Meet with a Consultant
What's the difference between a research consultation and a writing consultation?
Research Consultants are trained to help you brainstorm your research topic, teach you how to effectively navigate the library website and databases, create a research plan for your paper, and store and cite sources in a variety of citation styles.
Writing Consultants are trained to help you with your writing process, from understanding assignment expectations to brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and revising your final draft.
Both consultation types are collaborative in nature, meaning you and the consultant will work together towards your goals throughout the session.
Click on the tabs below to learn about the different types of available consultations.
Appointments
Students can schedule a specific time at any point in the semester to meet with a Research or Writing Consultant. Both face-to-face and online appointments can be booked in advance by clicking on the “Schedule an Appointment” button on the home page. This button will direct you to create an RWC account with your BYU Net ID and then take you to our scheduling page, where you can reserve a 30- or 60-minute appointment. You will select either face-to-face or online when you create the appointment, but you can change your preferred format any time prior to the appointment by using the “Chat with a receptionist” button or calling the front desk at 801-422-1885.
Note: Appointment information will be sent to your BYU email, netid@byu.edu.
If you scheduled an online appointment, please follow the steps below to start your consultation (video instructions available here):
- Log back into your account at https://writingcenter.byu.edu/rwc/index.php
- Select your name at the top left and find your appointment under “My Appointments” in the drop-down menu
- Click on your appointment slot, and then click “START OR JOIN ONLINE CONSULTATION”
You can cancel both face-to-face and and online appointments any time prior to the start of your consultation. To do so, follow the above steps to open the appointment form and select “Cancel Appointment.” If you need assistance either accessing or canceling an appointment, chat with a receptionist or call 801-422-1885. Note: During busy times, your reserved appointment may be given away if you are more than 5 minutes late.
Wait List
If there are no available appointments that work for you, you can opt to join our waiting list by following these instructions.
Drop-in Consultations
Students are welcome to drop in for a consultation any time during our business hours. For in-person consultations, simply come by the Research & Writing Center in 3340 HBLL. For online consultations, drop in virtually by clicking the "Chat with a Receptionist" button, and a staff receptionist will create an appointment using Zoom. If you have any questions, you can also call the front desk at 801-422-1885. While drop-in consultations are based on availability, we do reserve a number of consultants each hour to specifically support drop-in consultations.
Read-ahead Appointments
Read-ahead appointments are available to support writers working on longer, more complex writing projects, such as capstone papers, honors theses, master’s theses, and dissertations.
When scheduling a read-ahead appointment, you will upload a draft of your project to the intake form and indicate what you would like the consultant to focus on. The consultant will spend 30 minutes reading the submitted draft and making notes in preparation for the consultation. Then, you and the consultant will meet for 60 minutes to discuss your questions and their feedback. (Note: Asynchronous comments will not be provided, so you'll need to attend your appointment to get your feedback.)
To schedule a read-ahead appointment, click on the button below and either log in to your account or create an account with your BYU Net ID. In the navigation bar at the top of the page, you will then click "Schedules" and select the "Read-ahead Schedule," where you can then sign up in an available appointment slot.
Note: Patrons are limited to one read-ahead appointment per week.