Writing Center Advising Guidelines

Learn about the Writing Center's guidelines, such as when to expect feedback and how to work with an advisor.

Below are some frequently asked questions, as well as the advising guidelines and submission cap policies that you should review prior to submitting your paper or requesting advising help.

1. Who can benefit from the Effective Writing Center advising and paper submission services?
   These services are for currently registered UMGC students; you will need to provide your Student (Empl) ID number to verify your status.

2. How soon can I expect to receive written feedback?
   You will receive your feedback within 48 hours—and often much sooner. Please plan accordingly to ensure that your work can be reviewed and that you have time to implement revisions before your due date. Also note that there is a cap on the number of requests the EWC can take; further information is below.

3. How often can I submit my written assignments for review?
   Students are welcome to work with advisors throughout the writing process and are encouraged to re-submit their drafts for follow-up advice after making revisions.

Please note that students may submit only one request for advice within a 48-hour period. This applies to all requests for advice, including both written feedback and live online advising.

Working with a Writing Advisor

Have realistic expectations prior to submitting an assignment or scheduling an advising appointment.

1. For written feedback, allow 48 hours from the time of submission to receive your advice.
   If your paper is due tomorrow, we cannot guarantee you will receive usable advice before your due date. Remember that after receiving your advice, you will still need time to revise your work.

2. Expect appropriate kinds of help.
   Think of writing advisors as coaches rather than auto mechanics. Advisors are trained to help you perform better as a writer, not to correct problems in a paper for you.

3. Be clear and complete in describing your assignment.
   Clearly explaining your assignment will help you to write a better paper. It will also enable the writing advisor to work efficiently. The easiest thing to do is to simply copy and paste your entire assignment description into the submission form.

4. Explain what you need help with.
   Writing advisors can suggest improvements for you to make in your paper, but they are not permitted to rewrite, edit, or proofread for you. Because some writers have difficulty recognizing problem areas in their writing, advisors might model editing of a small section of a paper. But they will leave it to you to edit the rest of your draft yourself by following their model.