The Purdue University Writing Lab

The Writing Lab is a free tutorial service for all Purdue students and offers one-to-one help with writing assignments for any course in the university as well as with resumes and job applications. All writers benefit from working with a tutor, especially in the early stages of writing a paper, because a tutor can help with planning, answer questions, and offer reader feedback on the writing. When writers come in for tutorials, tutors do not proofread, evaluate a paper, or write it. Instead, writers are asked what they want to work on and what questions they have. The result is that tutors help writers write better papers, and coming to the Writing Lab does work. The Lab has over 6000 users a year, and evaluations note that over 90% receive at least a letter grade higher on a paper when the writer has met with a tutor a few times.

Tutorials are offered in half-hour appointments or on a drop-in basis (first come, first served), and students can sign up for one, two, or three appointments at a time. More appointments can be made as needed. While students are encouraged to plan in advance before the appointment book is filled, planning too far in advance often results in forgetting about those appointments.

Quick questions can be answered by calling the Writing Lab at 494-3723 during hours that the lab is open. Tutors will also respond to e-mail questions through OWL (On-line Writing Lab): click here. Writers can also use OWL's World Wide Web site for finding Internet resources, for job listings and resume information, and for reading and downloading writing skills handouts. Visit the OWL at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

Details about using the Writing Lab and about its OWL are also explained in brochures available in the Lab, 226 Heavilon Hall.