UCLA Writing and Research Workshops: Fall 2008

The Graduate Writing Center Fall workshops will include general writing workshops on a variety of topics and tutorials on ESL writing issues. We will also hold targeted writing workshops for graduate students in the areas of Humanities & Arts, Social Sciences, and Sciences & Engineering. Additionally, we will post information about research workshops being offered by the UCLA Libraries.


Research Workshops
EndNote & RefWorks Workshops
Statistical Software Workshops
General Writing Workshops
Dissertation and Proposal/Prospectus Workshops
Humanities & Arts Workshops
Social Sciences Workshops
Sciences & Engineering Workshops
ESL Workshops
Other Workshops for Graduate Students
Past Workshops

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Research Workshops
New Graduate Student Library Orientation
An orientation tour and talk on library services, reference and electronic resources, interlibrary loan, and instructional and consultation services.
Wednesday, October 1st, 2:00-2:50pm
Thursday, October 2nd, 12:00-12:50pm
Location: Meet in the Charles E. Young Research Library lobby near the stairs (map)



The UCLA Library Webspace and Catalogs
Through online demonstration and hands-on instruction, this workshop will teach you how to navigate the Library's Web site and to search the Library catalogs to find books and other materials in the UCLA libraries and beyond.
Monday, September 29th, 10:00-10:50pm – Jade Alburo, YRL Librarian
Thursday, October 2nd, 11:00-11:50am – Maria Jankowska, YRL Librarian
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536 (map)



Finding Journal Articles Online
Learn how to find full text articles online, how to discover the best databases for articles on a given topic, and how to use these resources effectively through online demonstration and hands-on instruction.



*Social Sciences focus*
Monday, October 6th, 11:00-11:50pm – Joseph Yue, YRL Librarian
Location: Research Library West Electronic Classroom, room 23167 (map)
Thursday, October 9th, 1:00-1:50pm – Liladhar Pendse, YRL Librarian
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536 (map)



*Humanities focus*
Marta Brunner, YRL Librarian
Wednesday, October 8th, 2:00-2:50pm
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536 (map)



*Performing Arts focus*
Diana King, Arts Librarian and David Gilbert, Music Librarian
Thursday, October 9th, 1:00-1:50pm
Location: Arts Library seminar room (5th floor, Arts Library), 1400 Public Affairs Building (map)



*Art, Architecture, and Design focus*
Janine Henri, Arts Librarian
Friday, October 10th, 1:00-1:50pm
Location: Arts Library seminar room (5th floor, Arts Library), 1400 Public Affairs Building (map)



*Health and Life Sciences focus*
Andrea Lynch, Biomedical Librarian
Friday, October 17th, 2-2:50pm
Location: Biomedical Library (12-077 CHS) Classroom (map)



*Engineering and Physical Sciences focus*
Marion Peters, SEL Librarian
Tuesday, October 14th, 2:00-2:50pm
Location: SEL Learning Center, located within SEL/EMS Collection, 8270 Boelter Hall (take northeast elevator or stairs) (map)



Accessing History Resources at UCLA
Marta Brunner, YRL Librarian
Aimed at anyone who utilizes history resources in their graduate research, this workshop provides an overview of the print and electronic resources available at UCLA, including articles databases, reference sources, oral histories, newspapers, and other primary sources.
October 6th, 1:00-2:30pm
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536 (map)



EndNote and RefWorks Workshops
EndNote
This session offers a basic overview of the purpose, uses, and features of EndNote, a program that helps researchers manage references and produce bibliographies for projects large and small.
*Tuesday, October 7th, 1:00-2:30pm - Miki Goral, YRL Librarian
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536 (map)
*Wednesday, October 15th, 10:30am-12:00pm - Miki Goral, YRL Librarian
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536 (map)
*Thursday, October 23rd, 2:00-3:30pm - Gabriella Gray, YRL Librarian
Location: Research Library West Electronic Classroom, room 23167 (map)



Advanced EndNote
Gabriella Gray, YRL Librarian
This hands-on session will offer an overview of some advanced EndNote techniques. Note: Session will emphasize EndNote for Windows. Mac and Windows users are welcome to bring their own laptops to the session.
Thursday, November 20th, 2:00-3:30pm
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536 (map)



RefWorks
Liladhar Pendse and Joseph Yue, YRL Librarians
This session offers a basic overview of the purpose, uses, and features of RefWorks, an online fee-based service that helps researchers manage references. Functionalities of particular relevancy to graduate students will be highlighted.
Monday, October 6th, 9:30-11:00am
Location: Research Library West Electronic Classroom, room 23167 (map)
Thursday, October 16th, 2:00-3:30pm
Location: Research Library East Electronic Classroom, room 21536 (map)

Statistics Software Workshops
Programming in Stata
Statistical Consulting Group, UCLA Academic Technology Services
Wednesday, October 8th, 10am-noon
Location: Visualization Portal, MS 5628 (location)
No reservations are needed.



Introduction to Writing SPSS Syntax
Statistical Consulting Group, UCLA Academic Technology Services
Wednesday, October 15th, 10am-noon
Location: Visualization Portal, MS 5628 (location)
No reservations are needed.



What's New in SAS 9.2
Statistical Consulting Group, UCLA Academic Technology Services
Wednesday, October 22nd, 10am-noon
Location: Visualization Portal, MS 5628 (location)
No reservations are needed.



The UCLA Statistical Consulting Group also has online classes and seminars:
http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/seminars/default.htm

General Writing Workshops
Best Practices for Writing a Group Thesis or Project
Michael Stajura, Community Health Services, Public Health
Do professors in your department assign group papers? Do you belong to a field in which group work is highly valued? Come to this workshop on collaborative writing to learn strategies for dealing with assignments done in small groups. Group assignments often cause a great deal of anxiety, and there are things that you can do to minimize the pain. You'll learn techniques and get advice on how to get the most out of the experience.
Wednesday, October 8th, 4:00-5:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Best Practices for Writing Your Master’s Thesis
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
This workshop will begin with a discussion of scope, expectations, and time constraints as related to master’s theses. We will then consider writing and organizational strategies for the typical components of master’s theses in different disciplines. Lastly, we will discuss approaches to and tips for revision of the project. Students at any stage of writing are encouraged to attend.
Thursday, October 9th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Academic Writing Skills Workshop for ESL Graduate Students
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
In this interactive workshop, ESL graduate students will learn skills and strategies to build their fluency, accuracy, and comprehensibility in English academic writing. In addition, we will discuss useful on-campus, online, and print resources that will help students to work independently to improve their writing. There will also be time for questions and answers about ESL writing issues and concerns.
Two times (same workshop):
Tuesday, October 14th, 6:00-7:30pm
Location: Graduate Student Resource Center, Student Activities Center, Room B11 (basement level)
Friday, October 17th, 12:00-1:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Writing Pedagogy Overview
Bruce Beiderwell, Director, UCLA Writing Programs
Marilyn Gray, Coordinator, Graduate Writing Center
This workshop will cover major writing concepts, such as thesis statements, organization, and summary versus analysis. The workshop will then cover strategies for efficient ways to help students improve their writing as well as relevant resources available to graduate students. The final part of the workshop will discuss appropriate ways to respond to student writing, including etiquette for commenting on student papers and best practices for one-on-one meetings with students.
Wednesday, October 22nd, 5:15-7:15 pm
Location: Perloff 1102
Thursday, October 23rd, 5:15-7:15 pm
Location: Humanities 135



Funding Opportunities for Graduate Study
Mac Marston, Archaeology (NSF Graduate Fellow, 2003-2007; NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2008)
This workshop will briefly outline several major UCLA and external funding opportunities for all periods of graduate study, including single- and multi-year fellowships, dissertation research grants, and travel grants. Participants will learn how to identify relevant funding sources for their graduate work most effectively. The workshop will also cover general strategies for successful applications. Although some funding sources presented are restricted to certain areas of study or degree objectives, this workshop will cover the full range of funding opportunities for all current UCLA graduate students.
Thursday, October 28th, 4:00-5:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Citation and Academic Integrity Issues for Graduate Students
Eudora Loh, YRL Librarian
Common research and writing situations often present complex questions related to citation and paraphrasing. In support of maintaining academic integrity, this workshop will offer practical guidance for citing sources and using information ethically.
Thursday, October 30th, 4:00-5:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



"Don't I Own My Own Work?": Reading and Negotiating Publishers' Contracts
Sharon Farb, Associate University Librarian for Collection Management and Scholarly Communication
As a UCLA graduate student, you want to enhance your academic publishing credentials. But in the rush to publish or for fear of jeopardizing your opportunities, are you signing an agreement with a publisher without reading it fully or understanding its implications? You might unknowingly surrender your copyright and, along with it, the rights to use and reuse your work as you wish. Find out how to read authors' agreements and how to negotiate to keep your rights.
Thursday, November 13th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Grammar and Punctuation 101: A Refresher Workshop on All You've Forgotten
Andrea Olinger, Applied Linguistics & TESL
Jessica Preece, Political Science
This workshop will review commas, semicolons, apostrophes, who versus whom, which versus that, and tricky issues with pronoun use and subject-verb agreement. You are encouraged to bring your own questions about grammar and punctuation. The target audience is native speakers of English who feel rusty, but ESL students are welcome to attend. This is Part I in a series of two workshops.
Friday, November 14th, 12:00-1:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Style and Proofreading 101: A Refresher Workshop on All You've Forgotten
Andrea Olinger, Applied Linguistics & TESL
Jessica Preece, Political Science
This workshop will review parallel structure, misplaced and dangling modifiers, active and passive voice, and strategies for proofreading your own work. You will edit samples of graduate students’ work. and you are encouraged to bring your own questions about style and proofreading. The target audience is native speakers of English who feel rusty, but ESL students are welcome to attend. This is Part II in a series of two workshops. You do not need to have attended Part I to participate.
Friday, November 21st, 12:00-1:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Inventing your Ideas: Strategies for Avoiding and Overcoming Writer's Block
Dr. Randy Fallows, Writing Programs
In this workshop we will discuss what causes writer's block and how to overcome it. We will first examine ways of eliminating psychological blocks and then look at practical heuristics that help to inspire new ideas.
Tuesday, December 2nd, 4:00-5:30pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Dissertation and Proposal/Prospectus Workshops
Strategies for Writing the Social Sciences Dissertation Proposal
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
Mac Marston, Archaeology
Jessica Preece, Political Science
This workshop will give an overview of the main components of a dissertation proposal in the social sciences and cover strategies for writing the introduction, literature review, methods, and significance sections. These strategies should be adapted to your department’s and advisor’s expectations about the structure and content of your proposal. Please bring two copies of your abstract to this workshop.
Thursday, September 30th, 5:00-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)
RSVP requested (to help us make sure we have enough room and enough handouts), but not required. To RSVP, please send an email to gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu, with the subject heading "rsvp ss proposal")



Strategies for Writing the Humanities Dissertation Prospectus
Jeannine Murray-Román, Comparative Literature
This workshop is geared towards giving incipient prospectus writers the tools to write their prospectus over the course of two months. We will discuss literature review and argument development as well as how to turn the many different pieces of a prospectus into a coherent document. Nota bene: this is meant to be an addition to--not a substitution for--serious discussions with your advisor about what is expected of you in your home department.
Wednesday, October 1st, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)
RSVP requested (to help us make sure we have enough room and enough handouts), but not required. To RSVP, please send an email to gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu, with the subject heading "rsvp hum prospectus")



Dissertation Writing Groups, Support Groups and Resources for Dissertators
Dr. Alan Nagamoto, Student Psychological Services
Christine Wilson, Graduate Student Resource Center Coordinator
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Coordinator
Jeannine Murray-Román, Comparative Literature
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
The workshop will provide information about resources for dissertators and thesis-writers. The panel will discuss writing groups and support groups, including how to run your own dissertation writing group or writing partnership. Finally, at the end of the workshop, we will meet with graduate students who are interested in being placed in a writing group and submitted the questionnaire by Monday, September 29th, 5pm.
Thursday, October 2nd, 5:00-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 3, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Time Management for Dissertators
Dr. Alan Nagamoto, Counseling and Psychological Services
Dr. Nagamoto will present an introduction to the principles of time management and offer practical advice on how to manage time during the dissertation writing process. He will cover common pitfalls and how to overcome them.
Wednesday, October 15th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Revision Workshop: Strategies for Revising Longer Texts
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Coordinator
This hands-on workshop will provide people with revision strategies for longer texts, such as master’s theses, dissertation chapters or proposals. Please bring a hard copy of your own work, at least 15-20 double-spaced pages (more is fine). If you would like to do some of the preparation work ahead of time, start working on a backwards outline by tagging each paragraph with a phrase describing its main point.
Thursday, November 20th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Humanities & Arts Writing Workshops
Strategies for Writing the Humanities Dissertation Prospectus
Jeannine Murray-Román, Comparative Literature
This workshop is geared towards giving incipient prospectus writers the tools to write their prospectus over the course of two months. We will discuss literature review and argument development as well as how to turn the many different pieces of a prospectus into a coherent document. Nota bene: this is meant to be an addition to--not a substitution for--serious discussions with your advisor about what is expected of you in your home department.
Wednesday, October 1st, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Strategies for Writing Graduate Course Papers in the Humanities
Jeannine Murray-Roman, Comparative Literature
In this workshop we will discuss ways to develop papers for graduate courses, including how to develop a more complex thesis and how to write a literature review. We will also review general writing and revision strategies.
Tuesday, November 4th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Revision Workshop: Strategies for Revising Longer Texts
Marilyn Gray, Graduate Writing Center Coordinator
This hands-on workshop will provide people with revision strategies for longer texts, such as master’s theses, dissertation chapters or proposals. Please bring a hard copy of your own work, at least 15-20 double-spaced pages (more is fine). If you would like to do some of the preparation work ahead of time, start working on a backwards outline by tagging each paragraph with a phrase describing its main point.
Thursday, November 20th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Social Sciences Writing Workshops
Strategies for Writing the Social Sciences Dissertation Proposal
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
Mac Marston, Archaeology
Jessica Preece, Political Science
This workshop will give an overview of the main components of a dissertation proposal in the social sciences and cover strategies for writing the introduction, literature review, methods, and significance sections. These strategies should be adapted to your department’s and advisor’s expectations about the structure and content of your proposal. Please bring two copies of your abstract to this workshop.
Thursday, September 30th, 5:00-7:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)
RSVP requested (to help us make sure we have enough room and enough handouts), but not required. To RSVP, please send an email to gwc@gsa.asucla.ucla.edu, with the subject heading "rsvp ss proposal")



Applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Mac Marston, Archaeology (NSF Graduate Fellow, 2003-2007; NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2008)
This workshop will discuss strategies for applying for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Open to US citizens in the Social, Biological, and Physical Sciences, this highly competitive fellowship provides three years of fellowship funding to successful applicants. The workshop will focus on the merit criteria for NSF grants, the structure of the proposal, suggestions for writing style, and technical details of Fastlane submission.
Tuesday, October 7th, 4:00-6:00 (This is the same workshop that was offered on September 9th.)
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Funding Opportunities for Graduate Study
Mac Marston, Archaeology (NSF Graduate Fellow, 2003-2007; NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2008)
This workshop will briefly outline several major UCLA and external funding opportunities for all periods of graduate study, including single- and multi-year fellowships, dissertation research grants, and travel grants. Participants will learn how to identify relevant funding sources for their graduate work most effectively. The workshop will also cover general strategies for successful applications. Although some funding sources presented are restricted to certain areas of study or degree objectives, this workshop will cover the full range of funding opportunities for all current UCLA graduate students.
Tueday, October 28th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Applying for the NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant in the Biological and Social Sciences
Mac Marston, Archaeology (NSF Graduate Fellow, 2003-2007; NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2008)
The National Science Foundation offers Dissertation Improvement Grants to doctoral students in many areas of the biological and social sciences. These competitive grants provide up to $15,000 (depending on the field) for research expenses related to the dissertation. The workshop will focus on the merit criteria for NSF grants, the structure of the proposal, suggestions for writing style, and technical details of Fastlane submission.
Thursday, November 6th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Strategies for Writing Graduate Course Papers in the Social Sciences
Andrea Olinger, Applied Linguistics
In this workshop we will discuss ways to develop papers for graduate courses, including how to develop a more complex thesis and how to write a literature review. We will also review general writing and revision strategies.
Tuesday, November 18th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Science and Engineering Writing Workshops
Applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Mac Marston, Archaeology (NSF Graduate Fellow, 2003-2007; NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2008)
This workshop will discuss strategies for applying for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Open to US citizens in the Social, Biological, and Physical Sciences, this highly competitive fellowship provides three years of fellowship funding to successful applicants. The workshop will focus on the merit criteria for NSF grants, the structure of the proposal, suggestions for writing style, and technical details of Fastlane submission.
Tuesday, October 7th, 4:00-6:00 (This is the same workshop that was offered on September 9th.)
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Funding Opportunities for Graduate Study
Mac Marston, Archaeology (NSF Graduate Fellow, 2003-2007; NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2008)
This workshop will briefly outline several major UCLA and external funding opportunities for all periods of graduate study, including single- and multi-year fellowships, dissertation research grants, and travel grants. Participants will learn how to identify relevant funding sources for their graduate work most effectively. The workshop will also cover general strategies for successful applications. Although some funding sources presented are restricted to certain areas of study or degree objectives, this workshop will cover the full range of funding opportunities for all current UCLA graduate students.
Tuesday, October 28th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)

Applying for the NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant in the Biological and Social Sciences
Mac Marston, Archaeology (NSF Graduate Fellow, 2003-2007; NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant, 2008)
The National Science Foundation offers Dissertation Improvement Grants to doctoral students in many areas of the biological and social sciences. These competitive grants provide up to $15,000 (depending on the field) for research expenses related to the dissertation. The workshop will focus on the merit criteria for NSF grants, the structure of the proposal, suggestions for writing style, and technical details of Fastlane submission.
Thursday, November 6th, 4:00-6:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



We have some previously-recorded online workshops about writing in the sciences, including workshops on applying for the NIH NRSA fellowship and writing dissertation proposal and an article-based dissertation in the sciences. For more information, click here.



ESL Workshops
Academic Writing Skills Workshop for ESL Graduate Students
Netta Avineri, Applied Linguistics & TESL
In this interactive workshop, ESL graduate students will learn skills and strategies to build their fluency, accuracy, and comprehensibility in English academic writing. In addition, we will discuss useful on-campus, online, and print resources that will help students to work independently to improve their writing. There will also be time for questions and answers about ESL writing issues and concerns.
Two times (same workshop):
Tuesday, October 14th, 5:00-7:00pm
Friday, October 17th, 12:00-2:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)



Email Etiquette at the University
Andrea Olinger, Applied Linguistics & TESL
As a graduate student, you will write thousands of emails while getting your degree—emails that invite professors to serve on your dissertation committee, emails that ask for extensions on papers, emails in which you introduce yourself to potential mentors or advisors. Designed for graduate students who speak English as a second or foreign language, this workshop breaks down the language necessary to make polite requests over email. It also covers basic email etiquette and includes opportunities to edit emails written by real graduate students.
Two times (same workshop):
Tuesday, October 21st, 4:00-6:00pm
Friday, October 24th, 12:00-2:00pm
Location: Conference Room 4, Student Activities Center (basement level) (map)