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About the ASC Writing Center

About the ASC Writing Center

Accordion Arrow About the ASC Writing Center

Our Mission

The Writing Center is instructional, with the goal of supporting your efforts to become a better writer. It is a free service offered to all RIT students seeking help with the process of producing quality, college-level writing assignments. This might include an essay, a lab report, an application or cover letter, a résumé, or specific grammatical issues.

The Writing Center is staffed by trained writing consultants who will work with students or faculty at every stage of the writing process, from brainstorming to final revisions. Several of our staff members are also fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). Cross-registered, NTID-supported students are also welcome to use the ASC Writing Center.

Peer Writing Tutors are also available. This service provides students with high quality, convenient writing assistance from trained peer tutors in the Writing Center after 7:00 pm.

Since we are an instructional center, we will not edit or proofread your writing. Instead, we identify problem areas and offer solutions for addressing them yourself, with the goal of making you an independent writer. We work on an appointment and walk-in basis. Several computers and a printer are available to use while you are working in the Center.

Our Guidelines

  • Please read over your own paper carefully and correct as many errors as you can. Mark the places where you have questions for the instructor. We will offer techniques and strategies for you to improve your own writing.
  • Be ready to explain your assignment to us. If you have a written copy, please have it available.
  • For students in the COLA Writing Seminar, a report of the assistance you received will be sent to your professor.
  • Master’s students, please ask about our guidelines for reading graduate thesis projects.

Please Don't Ask Us To

  • EDIT OR PROOFREAD YOUR WRITING. We diagnose errors in grammar, organization, spelling, structure, and logic. Then we help you to improve your own writing skills.
  • ACCEPT A DROPPED-OFF PAPER. We want to work with you on your drafts.
  • READ TAKE-HOME TESTS / EXAMS.
  • READ ENTIRE DRAFTS, particularly if several students are in the lab at one time. We will go over a section of your draft with you, and then ask you to check the rest of the paper on your own.
  • READ A DRAFT ON A COMPUTER SCREEN. We ask that you provide a hard copy of your paper.

Accordion Arrow Help With Your Master's Thesis

Our Guidelines

We will be glad to assist you with the form and editing of your Master’s thesis if you first:

  1. Have your advisor read the draft or final copy for content and mechanics.
  2. Thoroughly edit the thesis yourself and make corrections before you bring it to us.
  3. Make note of any questions you have.
  4. Bring the guidelines for the Master’s thesis as published by your department.
  5. Read a sample thesis from your department that has been formally accepted and approved (available in Wallace Library archives).

After you have done this, we will

  1. Read ten pages of your thesis for structural and mechanical errors.
  2. Make recommendations for corrections based on this reading.
  3. Answer specific questions you have about your thesis.
  4. Check format, index, and bibliography for technical correctness.

Because we are primarily an instructional resource designed to service the entire RIT community, we cannot:

  1. Proofread, edit, and/or correct your entire thesis.
  2. Read your thesis during peak lab hours.
  3. Read your thesis on a "drop-off" basis.

We are aware that some graduate students may need more assistance than we provide. Therefore, you may want to contact the Writing Coordinator, Andrew Perry at (585) 475-6945 or andrew.perry@rit.edu to receive a list of professionals who can provide these services.

Other Graduate Student Writing Assistance

Contact: Erica MacArthur, Scholarly Publishing Specialist, Scholarly Publishing (585) 475-2478; ermtwc@rit.edu

Accordion Arrow Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost?

The Writing Center is a free service to all RIT students (undergraduate and graduate), as well as faculty and staff members.

Do I need to make an appointment?

No, but students who make online appointments from the Writing Center homepage are given priority over walk-ins. It is important to remember that there is higher demand during midterms and finals, so there could be a line. Please plan ahead and try to arrive early.

What should I bring with me?

Bring a hard copy of your draft, a copy of your assignment, your course syllabus, and if you have one, your grammar handbook.

What should I do before I come to the Writing Center?

We ask that you carefully read over your draft, correcting as many errors as you can. Mark the places where you have questions for the instructor. Be ready to explain the assignment to us.

How much time will you spend with me?

While this is up to the discretion of the instructor, and/or the number of other students waiting, a writing consultation will last no longer than 30 minutes or a maximum of 10 pages with each student.

Can I use your computers to work on and print my papers?

Yes. We have two computers and a printer for use by students who are receiving instruction in the ASC Writing Center.

Can I drop my essay off and come back later to pick it up?

No. As an instructional Center, we believe that you will get the most out of the experience by sitting down with one of our writing consultants.

Can I bring in take-home tests/exams?

No. We have a Center policy against giving instruction on exams. We believe that this would give some students an unfair advantage. Exams are designed to test what you know, not what someone else knows.

Will you notify my professor that I received help in the Writing Center?

The only courses that we report to professors are Written Communication II and Writing Seminar. It was decided that reporting some basic information to the teachers of these classes is an excellent way to provide more effective support to beginning writers. All other courses are not reported.

Will you read graduate thesis projects?

See "Guidelines for Reading Master’s Theses" on the Writing Center’s home page (under "Help With Your Master's Thesis").

Will the Writing Center help me contest a grade or evaluate my professor’s written comments on an assignment?

No. Grievances should go through your professor and the course’s home department.

What writing support is not provided?
Although we try to meet as many of your writing needs as possible, there are several services that we do not provide:
  • We will not proofread or edit drafts of your papers.
  • We do not guarantee that the papers that we help you with will receive an A.
  • We will not discuss the grade of an assignment, or guess what grade your assignment will earn.
  • We do not promise that every problem that you are experiencing in your writing will be “fixed.”
  • We will not point out every error in your draft.
  • We will never read tests/exams.
  • We do not read drafts on laptops. We ask that you bring a hard copy of your assignment with you.
  • If you have a longer draft, of if there are other students waiting, we may not read your entire draft, at the discretion of the instructor.
  • We will not read more than ten pages of any given draft.
  • We do not, and cannot fix serious “English as a Second Language” (ESL) issues. We recommend that these students explore the offerings of the English Language Center (ELC), or work with one of our “ESL Specialist” designated consultants (see quarterly schedule).
I’m a College of Engineering student who has earned a grade of CF (Conditional Fail) on my written exit exam. What do I do now?

You need to contact Andrew Perry (andrew.perry@rit.edu), the Coordinator of the Writing Center, to set up an appointment for a "Plan of Work." At this meeting, the details for fulfilling this requirement will be thoroughly explained.

Accordion Arrow Useful Internet Resources

Do you have a comment or suggestion? Send it to us!
For more information please contact the Academic Support Center at asc@rit.edu.