Faculty of Liberal Arts And Professional Studies Archives - Writing Centre

Revision & Editing

tani18 — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 18:23:38 +0000

Just as there is no one way to work through your writing process, there is no one way to revise or edit your drafts. In long-form writing it is important to think through the structure, logic and flow of your document. On this page you will find external resources to help you move through the process of revision. Reverse outlining is one particularly useful strategy that can help you identify the purpose of your work, consider gaps in logical development, and recognize areas that overlap or digress from the direction of your argument. Other strategies listed will assist you with ensuring clarity, writing concisely, responding to feedback, and proofreading effectively.

Quick Links

Questions?

Our Writing Centre instructors are available to assist you with the revision process.

The post Revision & Editing appeared first on Writing Centre.

Dissertation Structures & Breaking it Down

Sanja Begic — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:02:34 +0000

Understanding how to structure your dissertation requires an understanding of disciplinary expectations in your field. On this page you will find external resources that provide advice and examples of how to structure your overall dissertation as well as individual chapters. Start by accessing The Faculty of Graduate Studies Electronic Theses and Dissertations link, as it contains recent dissertations from every field/program. Find the dissertations in your field of study, and review them to get a sense of how they are structured and what kinds of features they include. Some dissertations may be written in the traditional monograph style, others in the three-paper model. The additional links offer detailed breakdowns of these dissertation styles and of individual chapters.

Quick Links

Questions?

The Writing Centre is available to assist you in determining the most effective structure for your dissertation.

The post Dissertation Structures & Breaking it Down appeared first on Writing Centre.

Procrastination, Productivity & Process

Sanja Begic — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:02:25 +0000

Graduate students are often unprepared for the sense of isolation and feelings of insecurity that can accompany the process of completing a dissertation and lead to extended periods of procrastination. Participating in graduate writing groups can help you develop a sense of community, and the timed writing activities they involve can help you overcome your “writer’s block.” In addition, the resources on this page provide strategies for managing your time and motivating yourself to move forward. It is also important, though, to attend to the emotional aspects of dissertation writing, so we have included resources to support your well-being, including a link to the Faculty of Graduate Studies Wellness Consultation & Counselling Services.

Quick Links

Graduate Wellness & Counselling | Current Students | Students | Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) | 91��ɫ

Questions?

Our Writing Centre instructors are available to assist you throughout your writing process.

The post Procrastination, Productivity & Process appeared first on Writing Centre.

Writing Strategies

Sanja Begic — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:02:17 +0000

Dissertation writers often need to try different strategies to kickstart their writing, see their work from different angles, or move their writing in different directions. It's not uncommon to find yourself drawing a blank when you think about what you want to say or how your argument holds together, so expanding how you think about writing and anticipating ways to keep your work fresh can be beneficial in the short, medium, and long terms. Listed below are three strategies that can help move your work forward: mind mapping, freewriting, and dictation. Each of these techniques offers a different way to think through your work. Mind mapping can help you organize your thoughts and see the connections between your core ideas, while freewriting helps you generate ideas without judgment, pausing the “critical voices” that can hinder writing progress. Dictation can take place at any stage of the writing process, as it helps you centre your own voice in your writing.

Quick Links

Questions?

The Writing Centre is always available to work through these strategies with you during individual appointments.

The post Writing Strategies appeared first on Writing Centre.

Doctoral Defense

Sanja Begic — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:01:38 +0000

For many graduate students, one of the most daunting aspects of the dissertation process is the prospect of the “viva voce” – the public defense that is required to achieve your graduate degree. This defense is considered by many as a high stakes endeavour in a high-pressure environment, that often evokes feelings of anticipatory anxiety and fear of failure. While the doctoral defence is challenging, it is important to break it down into manageable components and to make use of strategies to prepare effectively and to navigate the complex emotions that accompany the performance. Doing so will enable you to put your best foot forward (and to even enjoy) your viva. The links to external resources on this page provide advice and examples on how to prepare for the defense including instructions on slide design and on rehearsal strategies, such as organizing a mock defense. Start with the Faculty of Graduate Studies outline of the defense process, and be sure to ask your committee for advice or guidance.

Quick Links

Doctoral Dissertation | Thesis and Dissertation | Current Students | Students | Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) | 91��ɫ

Questions?

Our Writing Centre instructors are available to work with you on your defense preparation.

The post Doctoral Defense appeared first on Writing Centre.

Professionalization

Sanja Begic — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:51:03 +0000

Professionization can be one of the most intimidating aspects of participating in academia. Writing conference abstracts or writing for publication may feel daunting, but presenting your research to fellow academics or to professional audiences can help you find your academic community and build your academic identity. Professional development can also help you with planning, development, and presentation skills that are transferable to both academic and non-academic contexts. On this page you will find external resources that will help you get started on presenting your work in public-facing spaces.

Quick Links

(PDF)
(PDF)

(PDF)

Questions?

Our Writing Centre instructors are available to help you at any stage of your professionalization process.

The post Professionalization appeared first on Writing Centre.

Literature Reviews

Sanja Begic — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:44:05 +0000

Integrating literature into a thesis, whether as a stand-along chapter or throughout the project can be challenging for graduate students struggling to find their position within a wide-ranging academic debate. This page includes external resources that will help you get started on writing a literature review for a dissertation, for an article, or for a book chapter. While some of the information in these resources will overlap, that is a good thing. When we begin to notice commonalities in how to write in complex academic genres, that is generally a sign that we have understood the conventions that we are in dialogue with. We can always challenge these conventions, but knowing what they are can help us move forward in figuring out how we wish to position our own projects.

Quick Links

(College of Arts and Sciences)
(PDF)
(PDF)

(Memorial University Libraries)
(UofT)

Questions?

If you wish to discuss your work on any of these issues, please make an appointment with someone at the Writing Centre.

The post Literature Reviews appeared first on Writing Centre.

Scholarships, Grants, Personal Statements & CVs

Sanja Begic — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:29:07 +0000

One of the most challenging aspects of graduate school is trying to secure internal and external funding for your research. The process of applying for grants, scholarships, fellowships and other financial support can seem overwhelming and it’s common for graduate students to not know where to begin. The resources provided on this page will help you begin your journey to crafting successful applications. Crafting grant and scholarship applications can take a long time, so starting early is important.

Quick Links

A Guide for Developing Successful Grant Proposals
(PDF)
(PDF)

(PDF)

Questions?

If you need help with your application process, be sure to contact the Writing Centre to make an appointment.

The post Scholarships, Grants, Personal Statements & CVs appeared first on Writing Centre.

PHD Café

Sanja Begic — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:35:29 +0000

PHD Writers: Fall into Writing with the PHD Café!

Working on a PhD dissertation this Summer? Join a community of fellow PhD writers! The Writing Centre’s graduate writing specialist will help you focus, goal set, project-manage, stick to a timeline, collaborate with committee members and connect with peers.

The PhD Café is free to 91��ɫ students.

Quick Links

What We Offer

Join us this Summer

The Writing Centre is offering a Summer term session of the PhD Café, beginning in May and running for ten weeks (schedule TBA).

Ten-week Program

This very popular ten-week PhD Café is designed to help PhD students make writing progress, connect to a larger writing community and stay focused/return focus on their dissertations.

Get Individual Assistance

Multiple one-to-one appointments with the Writing Centre’s graduate writing specialist are included with registration and provide focused and detailed attention to drafts and plans.

Meet with the Specialist

The Cafés are limited to twelve PhD writers and the Writing Centre specialist, and preference will be given to those writers at or past the proposal stage.

Attend from Anywhere

The PhD Café will run VIRTUALLY during the summer (schedule TBA). As this service is offered remotely, interested students will need a stable internet connection in order to fully participate.

University-approved software such as Zoom and/or Teams will be used to facilitate group writing sessions. Given the very limited amount of spaces available, registration does not guarantee a spot and your name may be placed on a waitlist for a future Café.

Student Testimonials

I had the absolute pleasure of participating in the graduate student café in the summer of 2020. I cannot stress enough how important it has been to me as a graduate student. It has had a positive impact on my writing and the direction of my research. When I began graduate studies, it was with the desire to find an intellectual community to challenge me and help me develop my thoughts. After seven years at 91��ɫ, I can honestly say that this offering helped to fulfill these goals. Our café was a community of scholars, who have continued to meet as a group over Zoom since it ended. I would definitely recommend this to other students.

— Tyler Ball
PhD Candidate, Department of English

My sessions with Keith O'Regan in the Thesis Writing Cafe were highly effective in equipping me with valuable knowledge and skills specific to the challenges of producing a doctoral dissertation and fostering a supportive community of peers. Keith was always prepared for each session with a relevant and engaging topic for discussion, while also being open-minded to any topics that group members hoped to discuss. He was an excellent moderator of the discussions by always leaving space for people to first parse out their own ideas and concerns, before offering insightful and empathetic input of his own.

— Davis Vallesi
Graduate Student

Questions?

For general inquiries, email us at lapswrit@yorku.ca.

The post PHD Café appeared first on Writing Centre.

Guide for Graduate Student Support

Sanja Begic — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 15:45:44 +0000

A guide for graduate supervisors, committee members and students

Writing is central to graduate success, but it is not a solo journey.

The myth of the writer as working alone in a room with their pen, their typewriter, or currently, their laptop is both remarkably prevalent and markedly false. Writing, especially at the graduate level, is a collaborative, developmental process that involves students, supervisors and institutional supports, the most important of which is the LA&PS Writing Centre.

This guide is designed to spark reflection on the often-hidden aspects of graduate writing, particularly in relation to the importance of graduate supervision and communication practices in moving that writing along. By highlighting the importance of establishing reciprocal and considerate writing processes – and the role that each member of the process plays – the Writing Centre helps students and supervisors meet their academic and developmental goals.

Quick Links

To save this guide as PDF, use Ctrl+P (Windows/Linux) or ⌘+�� (Mac), or find the "Print" option in your browser's menu (three dots/lines), then choose your printer, select destination "Save as PDF" and click the "Print" button.

The Writing Centre’s Role

The Writing Centre plays a key role in supporting both students and supervisors. Attuned to the complexities of the iterative nature of graduate level writing, the Writing Centre offers evidence-based expertise to help both students and supervisors work through the graduate writing process more effectively.

Our Graduate Cafe provides a space where PhD candidates connect with their peers as our graduate writing specialists help them manage the thesis writing process

For Graduate Students

Graduate level writing means writing for various audiences. The Writing Centre offers individual consultation on course papers or assignments, public-facing work like conference presentations or articles, or long-form writing like theses or dissertations. Whether you are at the planning or the writing stage, our instructors can help you clarify your ideas, organize your thoughts and work through your writing process. No one writes alone and we are here to help!

For Supervisors, Committee Members, and Graduate Program Directors

Supervising graduate students can be challenging, especially when it comes to supporting dissertation development. The Writing Centre provides strategies for assessing work, providing meaningful feedback and enhancing academic advancement through and our (11 am on Thursdays) to help you help your students.

Writing Process Challenges

Supporting the Writing Process

Demystifying Academic Writing

Additional
Resources

Challenges in Graduate Student Writing Processes

Graduate student writing is complicated by academic, emotional, situational and cultural challenges. Graduate supervisory awareness of these aspects can foster improved productivity in the writing and positive receipt of feedback.

Challenge	For Graduate Students	For Graduate Supervisors
	Graduate writing, whether at the Masters or Doctoral level, is an emotionally taxing process that requires us to think through complex ideas, consult multiple literatures, reconsider our own analysis and present our ideas in polished forms to a variety of audiences. It is not unusual for graduate writers to feel overwhelmed or frustrated at various points in the writing process, but it is important to access support when you do. Reach out to your Supervisor, Committee Members, or the Writing Centre for help if you experience any of the following challenges:	While developing emerging scholars is ultimately a rewarding experience, the process of supervising graduate writers may feel daunting. Even those with considerable experience need to remember that writing at this level is a unique and novel experience, often accompanied by emotions that may undercut a Graduate writer’s confidence. Successful graduate supervision involves clarifying expectations and offering pathways for students to navigate significant challenges. Here are some strategies you can use to assist your students:
Expectations	Perfectionism: setting unrealistic expectations throughout the writing process, thinking you must produce perfect results all the time. Unclear Expectations: feeling unsure about what is required and involved at this level. Time management: finding it difficult to properly divide up your time to complete all the tasks.	Modelling: presenting and discussing “mentor texts” (see ) can help familiarize students with disciplinary expectations and increase their confidence level. Realistic Outcomes: reminding students of the iterative nature of long-form writing and encouraging a process-oriented approach normalizes the need for multiple revisions, which may seem daunting at times. Regular Check-Ins: inviting students to express their views on the mentoring process can help reduce power imbalances and allow you to adjust your approach to best meet their needs.
Conversations	Fear of feedback: feeling you and your work may be judged harshly, so you avoid sharing ideas rather than face any criticism. Isolation: feeling you are alone with your writing, that it is a solitary process, that reaching out to others is weakness. It’s not! Feeling Overwhelmed: getting lost in the research, having difficulty finding your voice.	Reciprocity: creating space for students to work through their ideas by listening to and engaging with their point of view can help them choose their path and help us avoid “over-determining” the direction of their research or argument.
Development	Imposter syndrome: feeling you do not belong, you do not measure up to the task, everyone but you knows what they are doing.	Professionalization: identifying the possible roles students can assume as members of departmental, faculty, or university committees can help them gain valuable experience and develop their professional profiles.
Support	Remember that the counsellors at Graduate Student Wellness Services are available to support you in your academic journey.	Remember that your colleagues, both in Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) and at the Writing Centre are a great source of collaboration and support in the mentorship process.

The Graduate Supervisor-Graduate Student Writing Relationship: An Interactive Model

Research shows that the establishment of a productive relationship between supervisors and graduate students is essential to the completion of graduate degrees. To create an environment where the graduate students feel free to express themselves and fulfill their own goals, supervisors not only provide guidance, but also consult with the student on how they best receive that guidance. When graduate writers feel empowered to advocate for themselves and their academic and professional goals, they accomplish those goals more frequently, with more confidence and with a more positive attitude about the process. When graduate students take ownership of their research and writing goals with the timely support and encouragement of their supervisors, the power imbalances that inevitably exist can be successfully navigated and productively managed to achieve a more collaborative relationship.

Supporting the Writing Process: Shared Roles and Responsibilities

Writing Support Components	What Graduate Supervisors Can Do	What Graduate Students Can Do
Goal Setting	Ask students what skills they hope to build in achieving their projects.	Consider and express what you hope to achieve and how to achieve it (i.e., research path, career options, post-doc opportunities).
Expectations	Clarify expectations about how the writing process could work – milestones, guidance you will provide, potential resources. Invite students to express their expectations and concerns about the writing process. Acknowledge your writing experiences, sharing the difficulties you have faced or face – emphasizing the recursive nature of writing.	Share with your supervisor how you work best, what type of feedback you find most helpful, and any scheduling constraints you may encounter. Do not be afraid to express your concerns and worries about the writing process at any stage of the project – to your supervisor, to your peers, at the Writing Centre. Bring forward the challenges you may be experiencing in working through your drafts so your supervisor can offer guidance or resources.
Conversation	Remind students that writing is about an exchange of ideas, and that they do not need to submit writing to have generative research and writing discussions.	Consider your writing as an exchange of ideas. Enquire whether your supervisor is open to meeting with you to discuss your ideas without the obligation of having written work to present.
Guidance	Listen for and anticipate areas that student might benefit from research and writing guidance. Provide students with models (mentor texts) that clarify genre expectations.	Determine what knowledge gaps you have about the research and writing process and check if your supervisor can offer guidance or constructive feedback. If you are unsure of writing expectations, ask supervisors for examples.
Feedback	Ask students what framework for receiving comments works best for them. Offer formative, actionable, timely, constructive feedback, focusing on clarity and content rather than sentence-level grammar.	Ask for feedback proactively, regularly, and be specific about your concerns. Consider feedback a conversation, offering you the opportunity to explain, expand, refute or clarify your ideas with your supervisor. Acknowledge the moments where you believe your writing is lacking, and how.
Professionalization	Encourage public presentation of their work and proactively suggest avenues and outlets to do so.	Locate opportunities to present your work in public-facing spaces so you can expand your network, grow your research and share your ideas with peers in your discipline.
Resources	Recognize when your graduate student requires assistance beyond your capabilities and refer them to helpful resources (see list below).	Reach out to your mentor, to the Writing Centre and to other 91��ɫ resources for assistance (see list below) when you feel blocked or overwhelmed or in your research and writing process.

Demystifying Academic Writing

Standard [Academic] English is no one’s mother tongue.

- Peter Elbow

Writing well means entering into a conversation with others. Academic writing in particular calls upon writers not simply to express their own ideas, but to do so as a response to what others have said.

- Gerald Graff & Kathy Birkenstein, They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing

Contrary to popular belief, no one finds academic writing easy. For graduate students, understanding the rhetorical and disciplinary expectations of graduate writing in their area of specialization can seem daunting as they move into dissertation and thesis writing. However, supervisors may help by taking a process-based approach that recognizes the iterative nature of thinking, research, and writing, and uses sources as models of disciplinary conventions to help make the writing journey much more enjoyable, engaging, and productive. As you guide your graduate students through the writing process, remind them that as they enter the conversations other scholars have begun before them, they not only gather the information, perspectives, and analysis that will help them develop their own arguments and shape their research paths, they are also encountering models for how to present their work in ways that align with the conventions of the discipline, including the construction of introductions, literature reviews, section headings, citation styles, results formatting, discussions, and conclusions. By drawing attention to writing models, you can support your graduate students in developing both their ideas and the conventions of academic writing needed to communicate them effectively.

Graff & Birkenstein’s is a rich source of rhetorical strategies and discourse markers that help make graduate students’ writing work within an academic context. Early in the writing process, supervisors can help graduate students build confidence by sharing important suggested phrases and structures commonly used in academic texts. Two templates supervisors may consider are provided below.

Furthermore, the Thomas J. Garland Library website contains many of the (PDF), and the offers additional phrases and structures common to academic writing such as introducing views, indicating agreement and disagreement with other scholarly perspectives and drawing conclusions.

Finally, remember that your graduate students’ writing will go through many revisions, re-thinkings, and rewritings as they develop their thoughts and adjust their perspectives to align with the research they discover, and this can free them from the feeling that their writing needs to be perfect or their ideas fully formed from the moment they begin drafting or …the moment they begin to write.

A Starter Template to Form Introductions and Identify Key ideas

In recent discussions of_____, a controversial issue has been whether_____. On the one hand, some argue that_______. From this perspective, _______. On the other hand, however, others argue that_____. In the words of_____________, one of the view’s main proponents, “_________________.” According to this view, ____________________. In sum, then, the issue is whether ______ or_______.

 My own view is that_____________. Though I concede that________, I still maintain that_______. For example, ______________. Although some might object that______________, I would reply that________________. This issue matters/is important because_______.

Outline of the 4-Stage Citation Process

Introduce the source material, capturing the authorial action
- X claims, argues, reminds us, emphasizes, reports, suggests, etc.
Restate the material in your own words to demonstrate your understanding
- In other words, X is saying; Basically, X believes; The main point X is making is…
Relate the material to your own and/or to other authors’ position(s)
- Disagree/Agree/Both
- X’s findings contrast sharply with those of Y
- X’s theory of __ reveals the importance of considering ____
- While X’s view on __ contributes to our understanding of __, their emphasis on __ undermines the idea that ____
Reinforce significance - show why this material matters
- As a result, the way we consider ____ will have important implications for __ in terms of _______

** Remember to examine positions that contradict, not just support, your position.

Additional Resources

Supplementary Writing Resources

(PDF)

Blogs

Modelling, Mentoring and Writing Resources

Acker, Sandra and Eve Haque. "”&�Բ��; Higher Education Research & Development, vol. 34, issue 2, 2015.
Caplan, Nigel A. Grammar Choices for Graduate & Professional Writers. University of Michigan Press, 2012.
Cayley, Rachael. Thriving As a Graduate Writer: Principles, Strategies, and Habits for Effective Academic Writing. University of Michigan Press, 2023.
Caley, Rachael. “" Canadian Journal for Studies in Discourse and Writing/Rédactologie, Volume 30, 2020.
Fitzpatrick, Kathleen. Generous Thinking: A Radical Approach to Saving the University. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019.
Gerald Graff and Kathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. 6^th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2024.
Madden, Shannon, Michele Eodice, Kirsten T. Edwards, and Alexandria Lockett, editors. Learning from the Lived Experiences of Graduate Student Writers. Utah State University Press, 2020.
Odell, Jenny. How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy. Melville House, 2020.
O’Regan, Keith. "", vol.15, issue 3, 2024.
(PDF). Ontario Council on Graduate Studies, June 26, 2023.
Swales, John M and Christine B. Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills. 3^rd ed., University of Michigan Press, 2012.
Sword, Helen. Stylish Academic Writing. Harvard University Press, 2012.

The post Guide for Graduate Student Support appeared first on Writing Centre.

Faculty of Liberal Arts And Professional Studies Archives - Writing Centre

Revision & Editing

Quick Links

Questions?

Connect with the Writing Centre

Dissertation Structures & Breaking it Down

Quick Links

Questions?

Connect with the Writing Centre

Procrastination, Productivity & Process

Quick Links

Questions?

Connect with the Writing Centre

Writing Strategies

Quick Links

Questions?

Connect with the Writing Centre

Doctoral Defense

Quick Links

Questions?

Connect with the Writing Centre

Professionalization

Quick Links

Questions?

Connect with the Writing Centre

Literature Reviews

Quick Links

Questions?

Connect with the Writing Centre

Scholarships, Grants, Personal Statements & CVs

Quick Links

Questions?

Connect with the Writing Centre

PHD Café

PHD Writers: Fall into Writing with the PHD Café!

Quick Links

What We Offer

Join us this Summer

Ten-week Program

Get Individual Assistance

Meet with the Specialist

Attend from Anywhere

Questions?

Connect with the Writing Centre

Guide for Graduate Student Support

Quick Links

The Writing Centre’s Role

For Graduate Students

For Supervisors, Committee Members, and Graduate Program Directors

Challenges in Graduate Student Writing Processes

The Graduate Supervisor-Graduate Student Writing Relationship: An Interactive Model

Supporting the Writing Process: Shared Roles and Responsibilities

Demystifying Academic Writing

A Starter Template to Form Introductions and Identify Key ideas

Outline of the 4-Stage Citation Process

Additional Resources

Supplementary Writing Resources

Blogs

Modelling, Mentoring and Writing Resources

Connect with LA&PS