Writing Center

APA

APA Style, 7th Edition – instructional handouts and guides (American Psychological Association)

APA Reference Examples, 7th Ed. – list of reference examples (Northern Michigan University)

APA Sample Papers – sample papers from the Publication Manual (American Psychological Association)

APA Title Page Setup – title page example and guide (American Psychological Association)

Purdue Online Writing Lab – APA, MLA, avoiding plagiarism, resume guide (Purdue University)

MLA

MLA 9th Ed. Works-Cited Guide – MLA style guide (MLA Style Center)

MLA Works-Cited List – citations by format (MLA Style Center)

Chicago

Chicago Manual of Style Online – style and citation guide

CBC Library

Library – access to Librarians and research tools

Grammar Websites – Multi-topic

Comma Queen – video series on grammar & language (New Yorker)

Grammar: Overview – grammar videos & examples (Walden University)

Grammar Underground with June Casagrande – grammar podcast with many subjects (Grammar Underground)

HyperGrammar – list of grammar resources (University of Ottawa)

Quick & Dirty Tips for Better Writing – grammar & writing podcast (Grammar Girl)

Parts of Speech

Possessive Nouns – how to use them & examples (Grammarly)

Pronoun Agreement – rules & examples for pronoun agreement (Grammar Bytes!)

Subject-Verb Agreement (University of Washington Tacoma)

Verb Complementation – infinitive, that-clause & gerund (University of Washington Tacoma)

Verb Tense Consistency – rules and examples (Grammarly)

Punctuation

Punctuation Chart – punctuation types, their purpose, and examples (University of Washington Tacoma)

Semicolons & Colons (University of Washington Tacoma)

The Punctuation Guide – tips and examples on punctuation (The Punctuation Guide)

Using Commas – extended rules (Purdue OWL)

Miscellaneous

Avoiding Awkward Sentences (Villanova)

Dangling Modifiers – definitions & rules for modifiers (Grammarly)

Fewer vs. Less – the difference and when to use (Grammarly)

Grammar Basics: When to Use I or Me? (Grammarly)

Incomplete Comparisons – how to fix incomplete comparisons (Grammarly)

Its vs. It’s – rules and examples (Grammarly)

Parallelism – phrases or clauses and how to use them in grammar (Grammarly)

Sentence Fragments – explanation & examples (University of Arizona)

Using Numbers and Numerals – when to spell out & when to use numerals (MICDS LibGuides)

Who vs. Whom – when to use “Who” vs. “Whom” (Grammarly)

Writing Transitions – discussion & transitional devices (Purdue OWL)

Comprehensive Lists

Guide to Grammar & Writing – list of guides and resources (Guide to Grammar & Writing)

Tips & Tools – huge list of videos and resources covering all parts of writing (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Workshop Handouts – list of handouts covering many writing topics (Villanova Writing Center)

Types of Assignments

Types of Assignments – outlines seven types of writing assignments and definitions of commonly used words found in writing assignment prompts (University of Washington Tacoma)

Writing Miscellaneous

Brainstorming – ideas on how to begin your assignment (University of Texas at Austin)

Conclusions – ideas on how to end your assignment (University of Texas at Austin)

Final Revisions Checklist – list of things to check when finalizing your assignment (University of Texas at Austin)

High School to College Writing – guidelines on making the transition (University of Texas at Austin)

How to Edit Your Own Writing – checklist of questions & ideas to self-edit (University of Texas at Austin)

Paragraph & Essay – videos and handouts on different parts of writing (BYU Idaho)

Passive Voice (University of Washington Tacoma)

Reading Strategies

Academic Success Center
·         Note-Taking and Reading Strategies – list of tools and examples (Study Skills & Strategies)

University of Texas at Austin
·         Close Reading Interpretive Tool, CRIT – systematic approach to analyzing text

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

University of Texas at Austin
·         Code-Switching & Code-Meshing

·         Writing About People Respectfully – ways to be more inclusive in writing

Resources for English Language Learners & Multilingual Students

The Writing Center is for writing in any subject!

Writing tutors are trained in providing feedback on student writing for any subject, and can assist with papers in any discipline. Your tutor can help with understanding your writing tutor can help with understanding your writing assignment, brainstorming ideas for drafting, outlining and organizing your draft, and revising for structure, cohesion, and clarity.

Writing Center tutors can also assist with cover letters and resumes, scholarship or college admissions essays, or other writing projects that are important to you.

Your assignment: a paper copy or accessing through Canvas both work.

Any work you’ve completed: brainstorming ideas, drafts, outlines, etc.

Clear goals for your session: What are you hoping to get out of your time with your tutor? What do you need help with the most?

Bring your ideas: speaking with a writing tutor can help you find out how to best express your ideas in writing in a way that you are proud of.

The Writing Center has a check-in station that you should use upon your arrival for your appointment. It requires access to your SID, either through typing it in manually or by scanning your card.

If it is not quite time for your appointment and your writing tutor is not yet available, you are welcome to grab a seat in the Writing Center or close-by in the Library.

Once it is time for your appointment, your writing tutor will ask you questions about the assignment, your goals for the appointment and what your questions or concerns are. Writing tutors will look over any work you’ve completed and seek to become familiar with your assignment.

In the planning stage, the writing tutor will ask questions about the assignment to assist with brainstorming and outlining.

In the drafting or revision stages, the tutor will discuss the strengths of your work as well as areas where there is room for further work and improvement. Writing tutors focus on global concerns – strength of argument, organization of work, use of logic, and structure and cohesion of the piece of writing. They may also discuss patterns of error in grammar, punctuation, spelling or formatting.

Writing tutors can share useful techniques and show you online resources that may be beneficial.

An appointment isn’t required, but appointments are dedicated time for you and the writing tutor.

If you do not have an appointment, there may be walk-ins available.

Writing sessions are typically scheduled for 30-minutes.

Writing Center tutoring is designed for appointments. If a writing tutor is available, they may be able to guide you to a resource to help in answering your questions. Writing tutors cannot “fix” errors for you. Specific inquiries on formatting and citation should be directed to your instructor or to one of CBC’s research librarians.

No. Our writing tutoring at the CBC Writing Center is done in real-time. You must attend your session to receive feedback. If you'd like to receive asynchronous writing help, you can use eTutoring for writing, which allows you to submit your paper for feedback, sent to you from your eTutor via email within 24-48 hours. 

We recommend up to three visits for an assignment. This is most effective if each appointment focuses on a different stage of the writing process, such as the first appointment for brainstorming, the second for drafting & revising, and the third for final walk-throughs.

Tutors do not… write for you in part or in whole

Tutors do not… direct you on what to write or how to write

Tutors do not… proofread or edit your writing

Tutors do not… work on take-home essay exams or provide feedback or help with in-class essays

Writing tutors do NOT edit or proofread, but can help in a lot of other ways.

Tutors are looking at the strength of your argument, organization and cohesion, and overall impressions as a reader. They may also provide notes on patterns of recurring error in grammar, spelling and punctuation. If you have questions that relate to proofreading, you can let your tutor know and they can help you identify the types of errors you commonly make and help you learn how to correct those errors on your own. This is to ensure that you are capable of finding and correcting errors on future written work, whether or not you have a Writing Center tutor helping you in the future.

No, writing tutors do not provide specific feedback on formatting or citation style.

Writing tutors can provide helpful online resources, especially when they recognize recurring errors in formatting. They can look over the resource with you and share how they have approached the task of ensuring proper formatting in their previous writing experience.

Specific inquiries on formatting and citation should be directed to your instructor or to one of CBC’s research librarians.

Our tutors cannot guarantee an error-free paper or that you will get an “A” on assignments. Writing tutors are focused on overall themes, and do not have specific information on your professor’s grading and expectations.

No. Writing tutors do not discuss sessions with faculty members or others outside of the ASC. If you would like confirmation of attendance, please contact ascFREECOLUMBIA_BASIN

We respect your privacy and keep sessions confidential, except where reporting is required by College policy.

If you cannot make your appointment, please email ascFREECOLUMBIA_BASIN or give the ASC a call at 509-542-4676 to let us know. We appreciate at least one-hour advance notice.

If you no show more than twice, you may be required to have a conversation with ASC staff before being allowed to schedule again.

Writing Center tutors read through the assignment and the work that the student has prepared and brought with them. Tutors ask the student about their goals, concerns and where they would like to focus.

All ASC tutors receive training in facilitating tutoring sessions, how to ask guiding questions, and the basics of several learning theories, among other things.

Faculty referrals (and tours) are a powerful way to get students connected to the Writing Center and other campus resources. Direct connections work best, but linking the ASC or Writing Center in your syllabus or on your Canvas page are also excellent options.

Directing students to our Canvas or webpage is a good place to start.

Absolutely! We do encourage you to speak with us ahead of time, so we can better prepare for these tutoring sessions. Providing a copy of your assignment gives our tutors more time in the session with the student, rather than taking the time during the session to read through the assignment and grading rubric. We can best help students if they come to their session with specific questions, and we appreciate your help in preparing them for what they can expect during the session, including letting them know that our tutors are not an editing or proofreading service.

Students can ask for a record of their visit by emailing ascFREECOLUMBIA_BASIN

Yes! We are happy to come in to your class to introduce team members, or to do a general presentation focused on a writing topic. Please email ascFREECOLUMBIA_BASIN or contact Kelsie Smith at kjsmithFREECOLUMBIA_BASIN  to get a visit scheduled.