Please fill out the   Peer Tutor Request Form . We will notify you once we have received your form.

For any further questions, please email  [email protected] .

Writing Center

The Writing Center offers individual and group tutorial assistance on any college writing task, from papers and lab reports in any stage of completion to resumes and application essays.  

The Center is directed by an English Department faculty member and staffed by students from various major and minor fields chosen for their superior writing and teaching skills.

Make an Appointment

The Center is open Sunday through Thursday from 2-4:00 p.m., and 8-10:00 p.m. During Fall Term 2020, all writing center tutorials will be virtual.  Schedule Now!

For More Information

Contact  Professor Bill Oliver , Coordinator of the Writing Center, at  [email protected] .

Williams School Communication Center

Hours/Location: Sunday 6-10 PM, Monday 6-10 PM, Tuesday-Thursday 2-4 PM and 6-10 PM   / virtual in the Fall.

Specifics: The Williams School Communication Center provides access to professional writing consultants versed in the particular details of writing within the disciplines of accounting, business, economics, and politics.  Appointments can be made online through the scheduler on the  CommCenter webpage .

Subject Tutoring

While peer tutoring will connect you to a tutor you might work with over an extended period of time, sometimes you just need help one time with that one problem, that one topic, that one idea. If that’s the case, Subject Tutoring is available in a variety of subjects.

Contact: Professor Helen I’Anson ( [email protected] ) Hours/Location: Sunday-Thursday,  8-10PM EST, 3D Lab in IQ Center

Contact: Your professor or Head Tutor, Lourdes Arana ( [email protected] ) Hours/Location: Monday-Thursday, 7-9PM EST.  All meetings will be virtual.  Specifics: This center is for Economics 100 students only.

Accounting Help Center

Contacts: Beta Alpha Psi President, Avery Younis ( [email protected] ) Hours/Location: Sunday, 8-10PM EST, Huntley 327 Specifics: This center is for Accounting 100 students only.

Math Center

Baldridge Reading & Study Strategy Program

The Baldridge Reading & Study Strategy Program is a one-week course for developing reading speed and comprehension.  The program occurs virtually Sept. 21-25, 2020 with several sessions offered each day and does cost an additional fee.

Academic Success Coaching  

It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed by the academic load at college. If you’re consistently struggling to get a grip on all those papers and exams and the day-to-day challenges of your classes, you might benefit from academic coaching. Local learning specialist Anna Crockett offers coaching services and consulting for academic and life success on a fee-for-service basis.

Please note : anyone contacting Anna Crockett for themselves or on behalf of a student is strongly encouraged to also notify the appropriate class dean: For first-year students, Dean Rodocker ; for second- and third-year students, Dean Hobbs ; for fourth-year students, Dean Simpson .

Leyburn Library Research Desk

The Research staff of Leyburn Library offers assistance with the use of the library collections and other information resources.

Research Assistance will also be available to anyone using the Science Library.

Schedule a virtual research consultation with a librarian. Review the   library directory   to find a librarian who specializes in your topic of interest.

On demand chat research support is available at   library.wlu.edu . This service is operated by W&L librarians and trained student staff.

Additional Resources

Student Health and Counseling

Academic difficulties are sometimes related to physical or mental health issues.  If you are concerned that your health may be causing academic difficulties, please make an appointment with the appropriate office in Student Health and Counseling. 

The Student Health Center is located in the lower level of Davis Hall. The main entrance is off the alley at the back of the building. You will need your University card to enter the Student Health Center; to make an appointment, call (540) 458-8401. 

The Counseling Center is located on the first floor of Early-Fielding; to make an appointment, call (540) 458-8590.

Student Affairs Class Deans

For non-academic issues, you are encouraged to contact the appropriate class dean:

Dean Jason Rodocker, [email protected] , for FY students,

Dean Megan Hobbs, [email protected] , for sophomores and juniors, and

Dean Tammi Simpson, [email protected] , for seniors.

Residential Life Staff  

The residential life staff is comprised of sophomore, junior and senior student leaders selected through a competitive process.

Resident Advisers (RA’s) work with First-Year students in the First-Year residence halls. 

Community Assistants (CA’s) work with upper-division students in The Village, Woods Creek apartments and theme houses. 

Career Fellows

Career Fellows introduce W&L undergraduate students to Career and Professional Development (CPD) resources and partner with peers to craft professional documents and navigate the job and internship search. They have appointment availability in Handshake to assist with resumes, cover letters, mock interviews, and networking.

Peer Counselors  

The Peer Counseling Program is a team of student volunteers dedicated to helping other students experiencing emotional problems.  Recognizing that students often feel most comfortable talking with friends about life issues, Peer Counselors receive extensive training on how to help other students. They are not therapists, but act as friends who are knowledgeable about the kinds of emotional issues affecting students and campus resources.   

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities  

Washington and Lee University is committed to providing equal access to educational opportunities to qualified students with physical or mental disabilities, in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

For more information, contact the Title IX Coordinator and Director of Disability Resources Lauren Kozak , Elrod Commons 212, (540) 458-4055. 

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• The W&L Story
• Admissions & Aid
• Campus Life
• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff

Creative Writing

• Department English
• Academic Division The College
• Offerings Minor

At W&L, creative writing is embedded in the study of literature. Students read widely; practice critical analysis; study the forms, modes and histories of literature in English; and develop their own writing through creative exercises and workshop critique. Small classes, dedicated faculty and a lively program of extracurricular offerings foster a supportive and challenging writing community.

Creative Writing 

W&L has cultivated great student and faculty writing for decades through the English Department and the literary magazine. Distinguished alumni include Tom Wolfe, Marshall Boswell, Mark Richard, Christian Wiman, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Rebecca Makkai, Matthew Neill Null and Suzanne LaFleur. 

The English Department offers a popular creative writing minor. Students do not need to be English majors to minor in creative writing; most major in other subjects.

Scholarships, Internships and Awards

The English Department offers a variety of scholarships as well as awards for both creative and critical writing. Shenandoah has published fiction, poetry and nonfiction from an astounding list of writers including Wallace Stevens, Flannery O’Connor, e. e. cummings, Rita Dove, Ha Jin and many others over its nearly 70-year history.

Students in the Shenandoah Magazine Internship learn the art, craft and business of publishing. A look behind the scenes at a working magazine is a valuable experience for writers and non-writers alike, and promises the hands-on development of skills relevant to a variety of fields after graduation. Students practice and lear literary editing, copyediting, professional communication, budgeting, how to design publicity material, and digital strategies, under the mentorship of a professional editor.

Holly Pickett

Department Head

• P: 540-458-8078
• E: [email protected]

Charity Corman

Administrative Assistant

• P: 540-458-8756
• E: [email protected]

Author Shruti Swamy and Poet Kelly Hoffer to Give Glasgow Endowment Reading at W&L

The public reading will take place May 1 at 7 p.m. in Northen Auditorium inside Leyburn Library.

Continue Reading

Writer and Poet Camille Dungy to Give Glasgow Endowment Reading at W&L

Dungy’s public reading will take place Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. in Northen Auditorium inside Leyburn Library.

Author Malika Booker to Give Glasgow Endowment Reading at W&L

Booker will give a lecture on Sept. 27 at 5 p.m. in in Leyburn Library’s Northen Auditorium.

Author GennaRose Nethercott to Give Glasgow Endowment Reading

She will read from her widely anticipated new novel, “Thistlefoot.”

Journalist Brittany Hailer to Give Glasgow Endowment Reading at W&L

Hailer will give a public lecture on March 31 at 6 p.m. in Northen Auditorium inside Leyburn Library.

Poet January Gill O’Neil to Give Glasgow Endowment Reading at W&L

O'Neil will give a public lecture on March 14 at 6 p.m. in the Hillel House sanctuary.

Author Valencia Robin to Give Glasgow Endowment Reading

Valencia Robin, an artist and author, will give a public lecture on March 7 at 5 p.m. in the Hillel House Sanctuary.

Poet Sarah Matthes Presents Glasgow Endowment Reading

Poet Sarah Matthes will give a public poetry reading on March 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hillel House Sanctuary.

W&L Presents Public Poetry Reading on Feb. 2

Poets Julie Phillips Brown and Brenna Womer will present a public poetry reading on Feb. 2 at 12:15 p.m. in the Science Center Atrium.

W&L’s Radulescu Publishes Memoir

Lexington's Downtown Books will host W&L Professor Domnica Radulescu for a book launch on Jan. 27 at 4:30 p.m.

W&L’s Deborah Miranda Awarded VFIC Harris Award

Miranda was recently awarded the H. Hiter Harris III Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching for 2021.

W&L Presents Public Reading by Visiting Poet

Eric Tran, a Vietnamese poet and author, will give a public lecture on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. in Northen Auditorium on the W&L campus.

Sample Courses

At W&L, we believe education and experience go hand-in-hand. You’ll be encouraged to dive in, explore and discover connections that will broaden your perspective.

Creating Comics

Eco-Writing

The Poetics of Food

Topics in Creative Writing

A course which is both a creative-writing and a studio-art course. Students study graphic narratives as an art form that combines image-making and storytelling, producing their own multi-page narratives through the “writing” of images. The course includes a theoretical overview of the comics form, using a range of works as practical models.

An expeditionary course in environmental creative writing. We take weekly “expeditions” including creative writing hikes, a landscape painting exhibit, and a Buddhist monastery. We also research the science and social science of the ecosystems explored, as well as the language of those ecosystems.

This class visits fresh/local/wild food venues each week, where sensory explorations focus on all aspects of foraging, creating, adapting and eating food. Coursework includes guided writing exercises based on the landscape/geography of food both in the field and classroom, with in-depth readings that help us turn topics like food politics, food insecurity, sustainable agriculture and genetically modified foods into poetry.

ENGL 203-209

Workshops, literary study and critical writing focused on a variety of creative writing topics across multiple courses. Topics include the practice of writing short fiction, the practice of writing poetry, playwriting and nonfiction.

Meet the Faculty

At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.

Chris Gavaler

Associate Professor of English

• P: 540-458-8279
• E: [email protected]

Gavaler teaches courses on creative writing, contemporary fiction and comics, which are also his main areas of research.

Genelle Gertz

Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Thomas H. Broadus Professor of English

• P: 540-458-8763
• E: [email protected]

Gertz teaches courses on Milton, the Tudors and the Bible. She is currently working on methods of social network analysis as they apply to our understanding of the rise and fall of women mystics in English literary history.

Deborah A. Miranda

Thomas H. Broadus Professor of English

• P: 540-458-8755
• E: [email protected]

Miranda primarily teaches courses on creative writing (poetry and memoir) and contemporary American literature by authors from the margins of U.S. culture. Her research pertains to Native American and Chicana/o poetry and fiction, women’s literature and LGBTQ literature.

Curriculum Vitae

Beth A. Staples

Assistant Professor of English and Editor, Shenandoah

• P: 540-458-8761
• E: [email protected]

Staples teaches courses in creative writing, editing and publishing. She is also the editor of W&L’s literary magazine, Shenandoah.

Lesley Wheeler

Henry S. Fox Professor of English

• P: 540-458-8758
• E: [email protected]

Wheeler teaches courses in poetry, creative writing and speculative fiction. Her research interests include 20th- and 21st-century poetry in English, especially as it involves sound, gender, politics and world-building.

The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process Publishes Winter 2024 Issue

The University of Arizona James E Rogers College of Law and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) have released the Winter 2024 issue of the Journal of Appellate Practice and Process (Volume 24, Issue 1). The issue features articles related to judicial behavior and its impact on the practice of law and precedent.   

Assistant Director of Legal Writing and Clinical Professor of Law Tessa L. Dysart , who serves as the Journal Editor-in-Chief and contributor said, “This issue focuses on an important participant in our system of government—judges and judicial behavior that impacts the practice of law and precedent. It also continues the important conversation started in the Summer 2023 issue about the role and future of the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. We are honored to help facilitate scholarly discussion on these issues.”  

The issue opens with a look at how gaps in judicial misconduct cases could potentially be filled by more regular recording of judges in state court, before moving onto articles that address the distinction between final decisions and final judgments; examine a fascinating constitutional crisis in Montana that led to a showdown between the state legislature and the state supreme court; and respond to a call in the Summer 2023 issue for terminating the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. A review on a legal biography about a veteran appellate attorney in the New Jersey Attorney General’s office who had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to handle a case before the United States Supreme Court rounds out the Winter issue.    

The issue’s contributors are Sarah M. R. Cravens , Washington and Lee University School of Law; Gregory R. Hargis , Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Company; Bryan Lammon , University of Toledo College of Law; Anders K. Newbury , formerly of the Montana Supreme Court; and Tessa L. Dysart , University of Arizona Law.  

To access the Winter 2024 issue click here .   

Erin Hughes ‘21 Earns Prestigious Coaching Recognition The third-year assistant women's basketball coach was named to the WBCA Thirty Under 30 List.

W&L Athletic Communications April 1, 2024

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Writing Resources

Useful websites on all aspects of writing.

• UNC resources and handouts  
• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
• Vanderbilt Writing Studio

Other Guides, Resources and Skills for Academic Writing

• Planning the Essay (University of Toronto)
• Outlining (Harvard)
• Thesis Statements (University of Toronto)
• Introductions and Conclusions (University of Toronto)
• Paragraph Development (University of Toronto)
• Paraphrase vs. Summary  (University of Toronto)
• Using Topic Sentences (University of Toronto)
• Using Quotations (University of Toronto)
• Comparison and Contrast (Toronto)
• Conclusions  (University of Colorado Denver)
• Annotated Bibliography (UCDenver)

Grammar and Style

• Style & Editing: Grammar, Punctuation, And Style (University of Toronto)
• Strunk and White's Elements of Style
• Grammar and Style Notes  by Jack Lynch

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MLA 9 Citations

The MLA style guide is a citation system created by the Modern Language Association and used primarily in the humanities, and specifically in fields that study language and literature. The style guide provides standards for writers to document and cite sources while conducting research in these fields.

A Complete MLA Citation Entry

Every complete MLA entry consists of two parts:

• In-text citation: a parenthetical citation integrated into the sentence or paragraph when quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing. Whether you are quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing, a page number (when available) is required.
• A works cited entry: a complete bibliographic citation listed alphabetically at the end of the paper in the works cited list. Note: the works cited list should include only those sources you cite in your text.

In-Text Citations

Basic parenthetical citation.

“Any poet who wished to engage with Britain’s political situation in the first two decades of the nineteenth century inevitably needed to engage with the subject of the Napoleonic Wars, within which Britain was embroiled for much of the period” (Knowles 307).

As Knowles underscores, “Any poet who wished to engage . . .” (207).

With no page numbers

“Any poet who wished to engage with Britain’s political situation in the first two decades of the nineteenth century inevitably needed to engage with the subject of the Napoleonic Wars, within which Britain was embroiled for much of the period” (Knowles).

With two authors

“It is not surprising, then, that institutional documents, such as certificates of insanity, admission records, and case histories often tell a different story than the one proffered by patients who were seeking justice, redemption, and/or catharsis” (Hanganu-Bresch and Berkenkotter 13).

With three or more authors

Include only the first author’s name followed by “et al.”

“Documents filtered through the criminal justice system and the press also pose challenges in analysing Black women’s experiences and stories” (Ware et al. 638).

With no named author (use the work’s title or description)

“Any poet who wished to engage with Britain’s political situation . . . inevitably needed to engage with the subject of the Napoleonic Wars” ("Female Romantic Poetry”).

Block Quotes

Quotations that run for more than four lines still include author name and page but are formatted in a block quote. A block quote:

• Has no quotation marks around it.
• Is typically introduced by a colon.
• Includes concluding punctuation before the parenthetical citation.
• Is indented ½ inch from the left margin.

As Knowles describes Felicia Hemans’ marriage:

in 1812, the young poet Felicia Dorothea Browne fell in love with and married a Captain Hemans who had returned to England in 1811, ‘weakened and scarred from war.’ The marriage was effectively over by 1818, when Captain Hemans left his growing family to return to Italy, never to return: although we can never know for sure, it is quite possible that his experiences in the war, and their ongoing impact on his health, played a role in this decision. (307)

Reference List

Book by one author.

Davis, Angela Y. Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday . Pantheon, 1998.

Book with two authors

Dorris, Michael, and Louise Erdrich. The Crown of Columbus . HarperCollins Publishers, 1999.

Book by more than two authors

Charon, Rita, et al. The Principles and Practice of Narrative Medicine . Oxford UP, 2017.

Journal article

Knowles, Claire. “Female Romantic Poetry, 1798-1819: The Climate of Fear and the Loss of a Radical Generation.” Women’s Writing , vol. 28, no. 3, 2021, pp. 305-19.

Book chapter in an edited volume

Toorn, Penny van, and Daniel Justice. “Aboriginal Writing.” The Cambridge Companion to Canadian Literature , edited by Eva-Marie Kröller, Cambridge UP, 2017, pp. 26-58.

Work by a corporate author

MLA Ad Hoc Committee on Foreign Languages. “Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World.” Profession , 2007, pp. 234-45.

Rushmore . Directed by Wes Anderson, Touchstone Pictures, 1998.

Goldfarb, Laura. “Clear Speech, Clear Mind.” Laurier Writing Centre , 26 April 2019. https://laurierwriting.wordpress.com/2019/04/26/clear-speech-clear-mind/.

For more information, you can consult the Online Writing Lab at Purdue and the MLA website . 

Writing Services, Wilfrid Laurier University, CC By-NC 2023

Note for Printing or PDF Download

If you are printing or downloading a PDF of this document, note that the document does not display hanging indents.

If your citation is longer than one line of the page, indent the remaining line(s) about 1/2 inch from the left margin.

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