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Graduate Writing Events

If you are a graduate student at the Purdue main campus in West Lafayette, you are invited to join us for special programs designed to help you progress with the writing requirements of graduate school.

Writers' Rooms

Writers' Rooms are dedicated times and places for graduate writers to work on their academic writing projects (e.g., scholarly articles, dissertations, etc.). Writers should plan to spend most of the two-hour block in independent writing; however, Writing Lab tutors will be available for very brief, limited consultations if concerns arise during the writing time. Writers should bring whatever materials they need for successful work on their projects, including laptops, books and articles, style guides, research data, white board markers, pens, paper, etc.

If you are interested in joining, please sign up using the online scheduler under the "Group Programs" drop-down menu. At the time of the event, log back in to the scheduler and follow the posted instructions to access the video call. All sessions will begin with goal setting and end with a discussion of what was accomplished.

Spring 2022 Schedule:

Writers' Rooms will be held virtually from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on the following days:

January 24
February 7
February 21
March 7
March 21
April 4
April 18
May 2

Graduate Writing Groups

Are you interested in accelerating your progress on writing projects? A writing group can provide the accountability you need to make this happen, and the Purdue Writing Lab can help. We put together a Writing Group Vidcast that includes some information about forming your own writing group, including details about how the Writing Lab can help. Then, collect your potential group and contact the Writing Lab at Writing.Lab@purdue.edu to request a group consultation.

Virtual Intensive Writing Experience—Thesis & Dissertation Writers

Sponsored by the Purdue Writing Lab with support from the Purdue Graduate School.

The purpose of the Intensive Writing Experience is to give graduate students in good standing with their programs time to write or to revise their thesis or dissertation with support from Writing Lab staff.

Participants will receive writing instruction and support from Writing Lab staff, will spend significant time writing or revising their thesis or dissertation, and will network with other thesis and dissertation writers on campus.

Information regarding Summer 2022 schedule will be available in late Spring 2022.

Summer 2021

Please Note: All weeks will be a mix of synchronous and asynchronous virtual sessions.

May 25-27
June 8-10
July 6-8
July 20-22

The link to the application is available here. The application process will open on Monday, April 19, 2021, and will close on Friday, April 30, 2021. Note that applications require an advisor email (see application for details), and that email must be received by Friday, April 30, 2021, as well. For more information, see the introductory material in the application survey or email Writing.Lab@purdue.edu and include IWE in the subject line.

2020-2021 Sessions

IWE: Writing is a Conversation

Video lecture aimed at helping new grad students approach witting as an opportunity to participate in an ongoing dialogue with the scholars.

IWE: Writing is a Process

Video lecture aimed at helping new grad students approach witting as a process, and how to complete a writing project from assignment to submission.

IWE: Writing is a Social Endeavor

Video lecture aimed at helping new grad students understand the social components that affect complex writing projects.

IWE: Writing is a Discipline Specific

Video lecture aimed at helping new grad students identify discipline-specific conventions that might appear within a text, and it provides information on how to use genre analysis and other strategies within current research.

Summer 2020 Sessions:

All summer 2020 sessions were offered virtually with a mix of synchronous and asynchronous meetings. Recordings from these sessions are linked here:

IWE: Goal Setting

Video lecture offering strategies on how to set an overall objective and bitesize benchmarks for your writing routine.

IWE: Genre Analysis & Reverse Outlining

Video lecture covering two helpful strategies for planning and organizing complicated documents like theses and dissertations.

IWE: Punctuation

Video lecture addressing matters of punctuation that commonly hamper thesis and dissertation writers.

IWE: Paragraph Organization and Flow

Video lecture explaining strategies for organizing thesis and dissertation documents at the paragraph level in order to ensure a smooth, logical flow of ideas for readers.