Writing Center Processes

Appointments – Cancellations & Missed

Cancellations

If you cannot attend your appointment, please cancel it. You may cancel your appointment up until one minute before the start of your appointment.

No-shows/Missed Appointments

If you are not present by 10 minutes after the start of your appointment, you will be marked missed. If your paper is not received on time and you have not contacted the Writing Center, you will be marked as a “no show.” After two missed appointments in a row, your ability to schedule appointments with a consultant in the Writing Center will be suspended for two weeks.

Weekly Limit

To assist everyone, students are limited to three hours of writing assistance per week. That limit applies to both writing reviews and other types of appointments.

Central Time Zone

All times are in the Central Standard Time. If you are not present by 10 minutes after the start of your appointment or your paper is not uploaded/received by the scheduled starting time, your appointment will be cancelled.

File Types & Sizes

Google Docs / Adobe Acrobat PDF's

We are unable to accept files from Google Docs or Adobe Acrobat pdfs. If you use Google or Adobe Acrobat, you will be asked to resubmit your paper as an email attachment. Failure to do so by the start of the appointment time will result in a missed appointment.

PowerPoints

WCONLINE does not accept PowerPoint files, so please submit the PowerPoint as an email attachment from your BU email. Both .ppt and .pptx are accepted file types. If your file is too large to attach, then please email it to [email protected]. Most times, the graphics are the culprit, and you may make arrangements either (1) to send a Writing Center-only copy with fewer graphics or (2) to divide the PowerPoint into sections emailed separately. Feedback will be written in an MS Word file and uploaded in WCONLINE.

Files Larger than 1 MB

We accept only MS Word (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) attachments for papers of up to 1 MB in size. You will receive a confirmation email after this step. NOTE: If you have a file of a larger size or another type of file (such as a PowerPoint file), you will need to send it to us by email.

Special Considerations for Writing Reviews

Reviews

Scheduling an online appointment at a specific time on a specific day does not mean that the consultant will be reviewing your paper at precisely that specific time on that day. Your appointment guarantees that the consultant will review your submitted work on the day on which you’ve made your appointment.

One Draft, One Appointment

Consultants review one paper or one draft per appointment. If you upload multiple drafts, the consultant will pick one to review and ask that you schedule an additional appointment for another. Once a consultant has begun working on a draft and completed a consultation, that consultant will not go back and spend additional time the same day reviewing another (different or updated) draft.

Large Papers or the Graduate Thesis

Please understand that the consultant can review only one chapter at a time due to time constraints. We recommend that you start coming to the Writing Center early, ideally as soon as you finish the first chapter. Additionally, keep in mind that consultants review from 3-5 pages in a half hour to 5-8 pages in an hour, depending on the writing skill of the student and the shape of the paper submitted.