Graduate Writing Services

Writing Services Overview

Research editors at the Graduate Research Center focus on helping graduate students grow as academic writers and scholars across disciplines. We support students at any stage in the writing process. We provide feedback on a range of work including research papers, literature reviews, dissertation chapters, grant proposals, and conference presentations. The services that we provide include:

Constructive criticism for drafts as well as final products
Help with developing revision plans
Considerations for refining the writing process
Support with overcoming barriers to productivity

Writing consultations are driven by student goals. We often discuss the following with writers during consultations:

Writer's block
Structural organization
Academic writing conventions
Clarity
Research skills
Cohesion and coherence of argumentation
Style
Embedding voice and authority in academic writing

Consultations

We offer three different types of consultation sessions as well as writing support groups.

Brainstorming Consultations

Students talk through approaches they are considering for starting an assignment, drafting sections of longer manuscripts, or even working through structural issues in a current draft. The consultation focuses on using dialogue to explore ideas, ask questions, and gain clarity. Brainstorming consultations are scheduled 24 hours in advance and require an assignment sheet or a short project description.

Read Ahead Consultations

Students will identify a specific challenge that they are facing in a current draft. An editor will read student work before the consultation. The consultation centers on using dialogue to provide constructive feedback, potential strategies, and resources for overcoming the challenge. Consultations are scheduled 48 hours in advance. Requirements for making the appointment include an assignment sheet or a short project description in addition to 5-8 double-spaced manuscript pages or slides.

Final Dissertation Review

These sessions are for doctoral candidates who have defended their dissertations or will do so during the current semester. Please make your appointment and attach all needed files at least 48 hours in advance.

Doctoral candidates will need to make a separate Final Dissertation Review appointment through the WC Online system for the each of the following:

Front Matter & Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
References & Appendices

For each chapter, submit the individual portion as 1 file and the whole dissertation as another file.

In total, the doctoral candidate will need to make 6 appointments. An editor will read their chapter/section ahead of the consultation and review suggested changes in a quick 30 minute debrief. This type of session supports doctoral candidates with general copy editing for their finalized dissertation. Editors will give feedback regarding formatting (headings, font, captions, etc.), citations, basic grammar, and language level clarity.

Writing Support Communities

Virtual Dissertation Support Group

This weekly noncommittal group is offered each semester. The sessions provide a supportive space for manuscript revision and dedicated writing time. Sessions also feature brief workshops focused on enhancing the writing process, trying new revision strategies, using feedback effectively, maximizing writing time, and more. Workshops also provide guidance regarding navigating typical obstacles, clarifying complex topics, and addressing misunderstandings commonly encountered by dissertation graduate students.

Virtual Thesis Support Group

Dissertation Workshops

The dissertation workshop series guides doctoral students through writing and refining key sections of the dissertation. Workshops focus on writing a clear problem statement, crafting a comprehensive literature review, describing research methodologies, presenting findings; and highlighting significance.

Individualized Group Sessions

These sessions are intended for students who have established informal support networks, whether through messaging platforms or consistent group meetings. Interested groups may contact grc@bowiestate.edu to request a customized session addressing their specific needs, inquiries, uncertainties, or challenges related to research and academic writing. We will coordinate with your group to arrange a suitable time to meet with Dr. McElroy for a workshop dedicated to your chosen topic.

Research Reading Club: Engaging with Socially Just Research Methods!

This research reading club operates like a book club-- but focuses on a single research article or chapter per meeting. This club provides a space for scholars to explore texts that challenge traditional paradigms while centering socially just, community-engaged research methods. Each session dives into thought-provoking readings that spark critical conversations about power, ethics, inclusion, and transformative research practices. Whether you're working on your dissertation or just beginning your journey, you'll find inspiration, connection, and thought-provoking ideas. Come read, reflect, and reimagine research with us—one reading at a time.

Meet Our Editor

Dr. Honor McElroy’s expertise includes adult literacy, critical literacy, and feminist approaches to literacy research in addition to qualitative and mixed methods research designs. Her research projects focus on STEM education, creative writing, literacy studies, and general education. She has extensive experience as an academic editor, education researcher, writing consultant, and English education leader. In these roles, she worked with faculty and graduate students to develop academic manuscripts, presentations, grant applications, evaluation reports, IRB materials, conference proposals, and manuscripts moving through the peer review process. She has collaborated with students, education leaders, editorial teams, faculty, grant review panels, and researchers. She is skilled in using Qualtrics for survey administration as well as Microsoft Excel, SPSS, and NVIVO for data analysis. She is also skilled in using research management tools like Zotero, Mendeley, and RefWorks. Dr. McElroy is passionate about collaborating with faculty and supporting graduate students' development as researchers and writers.