The Writing Center is offers both in-person and online appointments to support your writing, communication, and reading needs.
You can also contact Kathleen at the email above with questions or scheduling support.
Our Writing Center is a space for undergraduate and graduate students to visit for support for individual and group writing projects. We offer personalized conversations about your writing and projects to help you achieve your communication goals!
We help you develop the skills to feel more comfortable, confident, and capable when communicating. We are not an editing service. Instead, we work with you to improve your writing.
Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to use the Writing Center. We offer both in-person appointments in UC170 and online appointments.
We are here to help with any of your writing, reading, and communicating needs!
We have helped NKU students with essays, lab reports, speeches, internship applications, and more! If it involves communicating, make an appointment with us!
Most in-person appointments take place in UC170 where you can comfortably chat with your peer writing consultant. The writing center is also embedded in select courses (contact Kathleen Spada for details at spadak2@nku.edu).
Online appointments are hosted through Zoom, our virtual tutoring platform.
You are welcome to stop by UC170 to see if a writing consultant is available: 8:30am-4:30pm during Fall and Spring semesters (limited availability during summer and winter semesters, consult availability via TutorTrac.nku.edu).
We have designated drop-in hours in Steely Library during Fall and Spring semesters.
For drop-in sessions, we help students based on the order in which they arrive. All drop-in sessions are first come, first served.
Book appointments at TutorTrac.nku.edu.
Please complete the TutorTrac Survey or email writingcenter@nku.edu if you cannot find an appointment time that works for you. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
We look forward to working with you!
Why use the Writing Center?
All writers benefit from having someone else read their work. Are your thesis and purpose clear? Do you provide adequate evidence and analysis? Is your point actually coming through? Do you have writing errors that need correction? Writing Center Consultants know how to write college papers well and can share with you writing strategies that work.
Is it a free service?
Yes. Writing Center consultations are FREE to NKU students.
Who are the Writing Center Consultants?
Writing Center Consultants are college students, just like you. Some are undergraduates; some are graduate students. They are academically successful students, skilled and experienced college writers, and have had training. They communicate well, are welcoming and nonjudgmental.
Do I need an appointment?
Appointments are recommended. There may be limited drop-in times in-person in UC 170. You are welcome to stop by to see if a consultant is available. To guarantee that you get a consultation, schedule an appointment at Tutortrac or call 859-572-5475.
What should I bring to a Writing Center visit?
The writing prompt and/or rubric and your draft. If you don't have a draft yet, just bringing ideas and questions is enough to get started.
Because of COVID-19 social distancing protocols, please bring a print copy of your paper (not just your laptop).
What happens during a Writing Center visit?
The session will start with some framing questions: When is your paper due? What is the assignment? Who is the audience? What is your thesis? These questions help the consultant understand your writing (rhetorical) situation. Then we will ask what are your concerns. Together we will set some goals for the session.
Depending on your concerns, we may just talk through your ideas. Or we may read part of the paper or the whole paper out loud. We will discuss what is going well in the paper and specific things you can do to improve the paper.
We will end the session by reviewing what was accomplished and checking to see if we met the goals we set at the beginning. We want you to leave feeling confident and knowing what your next steps are in writing the paper.
Can I just send my paper to the Writing Center for someone to look at it?
No. We will work with you, but we do not do the work for you.
Appointments: Students may make two 45-minute Writing Center appointments per week per course. More time requires approval from the Writing Center Coordinator. Appointments may NOT occur during student's class time.
Cell Phones: Please turn off your ringer so you do not disturb others. If you need to take a call, please take it outside.
Drop-Ins: Though students with appointments have priority, the Writing Center accepts drop-in students whenever a consultant is available.
Late for Appointment: If you are running late for an appointment, please call us at (859) 572-5475. If you are more than 15 minutes late to an appointment without contacting us, your consultant may take another appointment. Also, you will be marked as a "No Show."
No Show: If you are unable to keep an appointment, please cancel it. You can cancel an appointment through TutorTrac or by contacting the Writing Center at 859-572-5475. If you miss two (2) appointments without canceling, you will no longer be permitted to schedule appointments. If you cancel five (5) appointments, you also will no longer be permitted to schedule appointments.
Consultant Responsibility: Consultants are responsible for managing the session, asking questions, and helping you develop your writing. Consultants are not responsible for the quality of students' work nor for the grades students receive for their work. Consultants can explain and demonstrate proper citation and documentation methods, but they are not responsible for identifying plagiarized papers or removing plagiarized materials.
