Online Writing Lab (OWL)
Graduate Students and Other Groups: OWL
Graduate and nursing students, veterans, undergraduate students enrolled in online courses, and CUI faculty and staff are welcome to use this service. Online Writing Lab (OWL) consultants are graduate students and/or professionals in their fields. The OWL is closed Sundays and designated holidays.
Feedback Options
Written Feedback
This appointment is a great option if you are looking for thoughtful, written feedback on your paper without a live meeting. You’ll receive your paper with comments within 48 hours of the appointment date, excluding Sundays and holidays.
Virtual Consultations
This appointment allows you to have a live Zoom meeting with a consultant, where you can ask questions, talk through your ideas, and get support in real time. Feedback is shared during the session and may also include written comments to help you as you revise.
How We Help
Writing consultants can help you strengthen ideas, structure, and clarity.
- Idea Development: Brainstorming, refining a topic, clarifying purpose.
- Organization: Outlining, structure, flow, transitions.
- Revision Strategy: Clarity, conciseness, cohesion, stronger argumentation.
- Format & Citation: Documentation checks and citation guidance.
- Research Integration: Incorporation of paraphrased scholarly sources.
Note on proofreading: Consultants do not proofread or line edit papers. The goal is to help you build skills and strategies.
Online Writing Lab (OWL) FAQs
Asynchronous writing support through written feedback on submitted drafts. Feedback is returned within two business days. OWL is closed on Sundays and designated holidays.
Who can use the Online Writing Lab (OWL)?
Graduate and nursing students, veterans, undergraduate students enrolled in online courses, and CUI faculty and staff are welcome to use this service. Undergraduate students can make appointments with the Writing Studio.
What types of appointments are available?
The OWL offers two types of feedback:
Written Feedback
This appointment is a great option if you are looking for thoughtful, written feedback on your paper without a live meeting. You’ll receive your paper with comments within 48 hours of the appointment date, excluding Sundays and holidays.
Virtual Consultations
This appointment allows you to have a live Zoom meeting with a consultant, where you can ask questions, talk through your ideas, and get support in real time. Feedback is shared during the session and may also include written comments to help you as you revise.
How do I set up an appointment?
Using the OWL is easy:
- Register and log on to a WCOnline schedule. Choose a schedule for written feedback only or for a live consultation.
- Log in to WCOnline and select an available (white) submission slot.
- Fill out the appointment form with your name, course, and assignment information; please include the rubric or writing prompt provided by the instructor.
- Select 3-4 focus areas for feedback.
- Upload your paper as a Word document (no PDFs or Pages files) by midnight on the date of the appointment.
- Click “Create Appointment.”
For a written feedback appointment, when will I receive a response?
Feedback will be returned within 48 hours of the appointment date. The best advice is to submit your paper well in advance of the due date so that our feedback reaches you in time for revision. See the guideline below:
- Monday appointment day –> Wednesday returned feedback
- Tuesday –> Thursday
- Wednesday –> Friday
- Thursday –> Saturday
- Friday –> Monday
- Saturday –> Tuesday
What kind of response will I receive?
In either a written feedback appointment or a live consultation, an OWL consultant will help you identify revisions that can strengthen your work. The consultant will first examine the clarity of the main ideas, support and development, organization, and other major concerns. At the sentence and grammatical level, the consultant will pinpoint the most important or frequent patterns of error. If you would like help with a specific grammar problem in the paper, be sure to mention it in the appointment form. You can expect summary and evaluative comments, particularly about specific questions or concerns you raise, but remember that we don’t proofread a paper for you. Our goal is to help you become a better writer.
What other OWL policies would be helpful to know?
- Submissions are limited to 12 pages per appointment, though full chapters can be sent for context.
- For longer projects, submit one section or chapter at a time. When you send in your first section/chapter, clearly state that it is part of a longer project and include some details about the overall assignment on the submission form. For consistency purposes, we suggest that you submit every new chapter to the same OWL consultant. You can see consultants’ names and the days/times they work when you submit your paper on the OWL schedule.
- Students may schedule up to 2 appointments per week but may not submit the same paper to multiple consultants.
- Papers must be uploaded by midnight on the appointment day, or the session counts as a no-show; after three no-shows, accounts may be locked.
Who are the writing consultants?
You can learn more about the consultants by reading their bios on the “Meet the Staff” section.
Who can I contact for assistance with OWL appointments?
If you encounter any issues, please email [email protected] for assistance.
Get in Touch
Questions? We are happy to help.
University Writing Support
Writing Studio is located on the top floor of the Schroeder Library and Learning Center (CUI campus).
Zoe Litzenberg | Director, Writing Studio and Tutoring Services
[email protected]
Julie Stiegemeyer | Director, Online Writing Lab (OWL)
[email protected]