Welcome to eWC, the Writing Center's email consulting service. Please read this page carefully before submitting a request form. If you are a graduate student looking for editing, please consider using the Graduate Editing Center (GEC).

The eWC is ideal for current SU students who are unable to meet face-to-face with a consultant at our Writing Center (101 HB Crouse Hall). Although the service is quite different from in-Center appointments, consultants' primary mission remains the same: to help writers develop strategies for invention, drafting, organization, and revision. There are important differences between online and face-to-face communication and writers should not expect the eWC to be the same as traditional, face-to-face appointments. Likewise, consultants will not edit your paper, but provide suggestions for your revision, being as concrete as possible in the process.

How does eWC work?

1. Complete a request form. Incomplete forms will be disregarded.
2. A consultant will acknowledge your request shortly after it is submitted.
3. A consultant will respond with comments within 48 hours of the initial request during the week (Sunday through Thursday), and within 60 hours  on the weekend (Friday through Saturday). NOTE: We are unable to respond to writers whose deadlines fall within 48/60 hours. Please submit your drafts well in advance.
4. Read the response a few times. If any comments or suggestions are confusing, or if you have a brief, specific question, reply to the consultant directly. If you have a separate concern or a new paper, use the form to submit a new request.

How can I make the most of this service?

• Don't wait until the last minute to ask for help; submit a request as soon as you receive an assignment. That way, after the initial reply, there will still be time for additional requests.>We are unable to respond to writers whose deadlines fall within 48/60 hours.
• Use the request form to explain your assignment and concerns. This is very important. The more the consultant knows about what you are working on, the better s/he can help you.
• Incomplete forms will be disregarded. Taking time to write complete responses here might save you time and confusion later on.
• Too much feedback will leave you overwhelmed. To prevent this, requests are limited to a maximum of 5, double-spaced pages in a 12-point font.
• Due to the high number of requests received, we will only accept one request from you at a time and respond to a maximum of two requests per week.
• Expect to be an active participant in the process. The consultant will make observations and suggestions, but you retain full ownership and responsibility for your paper.
• Although consultants may assist with sentence-level concerns, they are not editors; you should expect a to receive few marginal or in-text notes, and a longer note at the end. Consultants will not comment on every issue.