FAQs

How do I make an appointment?

Visit the online scheduler to make an appointment and can choose a time that works for you. You’ll choose whether we’ll meet in person or on Teams and answer some questions about the piece of writing you’re working on.

How far in advance do I need to make an appointment?

At least 24 hours, but you can make appointments up to 60 days in advance. It is recommended that you make an appointment at least a week in advance.

What happens during an appointment?

We meet either in person or on Teams (you decide) and talk about your writing. If you send a piece of writing to me in advance, I’ll have some feedback prepared for you. But you set the goals. An appointment could be a brainstorming session to come up with ideas for your research paper, a discussion about a prompt to understand your writing task better, or a conversation to help you get unstuck when you’re facing writer’s block, for example. When you make the appointment, you’ll answer some questions about where you are in the writing process and what you’re hoping to gain out of the session so I’ll know how to best serve you.

What kinds of documents do you work with?

Any kind of academic writing. That includes class assignments, thesis and dissertation chapters, journal articles and conference papers.

However, for other types of writing, there are additional specialized resources available through the Office of Graduate Education. Thus, please consult the following resources if you are not working on academic writing as described above:

• For help with formatting a thesis or dissertation, please visit the Dissertation and Thesis page.
• For help with grant writing, please email Beth Keithly at keithly@utdallas.edu.
• For help with documents related to professional development (including CVs, resumés, cover letters and purpose statements), please email Dr. Ruth Schemmer at ruth.schemmer@utdallas.edu.

Do I need to have a complete draft written?

Definitely not! You certainly can have a complete draft written, and lots of students do. But you don’t have to. You can have nothing written, a few paragraphs, a few pages, or a bunch of messy notes.

How much can we cover in one appointment?

I will read ten to twenty pages in preparation for an appointment, which is about one chapter of a thesis or dissertation or one paper or article. I must receive anything you’d like me to read at least 24 hours before our appointment.

Who can make an appointment?

Any current UT Dallas graduate student can make an appointment.

If you are an undergraduate student at UT Dallas, you may make an appointment at the Writing Center. If you are not a student at UT Dallas, please reach out to your local community college’s writing center for further guidance.

Do you give email feedback?

Unfortunately, because there are so many graduate students and only one of me, I don’t have the capacity to give email feedback. If you’d like to get feedback on your writing, please make an appointment.