Workshop Topics

Learn more about our workshop offerings by reading these brief topic descriptions. Some of our workshops also have associated videos, which are provided here and available on our YouTube channel.

If you are interested in registering for a writing workshop, visit our main Workshops page.

Academic Writing Clarity and Style

• Creating Easy-to-Read Sentences and Paragraphs

  • The goal of any piece of writing is to communicate one’s ideas clearly. Increasing cohesion between sentences and coherence among paragraphs increases both clarity and readability in any piece of writing. This workshop will provide self-editing techniques and practice to refine your writing from any discipline.

    We have recorded versions of this workshop available: 
    Creating Easy-to-Read Sentences Video Workshop and Creating Easy-to-Read Paragraphs Video Workshop. 

• Muscle Verbs for Good Writing

  • This workshop will help you write clear, concise, strong sentences. You will learn how to avoid using weak verbs, and instead, you'll be able to replace them with strong, muscle verbs that carry more meaning. You will also learn how to avoid two stylistic issues that occur when using weak verbs: nominalization and passive voice.

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available:
    Muscle Verbs for Good Writing Video Workshop.

• Sentence Variety and Rhythm

  • As academic writers, we need to learn how to write more complex sentences to achieve an "academic tone." Having a good variety and rhythm creates that tone and keeps our readers engaged and interested. Most students are never taught how to create rhythm, so we made this workshop expressly to teach how to use the four elements of rhythm: length, structure, word choice, and advanced punctuation.  

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available:
    Sentence Variety and Rhythm Video Workshop.

Citing, Quoting, and Paraphrasing

• Basic APA Style

  • APA style is required in many majors, not just psychology. This workshop provides basic information on the title page and abstract, in-text citation formats, and reference lists to ensure that your paper will be in compliance with the latest guidelines.

• Paraphrasing

  • Paraphrasing can be both an effective way to show comprehension of an original text and an important technique to avoid plagiarism. In this workshop, we analyze and discuss effective ways to paraphrase. Participants also engage in individual and/or group practice to help them improve this valuable skill.

• Un-Blurring Plagiarism and Paraphrasing

  • Paraphrasing is an important but tricky skill to master. When does something stop being plagiarism and start being paraphrasing? This workshop provides a range of examples for participants to spot the difference and practice paraphrasing a variety of texts, including materials from STEM and social science.

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available: 
    Un-Blurring Plagiarism and Paraphrasing Video Workshop.

Editing

• Common Grammar and Punctuation Errors

  • Have you had an instructor comment that your essay has excellent content, but your writing is weakened by too many serious grammar errors? In this workshop, we will review some of the most common grammar and punctuation errors in student writing, including run-ons, comma splices, and general punctuation misuse.

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available: Common Grammar and Punctuation Errors Video Workshop.

• Revising for Clarity: Subjects and Their Verbs

  • Clear writing is presenting information so that it is easy for everyone to read and understand. Generally writing is considered clear and direct when there are identifiable subjects and verbs. This workshop will provide a step-by-step guide to untangling and revising unclear or convoluted sentences. We will focus on turning abstract nouns into concrete subjects and presenting crucial actions in verbs in order to make your writing clear and concise.

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available: 
    Revising for Clarity: Subjects and Their Verbs Video Workshop.

• Trimming the Fat: Writing Concisely and Avoiding Wordiness

  • Think about a tender, juicy cut of Filet Mignon, medium rare. Does anything ruin that first perfect bite like a mouthful of gooey fat? This experience is similar to that of a reader forced to read a sentence that sounds like this: “ For the first and earliest time in his short young life, Michael was experiencing and feeling the sensations commonly associated with love, an emotion he had never felt before.” It's a common misconception among beginning writers that using more words makes one's writing sound more intelligent. The opposite is true. The trick to good writing is to say as much as you can in as few words as possible. Trim the fat, leave the meat. This workshop will explore strategies for recognizing and removing this undesirable fattiness from your writing.

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available:
    Trimming the Fat Video Workshop. 

Essay Organization

• Body Paragraphs

  • Learn how to write well-developed, well-written body paragraphs that support a thesis statement and clearly explain quotes or other arguments. You will receive an accompanying packet of handouts on essay form.

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available: Body Paragraphs Video Workshop. 

• How to Write a Killer Introduction

  • Introductions are critical aspects of a paper because their contents and quality can compel a reader to either read or pass over an academic paper and open or close a reader's mind to the contents within it. An introduction influences the way a reader will understand a paper's contents by hinting at a paper’s purpose and content, providing context for understanding the writer’s train of thought, and establishing relationships between ideas that are forthcoming. A killer introduction will pique a reader's interest and make them eager to read your paper. This workshop will offer techniques for writing and revising introductions, including how to identify when they have reached "killer" status.

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available:
    How to Write a Killer Introduction Video Workshop.

• Transitions for Coherence

  • Do you need to improve your essay organization? This workshop teaches students how to create cohesion between sentences and paragraphs by using common transition words and highlighting key phrases.

Essay Planning

• Deconstructing the Prompt

  • Discuss? Illustrate? Explain? Developed with multilingual students in mind but open to all, this workshop will help break down the “thinking verbs” commonly used in prompts. By creating a graphic representation of each verb, you will be able to better understand exactly what you need to discuss and how to incorporate your own research as your organize the structure of your paper.

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available: Deconstructing the Prompt Video Workshop. 

• Essay Prompts and Time Management

  • In-class essay writing is intimidating for many students; however, successful in-class writing depends not only on your composition skills but also on your ability to analyze the prompt and manage your time properly. This workshop will focus on two interrelated topics: (1) understanding and critically analyzing essay prompts, and (2) using time management strategies for the various stages of the in-class, timed writing process (pre-writing, composing the essay, and editing/revising).

• Selecting and Integrating Source Material

  • When reviewing outside sources for a research paper or analytical essay, how do you decide what information to include? And then, how do you go about integrating this material into your writing without the quotations appearing clunky, overwrought, or out of place? This workshop will help you learn how to select and integrate source material into formal writing assignments by exploring how to evaluate and introduce quotations and how to make analysis both clear and insightful.

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available:
    Selecting and Integrating Source Materials Video Workshop.

Professional Writing

• Cover Letters

  • In the film Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin Williams calls his ex-wife many times pretending to be the worst possible candidates to serve as a nanny. While the scene is entertaining, viewers are left wondering: what if I'm making some of those same mistakes as I apply to jobs? In this workshop, we'll examine job cover letters to learn successful strategies and begin to draft our own!

• Emailing Netiquette: Academic and Professional Communication

  • All emails are not created equal. An email to a job interviewer or faculty member should be written in a different style and tone than one to a friend. How can you be polite over email? You want to get it right the first time! This workshop will teach you about professional and academic emails and appropriate "net etiquette."

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available: Emailing Netiquette Video Workshop. 

• Personal Statements for Scholarships and Applications 

  • Scholarships and applications often ask students to submit paragraph or essay answers to personal questions, such as "what do you value the most?" or "what is your career goal?". These personal statements have real stakes, so it is valuable to learn how to approach them. In this workshop, you will learn how to create a plan of attack, review successful essay examples, and practice writing a short scholarship prompt.

Research Papers and Projects

• Graduate Writer Mindset

  • Writing is hard for all new graduate students--no one comes in already understanding how to write at a graduate level in a new discipline. Undergraduate writing is a good foundation, but it does not fully prepare you for graduate school writing, which involves a new set of skills. This workshop will give you perspectives and specific tools that can be implemented immediately to ease the learning curve as you enter a graduate-level program. (Note that this workshop is intended for early career graduate students or upper-division undergraduates intending to enter graduate school.)

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available: Graduate Writer Mindset Video Workshop. 

• PowerPoint Like a Pro

  • Slides and data visualizations can make or break your presentation. This workshop is meant to teach design principles and introduce online tools for non-designers. Before and after examples will be used to showcase how to use color schemes and white space, to contrast elements, and to communicate main ideas effectively. During the workshop, you will practice redesigning slides and leave with a list of tools you can start using today in your own presentations.

• Recognizing the Parts of a Research Paper

  • The research paper is a common type of writing in academics and in the professional world; like all genres, it has certain conventions. Readers expect a research paper to have certain parts--an abstract, an introduction, a literature review, methodology, etc.--but those parts can be unclear if you haven't written many research papers already. This workshop aims to demystify the parts of a research paper so you can recognize those parts when you see them (e.g., in academic journal articles) and so you can produce those parts yourself. (Please note that this workshop is intended for advanced/upper-division undergraduates or graduate-level students.) 

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available: Recognizing the Parts of a Research Paper Video Workshop. 

• Scientific Abstracts

  • Almost every academic publication today starts with a short summary called an abstract. These abstracts are especially helpful for lengthy scientific research papers with many key findings. This workshop is geared toward STEM students, and it will cover how to break down, evaluate, and construct a scientific abstract.

    We also have a recorded version of this workshop available: Scientific Abstracts Video Workshop.