Writing and Research Workshops

Fall 2009

The Graduate Writing Center Winter will offer general writing workshops on a variety of topics as well as a few specialized workshops for non-native speakers of English. We will also hold targeted writing workshops for graduate students in the areas of Humanities & Arts, Social Sciences, and Sciences & Engineering. Additionally, we will post information about workshops being offered by the UCLA libraries and the ATS Statistical Consulting Group. Special thanks to our campus programming partners: UCLA Library, Writing Programs, Academic Technology Services Statistical Consulting Group, Counseling and Psychological Services, and the Career Center.

Research Workshops

New Graduate Student Library Tour
An orientation tour and talk on library services.
Two times (same tour):
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2:00-2:30pm
Thursday, September 24th, 12:00-12:30pm
Meet in the Charles E. Young Research Library lobby near the stairs. (map)

Research@UCLA Library
Learn how to effectively navigate the Library's website, search Library catalogs to find books, and discover the best databases for articles on a given topic.
Two times (same workshop):
Thursday, October 1st, 1:00-2:00pm
Wednesday, October 7th, 11:00am-12pm
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536 (map)

Information Literacy Workshop for UCLA Graduate Student TAs
Esther Grassian, College Library
This workshop will provide you with tips and techniques for improving your students' information researching and critical thinking skills through demo, hands on, and review of a sample syllabus enhanced with information literacy assignment ideas. By using some of these tips and techniques, you'll save time working individually with students in helping them learn how to conduct research and avoid plagiarism. Students armed with information literacy skills should be able to...
* select, narrow and broaden a research topic
* describe the differences between popular and scholarly publications
* identify useful databases to search for information on their topics
* conduct efficient, effective searches
* identify useful research materials, by applying evaluative criteria
* describe several reasons for citing information
* avoid plagiarism by recognizing when to cite, and by citing according to the styl required for their research papers

Wednesday, October 7th, 1 pm to 3 pm
Thursday, October 8th, 2 pm to 4 pm
Space is limited, so please rsvp for one of these sessions directly to estherg@library.ucla.edu

When Esther receives your rsvp, she'll confirm, send you the location, and a url for a brief survey that will help her address the topics that interest you. If you cannot make it to one of these sessions, you may be interested in the "Teach Information Literacy & Critical Thinking!" guide Esther created that describes many information literacy teaching tips and techniques, some of which will be demonstrated and discussed during the workshop:
http://guides.library.ucla.edu/content.php?pid=33500&sid=262803

EndNote
This session offers a basic overview of the purpose, uses, and features of EndNote, a software program that helps researchers manage their research and produce bibliographies for projects large and small.
Two times (same workshop):
Tuesday, October 13th, 11:00am-12:00pm
Wednesday, October 21st, 1:00-2:00pm
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536 (map)

Zotero
This session offers a basic overview of the purpose, uses, and features of Zotero a free FireFox extension that helps researchers manage references.  Students are encouraged to bring in their own computes with Zotero 1.0.1 already installed.
Monday, November 9th, 12:00-1:00pm
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536 (map)

Research Appointments
Graduate students are welcome to contact Library's subject specialists any time for further assistance with research, library resources, and subject databases. Contact information for subject librarians.

To see the most current schedule of UCLA Library workshops, consult the UCLA Library seminar page.

Statistical Software Workshops

Wednesday, October 7th:    Introduction to Mplus, Part 1
Wednesday, October 14th:  Introduction to Mplus, Part 2
Wednesday, October 21st:  Multilevel Modeling with HLM 6.06
Wednesday, October 28th:  Factor Variables and Interactions in Stata 11

All of the seminars will be held in the Visualization Portal, MS 5628 from 10:00am-12:00pm.

For walk-in consulting information, Stat books for loan, and the most up-to-date listing of seminars,
please see the ATS Stats Group website. Click here for more detailed location information, including directions to the Visualization Portal in the Math Sciences building.

General Writing Workshops

Academic Writing Skills Workshop for ESL Graduate Students
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
In this interactive workshop, ESL graduate students will learn skills and strategies to build their fluency, accuracy, and comprehensibility in English academic writing. In addition, we will discuss useful on-campus, online, and print resources that will help students to work independently to improve their writing. There will also be time for questions and answers about ESL writing issues and concerns. 
Two times (same workshop):
Thursday, October 1st, 4:00-5:45pm
Friday, October 2nd, 11:00am-12:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Teaching and Writing: What Teachers & TAs Need to Know
Bruce Beiderwell, Director, UCLA Writing Programs
Marilyn Gray, Coordinator, Graduate Writing Center
This workshop, which is designed for TAs in the humanities and social sciences, will cover how to help students improve their writing and review how to teach writing concepts, such as thesis statements, organization, and summary versus analysis. The workshop will also cover appropriate ways to respond to student writing, including etiquette for commenting on student papers and best practices for one-on-one meetings with students.
Two times (same workshop):
Wednesday, October 7th, 3:00-5:00 pm
Location: Rolfe 1200
Thursday, October 8th, 4:00-6:00 pm
Location: Franz 1178

An Introduction to Publishing Journal Articles: Multi-Session Workshop
Jeannine Murray-Román, Comparative Literature
Thinking about preparing an article manuscript for submission? Based on Wendy Belcher's workbook, Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks, this program will focus on the aspects of the process of getting an article published that most differ from other graduate work, such as selecting appropriate journals and interacting with editors. We will meet four times over the course of six weeks in order to discuss how to structure an article, focusing on appropriate argumentation and literature reviews as well as the revision process, and to workshop drafts with one another.
Tuesdays, 5:00-7:00 pm, 10/13, 10/20, 11/3, and 11/17
Participants must commit to attending the full program and submit an RSVP by Monday, October 12th, 5pm.
To RSVP, please send an email with your name and department to gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu with "article workshop" in the subject line. You will be provided with location details and other information once you have emailed your RSVP. Space is limited.

Time Management
Dr. Alan Nagamoto, Counseling and Psychological Services
Dr. Nagamoto will present an introduction to the principles of time management and offer practical advice on how to manage time during the challenges of graduate school, such as the dissertation writing process.   He will cover common pitfalls and how to overcome them.
Wednesday, October 14th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Citation and Academic Integrity Issues for Graduate Students
Eudora Loh, YRL Librarian
Common research and writing situations often present complex questions related to citation and paraphrasing.  In support of maintaining academic integrity, this workshop will offer practical guidance for citing sources and using information ethically.
Thursday, October 22nd, 4:00-5:30pm
Friday, October 23rd, 12:30-2:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

How to Make an Argument
Rob Sullivan, Geography
The workshop will discuss how to make, situate, and qualify arguments appropriately in graduate-level academic writing. Participants will learn what the basic components of any solid argument are and how to structure them into a coherent, persuasive whole. They will practice constructing their own arguments and analyzing arguments from scholarly articles. If participants would like to practice analyzing arguments in their own fields, they should bring one or two scholarly articles to the workshop.
Friday, October 30th, 12:00-2:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

"Don't I Own My Own Work?": Reading and Negotiating Publishers' Contracts
Marty Brunner, Copyright and Licensing Librarian
As a UCLA graduate student, you want to enhance your academic publishing credentials. But in the rush to publish or for fear of jeopardizing your opportunities, are you signing an agreement with a publisher without reading it fully or understanding its implications? You might unknowingly surrender your copyright and, along with it, the rights to use and reuse your work as you wish. Find out how to read authors' agreements and how to negotiate to keep your rights.
Thursday, November 19th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

How to Overcome the Dreaded `Writer's Block' -- Practical Tips to its Gentle Extermination
Rob Sullivan, Geography (Former Professional and Creative Writer)
Ever have writer's block? Come on, be honest: we all have. This workshop offers practical tips on how to first befriend, then overcome, and finally dispel the pangs of writer's block.
Thursday, Dec. 3rd, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Dissertation and Proposal/Prospectus Workshops

Dissertation Writing Groups, Support Groups and Resources for Dissertators
Dr. Alan Nagamoto, Student Psychological Services
Christine Wilson, Graduate Student Resource Center Director
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Coordinator
The workshop will provide information about resources for dissertators and thesis-writers. The panel will discuss writing groups and support groups, including how to run your own dissertation writing group or writing partnership. Finally, at the end of the workshop, we will meet with graduate students who are interested in being placed in a writing group and submitted the questionnaire by Monday,October 5th, 5pm.
Tuesday, October 6th, 5:00-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Time Management
Dr. Alan Nagamoto, Counseling and Psychological Services
Dr. Nagamoto will present an introduction to the principles of time management and offer practical advice on how to manage time during the challenges of graduate school, such as the dissertation writing process. He will cover common pitfalls and how to overcome them.
Wednesday, October 14th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Getting Started on the Dissertation: How to Get Going and Keep Going
 Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Coordinator
This workshop gives an overview of organization, time management, writing process issues and writing strategies. Recommended for people in the early stages of the dissertation, but useful for all stages.
Tuesday, November 10th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Humanities Writing Workshops

Writing the Humanities Course Paper
Jeannine Murray-Roman, Comparative Literature
This workshop will cover strategies for writing and revising graduate-level humanities course papers. In this workshop we will discuss ways to develop papers for graduate courses, including how to develop a more complex thesis and how to write a literature review.
Tuesday, October 27th, 5:00-7:00pm
Thursday, October 29th, 5:00pm-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Writing the Qualitative Course Paper
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics
Jessica Preece, Political Science
This workshop will cover strategies for writing and revising graduate-level qualitative course papers in the social sciences. In this workshop we will discuss ways to develop papers for graduate courses, including how to develop a more complex thesis and how to write a literature review.
Thursday, November 5th, 5:00-7:00pm
Friday, November 6th, 11:00am-1:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Social Sciences Writing Workshops

Applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
 Mac Marston, Archaeology (NSF Graduate Fellow, 2003-2007; NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2008)
This workshop will discuss strategies for applying for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Open to US citizens in the Social, Biological, and Physical Sciences, this highly competitive fellowship provides three years of fellowship funding to successful applicants. The workshop will focus on the merit criteria for NSF grants, the structure of the proposal, suggestions for writing style, and technical details of Fastlane submission.
Thursday, September 24th, 5:15-6:45pm
Location: Conference Room 1-3, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Applying for the NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant in the Biological and Social Sciences
Mac Marston, Archaeology (NSF Graduate Fellow, 2003-2007; NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2008)
The National Science Foundation offers Dissertation Improvement Grants to doctoral students in many areas of the biological and social sciences. These competitive grants provide up to $15,000 (depending on the field) for research expenses related to the dissertation. The workshop will focus on the merit criteria for NSF grants, the structure of the proposal, suggestions for writing style, and technical details of Fastlane submission.
Wednesday, November 4th, 3:00-4:30pm
Location: Conference Room 3, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Writing the Qualitative Course Paper
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics
Jessica Preece, Political Science
This workshop will cover strategies for writing and revising graduate-level qualitative course papers in the social sciences. In this workshop we will discuss ways to develop papers for graduate courses, including how to develop a more complex thesis and how to write a literature review.
Thursday, November 5th, 5:00-7:00pm
Friday, November 6th, 11:00am-1:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Writing the Quantitative Course Paper
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics
Jessica Preece, Political Science
This workshop will cover strategies for writing and revising graduate-level quantitative course papers in the social sciences. In this workshop we will discuss ways to develop papers for graduate courses, including how to develop a more complex thesis and how to write a literature review.
Thursday, November 12th, 5:00-7:00pm
Friday, November 13th, 11:00am-1:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Science and Engineering Writing Workshops

Applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
 Mac Marston, Archaeology (NSF Graduate Fellow, 2003-2007; NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2008)
This workshop will discuss strategies for applying for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Open to US citizens in the Social, Biological, and Physical Sciences, this highly competitive fellowship provides three years of fellowship funding to successful applicants. The workshop will focus on the merit criteria for NSF grants, the structure of the proposal, suggestions for writing style, and technical details of Fastlane submission.
Thursday, September 24th, 5:15-6:45pm
Location: Conference Room 1-3, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Applying for the NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant in the Biological and Social Sciences
Mac Marston, Archaeology (NSF Graduate Fellow, 2003-2007; NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2008)
The National Science Foundation offers Dissertation Improvement Grants to doctoral students in many areas of the biological and social sciences. These competitive grants provide up to $15,000 (depending on the field) for research expenses related to the dissertation. The workshop will focus on the merit criteria for NSF grants, the structure of the proposal, suggestions for writing style, and technical details of Fastlane submission.
Wednesday, November 4th, 3:00-4:30pm
Location: Conference Room 3, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

We have some previously-recorded online workshops about writing in the sciences, including workshops on applying for the NIH NRSA fellowship and writing dissertation proposal and an article-based dissertation in the sciences. For more information, click here.

ESL Workshops

Academic Writing Skills Workshop for ESL Graduate Students
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
In this interactive workshop, ESL graduate students will learn skills and strategies to build their fluency, accuracy, and comprehensibility in English academic writing. In addition, we will discuss useful on-campus, online, and print resources that will help students to work independently to improve their writing. There will also be time for questions and answers about ESL writing issues and concerns. 
Two times (same workshop):
Thursday, October 1st, 4:00-5:45pm
Friday, October 2nd, 11:00am-12:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Email Etiquette at the University
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
As a graduate student, you will write thousands of emails while getting your degree—emails that invite professors to serve on your dissertation committee, emails that ask for extensions on papers, emails in which you introduce yourself to potential mentors or advisors. Designed for graduate students who speak English as a second or foreign language, this workshop breaks down the language necessary to make polite requests over email. It also covers basic email etiquette and includes opportunities to edit emails written by real graduate students.
Two times (same workshop):
Thursday, October 15th, 4:00-5:45pm
Friday, October 16th, 11:00am-12:45pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

How to Make an Argument
Rob Sullivan, Geography
The workshop will discuss how to make, situate, and qualify arguments appropriately in graduate-level academic writing. Participants will learn what the basic components to any solid argument are and how to structure them into a coherent, persuasive whole.
Friday, October 30th, 12:00-2:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)