Online Consultations

Days of Operation: Mon. - Fri., 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

As part of the Writing Center's services, students have an opportunity to submit their writing questions and drafts via the Internet through the Writing Center's Online Services. It's as easy as e-mail!

You may submit a paper at any time, but the request will be processed by the online coordinator during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 10am-6pm, excluding weekends, breaks, and holidays). Because we have a limited number of consultants and hours available for online consulting, STUDENTS MAY SUBMIT ONLY ONE PAPER AT A TIME.

Once you have received confirmation that we received your completed form and attached paper, you will get a response in approximately 48-72 business hours from the date you receive confirmation. (Please note: Writing Center Online is not open on weekends, university breaks, and holidays and does not consider that time to be part of the 48-72 hours.)  

Before requesting an online consultation, make sure that you can say “yes” to all of the following:

• My assignment is due in four days or more, not including weekends.
• I can use e-mail.
• I know how to copy and paste.
• I know how to attach documents to e-mail messages.
• I can keep multiple programs open at the same time.
• I can write a document and save it as a .doc, .txt, or .rtf file (not .wpd).
• My paper is less than 10 pages long (please make a face-to-face appointment in the Writing Center for papers longer than 10 pages or indicate the 10 pages you want us to respond to).

Questions and concerns about citation styles are best addressed during a face-to-face consultation; the online format does not allow us to address your issues fully.

The Four-Part Process:

To have an online consultation, you need to send an e-mail containing a completed form and an attached paper in .doc, .txt, or .rtf format (not .wpd).  The steps for this are below:

PART ONE: PREPARING THE E-MAIL

1. Open your e-mail program.
2. Start a new e-mail.
3. In the To: section, type wconline@ipfw.edu.
4. In the Subject: section, type Online Consultation.

PART TWO: THE FORM 
 
Please be specific when providing information or answering the questions; otherwise, your consultation may be delayed while we request additional information.

Highlight this form and then copy and paste it into the body of your email:

***BEGINNING OF FORM***
Please fill out both Sections A and B:

Section A
YOUR NAME:
YOUR IPFW STUDENT E-MAIL ADDRESS:     @students.ipfw.edu
TITLE OF THE CLASS THIS PROJECT IS FOR (For example: "ENG W131" -- Make sure the department is evident!):
YOUR INSTRUCTOR'S NAME:
YOUR MAJOR:
YOUR YEAR IN COLLEGE:
Let us know whether you are:
A RETURNING ADULT? YES NO
A MEMBER OF A LEARNING COMMUNITY? YES NO
A MEMBER OF COLLEGIATE CONNECTION? YES NO
IS THIS A REQUIRED VISIT? YES NO
DO YOU NEED A LETTER TO GIVE TO YOUR INSTRUCTOR?: YES NO

Section B--Assignment Information
A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT (You are welcome to attach assignments to this email, but we do not have access to assignment descriptions in your Blackboard account):
DUE DATE FOR THE PAPER:
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE PAPER?
WHO IS THE AUDIENCE?
WHAT IS THE CITATION STYLE (MLA, APA, CBE, etc.)?
REQUIRED PAGE LENGTH:

CLEARLY MARK NO MORE THAN THREE (3) ISSUES YOU WOULD LIKE US TO ADDRESS (WE CAN ONLY SPEND 50 MINUTES ON YOUR PAPER):
--Developing or strengthening your thesis
--Finding an effective organizational pattern
--Finding, developing, and analyzing evidence
--Writing an effective introduction & conclusion
--Using sources to discuss thesis (paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting sources)
--Citing sources correctly
--Revising for style (flow, focus, topic sentences, transitions)

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO MENTION:

***END OF FORM***   

PART THREE: SENDING THE E-MAIL AND ATTACHED PAPER

1. Review the form and make sure all required sections are filled out completely.
2. Attach your paper.
3. Send your e-mail with attached paper.

PART FOUR: CONFIRMATION

1. Wait for a confirmation e-mail from wconline@ipfw.edu. 
2. Because we confirm received online requests twice daily, the confirmation will probably arrive after several hours have passed.
3. Within 48-72 business hours after you receive a confirmation (not including weekends, university breaks, or holidays), you will receive a writing consultant’s response from wconline@ipfw.edu. 
4. This response will include your original attachment and comments from a consultant.

Remember, for other questions, you may contact the Writing Center during our business hours: 
 
Learning Commons, Helmke Library 2nd floor
By phone at 260-481-5740

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