Revising

Revising after Visiting Your Writing Center

If your school has a writing center, plan to take advantage of it. Writing centers usually offer students one-on-one advice at any point in the writing process. It helps to understand what writing center tutors typically can and cannot do.

Writing Center Tutors Do	Writing Center Tutors Do Not
Help you create a plan for completing a writing assignment.	Create a plan for you.
Suggest effective prewriting strategies to help you explore and focus your topic.	Narrow down your topic for you.
Provide feedback on your thesis statement ideas.	Write your thesis statement for you.
Suggest research strategies for finding sources to support your thesis.	Gather source materials for you.
Review your outline and suggest places that may need more or less detail.	Create an outline for you.
Review your draft and provide constructive feedback, often in a face-to-face meeting.	Write or revise your draft for you.
Point out grammatical errors, especially recurring problems.	Proofread and correct your paper for you.

To make the most of your writing center visits, plan ahead:

Make an appointment in advance to avoid long waits.
Review your assignment ahead of time, and be prepared to ask any questions you may have.
Have ideas ready to bring up – topics you may want to explore or a possible thesis idea.
If your instructor has given you a rubric or criteria for grading, bring it with you. The tutor can help you focus your efforts on the areas your instructor finds most important.
Be ready to take notes.