Frequently Asked Questions
Answers
Will you check my paper for grammar, spelling,
and punctuation?
Yes, we will check your paper for errors, and we will
certainly let you know whether you seem to have particular troubles in
one area or another; however, we won't correct all of these errors
for you. Our goal is to teach you to see your own errors, not to provide
an editing service.
I don't want to spend any more time on my paper.
Can you just proofread it for me?
In a word, no. The EWC is a teaching facility;
our goal is to make you a competent writer, not to make ourselves overworked
editors.
Further, all too often, a student's writing does
not answer the instructor's question. For instance, a student may only
have described something, when the professor wanted analysis
as well. Or the writer of a lab report may have filled many pages with
easy sections (such as the equipment and procedures, which any ArtSci could
paraphrase from the lab manual) and neglected harder sections (such as
the discussion and conclusion). In such cases, proofreading is like rearranging
the deck chairs on the Titanic, after it struck the iceberg.
English is not my best language, and I have to consult
my translation dictionary for almost every sentence I write. Should
I make sure I've written good English before I contact the writing
centre?
Do not worry about grammar
at the early stages of writing! If you struggle to make each
sentence perfect before you even think about the next one, you will run
out of time before you get very far, and the overall structure of your
paper will suffer. Focus on developing your ideas in whatever form
you can -- perhaps an outline, a flow chart, or a branching idea tree.
(See next question.)
I have some general ideas and a basic outline.
Should I ask for help now, or complete my rough draft first?
A tutor will likely be able to help you quite a lot,
even at this early stage. If we can set you on the right track now,
we may save you a lot of time down the road.
What is the difference between an editing
service and a tutoring service?
An editor's job is to produce good writing.
A writing tutor's job is to produce good writers.
How do I book an appointment?
See the Engineering Writing Centre Home Page.
How do I send my document to the on-line tutor?
Follow the instructions in the CyberTutor Introduction.
How do I create a bibliography entry?
See the EWC Bibliography Builder.
What is plagiarism and how do I avoid it?
See the Accurate Documentation web collection.
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by Dennis
G. Jerz ,U. of T. Engineering Writing Centre
Last modified
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