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Research & Writing Center

Frequently Asked Questions

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  • The Research & Writing Center provides a supportive and resource-rich environment where trained consultants collaborate with students to increase awareness, abilities, and confidence in any part of the research and writing process.
  • We welcome all learners, but during busy times, preference is given to currently enrolled BYU campus students. Online appointments are limited to current BYU campus and BYU Online students.

    To schedule an appointment, community patrons and non-BYU students must have a BYU Net ID and netid@byu.edu email address. To request a Net ID, go here.

    Once you have your Net ID you can register for an account to start making appointments. Please contact us for our latest policies regarding schedule limitations and availability.
  • We offer individualized consultation sessions in both writing and research, handouts, resources, reference materials, and special writing events.
  • We have a trained staff of both research and writing consultants.

    Writing consultants are students from across campus who have been hired for their skills as writers, learners, and peer educators. They receive intensive and ongoing training in both writing and consulting as they complete various levels of internationally-recognized certification.

    Research consultants are students that spend a semester working one-on-one with other students on their topics and papers in a classroom setting under library instructors. With enough experience and training, they then take appointments at the Research & Writing Center.
  • Research consultants help with any stage of the research process, including finding scholarly sources, narrowing research topics, and storing and citing sources. Writing consultants help with any stage of the writing process, from understanding assignments to developing and organizing content to formatting.

    Depending on your current stage in the research and writing process, you can choose the type of consultation that best fits your needs. You can also make additional appointments as your research and writing process continues.
  • Yes! While consultants may not be experts in your content area, you may bring in sample texts to help you and the consultant become familiar with conventions of your field and assignment.

    If you are working on a larger project (prospectus, thesis, journal article, dissertation, etc.), plan on multiple visits and focus on specific portions of your work. Making regular appointments can help writers stay on track with larger writing tasks. For more information, view our video about how the RWC can help graduate students.
  • During a typical 30-minute writing appointment, consultants and learners identify concerns and set goals, read through some or all of the text, discuss the writing and relevant writing principles, and apply new information or ideas as part of the revision process. Consultants can help with any stage of the writing process (from brainstorming to double-checking citations, grammar, and mechanics), but typically, they are not able to cover everything in a single consultation. Research appointments follow a similar format, except that students discuss and implement research principles instead of writing principles.

    Consultations are focused on the student’s learning, so consultants don’t grade or write papers or provide line-by-line editing (though they may address sentence-level concerns). Additionally, while consultants can help students think through and communicate ideas, students should rely on instructors, TAs, and course materials to check content accuracy.
  • Research & Writing Center services and resources are free.
  • Our services are not limited to help in current coursework—we work with and welcome all kinds of research and writing. While we most often help with academic writing from across campus, consultants can also help with application materials (resumes, application essays, cover letters), creative writing, or other research or writing related projects.

    If you are working on a larger project (capstone assignment, master’s thesis, journal article, dissertation, personal history, etc.), plan on multiple visits and focus on specific portions of your work.
  • You can schedule an appointment  or drop in virtually to work with a writing or research consultant. Drop-in assistance is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • We offer synchronous consultations via Zoom.
  • If you want to make a Zoom appointment, it is important that you select the “Online Appointment” option when you are making your appointment. Otherwise, your appointment will automatically be scheduled as being in person. If you already created your appointment and need to make changes, you can log back into your account and edit your appointment or you can contact the reception desk.
  • To make the most of your session, bring relevant course materials (e.g., assignment description, grading rubric, instructor feedback) and any work you have done so far. Bring specific questions or concerns, and expect to discuss your work and collaborate with your consultant during the process.
  • You are welcome to bring a printed copy if you would like, but our consultants can also work with you on your personal laptop or one of our computers.
  • You can receive updates through your BYU email exchange account (netid@byu.edu). Forwarding this account to a personal email does not always work, so be sure to check your BYU account for appointment information. To access your BYU email, go to office.byu.edu, enter your netid@byu.edu and password, and click on the Outlook icon.
  • Appointments are marked as missed after five to ten minutes have passed since the appointment start time. If you have an appointment scheduled with us and miss it, your appointment is marked as missed. After two missed appointments, your account is deactivated. If you know that you will miss your appointment, please notify us through email, chat, or phone so that we can cancel your appointment without penalizing your account. If your account is deactivated, contact us through email, chat, or phone to get your account reactivated.
  • Individuals may receive up to one hour of assistance each day and up to three hours per week, depending on consultant availability and student demand for services. Individuals are expected to revise and practice writing or research skills and strategies between visits.
  • We notify instructors and TAs of a visit if a student requests notification and provides a working email address for the instructor or TA. In such cases, an outline of the consultation session is emailed.
  • No. The multimedia lab on the 4th floor of the HBLL can help with ETD formatting.
  • The Writing Tutorial is a support program for multilingual students enrolled in writing-heavy courses. In the Tutorial, students are paired one-on-one with a specially-trained peer writing consultant. They meet with this same consultant for one hour every week throughout the semester.
  • A multilingual student is any student from a language background more complex than “English is my native language.” Here are some examples of students who fit under the multilingual umbrella:

    • A student who speaks English as a second language
    • A student who grew up bilingual in English and another language
    • A student whose family primarily speaks a language other than English at home
    • Etc.