Frequently Asked Questions — Undergraduate Support

Accessing Writing Services

Who can access your services?

Our peer tutors primarily work with undergraduate students. Some peer tutors work with graduate students on select documents. If you’re a graduate student, please visit our Graduate Support page.

How do I make an appointment?

Undergraduate and graduate students can book appointments on WCONLINE.

What can I expect during an appointment?

During your appointment, you will meet with a peer tutor, either in person or remotely, to have a conversation about your writing. The focus will be on your document, whether it is an outline or a draft.

Do you charge for appointments?

Our services are free of charge for current students, and paid consultations may be available for faculty and non-U of A clients. If you are a non-U of A client, please indicate that when you email our office so our admin team can share more information.

Can I choose my peer tutor?

You can find a peer tutor with an appointment slot that matches your schedule. In the online schedule, hover over a peer tutor’s name to see their short bio. Please note that requests to book with a specific peer tutor are subject to availability.

How many appointments can I book per semester?

In order to support as many students as possible, students can book up to two appointments per week and twenty appointments per semester. In addition, you can access our other services, including workshops. If you think you need more support, please email us at write@ualberta.ca.

Types of Documents Reviewed

What kinds of documents do you review?

Peer tutors provide feedback on academic writing, including essay outlines, short writing assignments, and term papers. Peer tutors can also provide feedback on academic applications and scholarship applications.

Do you review CVs and Cover Letters?

Peer tutors can provide feedback on the organization, clarity, and wording of CVs and cover letters. For more specific information on these kinds of documents, you can also visit the Career Centre.

Do you review group work?

Yes, but all members of the group must be present at the appointment.

Do you review take-home exams?

We are unable to assist students with midterms, take-home exams, or preparation for in-class essay exams at this time.

Advice + Feedback Provided

What kind of feedback do you give?

Peer tutors can provide feedback on structure and organization, clarity, style, and tone based on audience, purpose, and academic genre. Peer tutors identify areas for improvement in your writing and provide you with strategies to develop and revise your work. Whether you are struggling to understand an assignment or need help with brainstorming, drafting, or revising, peer tutors can provide personalized feedback and support to help you sharpen your academic writing.

Do you provide subject-specific advice?

Peer tutors come from many different disciplines, and they work on writing across areas of study. Peer tutors do not provide expertise on subject matter or content, but they can help with writing-related issues.

Do you help edit papers for grammar, spelling, and punctuation?

Peer tutors cannot provide editing or proofreading services. Peer tutors might point out patterns of grammatical errors in the feedback process and offer strategies to empower students to edit their own work, but they do not focus specifically on grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Do you provide feedback on work that has already been graded?

Peer tutors do not give feedback on work that has already been graded. If you have questions about a grade or feedback on graded work, you should meet with your TA or instructor.

Can you give me feedback on citations and formatting?

Peer tutors sometimes point out issues with citations when reviewing your document and can offer citation resources, but they generally do not provide feedback specifically on citation style or formatting citations. For more information on citations and formatting, see the University of Alberta Library’s Citation and Reference Management page or consult their subject guides.

Can you help me with issues related to the writing process (procrastination, writer’s block, and anxiety)?

Peer tutors focus on providing feedback on your writing. Issues related to student motivation and writing concerns are addressed in writing workshops. Peer tutors can provide some strategies and discuss writing routines.

Do you give feedback on creative writing (poems, short stories, etc.)?

Peer tutors do not focus on creative writing. If your creative writing piece is part of an assignment, academic application, or scholarship application, then peer tutors can provide feedback on it.

Can you give me feedback on presentation slides?

Peer tutors do not work with presentation slides, but they can provide feedback on the writing for a presentation slide. If you want to learn more about presentation skills, you can make a communications appointment with a learning advisor in campusBRIDGE.

Workshops

What kind of workshops do you offer?

Workshops offered by peer tutors focus on building essential writing skills, strategies, and techniques for university-level writing. Our workshops are designed around core writing tasks and help you address common writing issues. You can find a list of workshops here.

How can I sign up for a workshop?

You can easily sign up for our workshops on campusBRIDGE.

Are your workshops in-person, online, or hybrid?

Some workshops are delivered in person and others are delivered remotely. You can check the mode of delivery for each workshop when you sign up using campusBRIDGE.

Are your workshops free of charge?

Yes, our workshops are free of charge for current U of A students.