• Where is the Writing Centre located?
• When is the Writing Centre open?
• Who can use the Writing Centre?
• How do I book an appointment?
• What happens during an appointment?
• Can I get my paper edited at the Writing Centre?
• What should I bring for my appointment?
• How often can I come to the Writing Centre?
• What happens if I am late?
• What happens if I need to cancel an appointment?

The Writing Centre is located in the Dr. Alvin Woods Building (DAWB), room 1-102 (first floor) where it shares a space with Central Academic Advising. Turn left immediately when you come in the south ("back") entrance facing Bricker St.

The Writing Centre is open for appointments 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. During the fall and winter, you can also come to the Writing Centre during drop-in hours without having to book an appointment. 

All Laurier undergraduate and graduate students are invited to take advantage of our services and resources. We also offer support to faculty.

Call 884-0710 ext. 2220, use our online form, or drop in to Learning Services, DAWB 1-102. We encourage you to start planning your papers as soon as they are assigned and to book your writing appointments early. The Writing Centre gets very busy as the term progresses.

During a one-on-one consultation, a tutor will sit down with you and discuss the requirements for the assignment you are working on. After spending 10-15 minutes reading your paper, the tutor will offer feedback to help you begin to revise. You will be given strategies to improve the overall effectiveness of the paper, for example by addressing the thesis statement, the use of sources, or paragraph structure. You will have a chance to revise actively during the session, but you will also be given instruction and resources that will help you continue working on your own. The ultimate goal is for you to use what you learn in the session to strengthen your overall effectiveness as an academic thinker and writer.

We don’t edit your writing; we teach you to become a better writer. Many students think that when they come to the Writing Centre they can sit back passively and have a tutor edit or correct their writing, but it does not work that way. Instead, be prepared for an interactive, productive session with a trained writing tutor.

To make each of your three appointments as productive as possible, we remind you to bring:

1. The assignment or essay question and, if possible, the course syllabus
2. A printed, double-spaced copy of your paper, at any stage of your writing process
3. Questions for your tutor about your paper and/or academic writing in general
   

You are allowed to book only two appointments at a time.  There is no limit to the number of appointments you may book per year; however, you cannot bring the same paper more than twice. These policies ensure that you retain responsibility for your own work and for your growth as a writer.  

Excessive reliance on Writing Centre tutors may be limited at the discretion of the Manager of the Writing Centre.

It is important that you be on time. We start appointments on the hour, and if you are late by 10 minutes, we give the appointment to somebody else.

Cancellations must be made no less than 24 hours in advance. If you miss more than one appointment without cancelling 24 hours in advance, you will be charged a fee of $25. See our policies on appointments for details.