Writing Center
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FAQs

Office Hour and Individual Writing Tutoring

Where can you find us?

Our office is located at Schellingstr. 3, R 157/158.

Due to the current situation, our individual writing sessions take place via Zoom.

What happens during a consultation?

During a consultation, a tutor will provide feedback on your project—at any stage of the writing process. We recommend that you bring along a writing extract of a few pages or a table of contents, either in print or digitally. You may also want to bring a list of questions or notes for discussion. In special cases (for instance for consultation on PhD-dissertations), it is possible to send us a slightly longer piece of writing of a maximum of ten pages ahead of time. Please send us an e-mail to schreibzentrum@lrz.uni-muenchen.de to inquire about the possibility.

Do I have to make an appointment for an individual consultation? If yes, how?

Please send us an e-mail if you would like to make an appointment for individual consultation. We recommend this especially if you have questions relating specifically to your field of study, so we can guarantee a consultation with a tutor working in your field. You can simply write an e-mail to schreibzentrum@lrz.uni-muenchen.de noting your name, field of study, and information concerning your writing assignment. You can also check the list of tutors on our website and request a meeting with the tutor who you think will best suit your needs.

Which tutor will be assigned to me?

During drop-in office hours we have multiple tutors present and you will be tutored by the one not already tutoring another student. If you require consultation specifically in relation to your field of study, we recommend that you send us an e-mail in advance to make an appointment.

Does the Writing Center offer consultation in all fields of study?

As the Writing Center is based in Faculty 13 our focus lies on philology, linguistics, and literary and cultural studies. Students of other disciplines are welcome to consult us with general questions (e.g. concerning research, planning, structure, or the writing process), but unfortunately we are not currently able to offer help with questions concerning methodology or other subject-specific details in the natural and social sciences. Please check if your faculty offers help. We aim at continually improving our services so as to be able to provide expanded consultation for students from other faculties in the future.

Is there anything I should bring to an appointment?

Please bring along an excerpt from your writing assignment—either in print or digitally. Furthermore, we recommend that you write down your questions and concerns prior to the appointment so that we can help you more effectively.

Can you proofread my paper?

The Writing Center does not offer proofreading. During a consultation, a tutor might read smaller passages from your paper but only to "help you to help yourself"—to answer your questions and show you patterns of mistakes, so that you can transfer the principles discussed to the rest of your paper.

Can you also offer help with papers written in English? If yes, which tutor should I request?

The Writing Center is also equipped to help with papers written in English. Since some of our tutors are students in the Department of English and American Studies, we have tutors experienced in academic writing in English who are able to help. As it is becoming increasingly common to write in English in other fields of study, we might alternatively suggest a tutor from your subject area.

Can I choose a tutor?

During the open office hour it is only possible to choose which tutor you would like to consult if the tutor is not already engaged in a consultation. If you wish to meet with a specific tutor and/or a tutor from your area of study, we recommend checking the list of tutors on our website and making an appointment via e-mail.

Doctoral Candidates

Is it possible for doctoral candidates to come to the office hour?

We are currently working on expanding our offers for doctoral candidates and on having a tutor for doctoral candidates present at all drop-in office hour sessions. As we cannot yet guarantee full coverage, however, we recommend that you make an appointment via e-mail or check the schedule on our website (.pdf, 208 kB) to make sure that a qualified tutor will be present at the relevant session.

Who are the tutors for doctoral candidates?

Several of our tutors are qualified to tutor PhD students—they are themselves doctoral candidates, Writing Fellows, or have already completed their doctorate. They are also usually available for individual consultation at our events, such as the Writing Day or the Long Night of Procrastinated Papers. For more information, see the list of team members on our website.

Do you offer workshops for doctoral candidates?

Yes, we do offer workshops targeted at doctoral candidates. You can find the program on our website or join our mailing list to keep up to date.

Can I still participate in the workshops for (non-doctoral) students?

You can participate in a workshop offered to non-doctoral students if it is not fully booked. Once you register, we will place your name on a waiting list until we know if there is any remaining capacity. Before you register for one of these events, please read the workshop description closely—your writing level may be too advanced as most of our offers target students in their first years of study.

Cover Letters and CVs

I need help writing my curriculum vitae/my cover letter for an application. Can the Writing Center help me?

We do offer help with CVs and cover letters—simply write us an e-mail to ask for an individual appointment. As our tutors have different areas of focus, you may want to check on our website which tutor is especially suitable. Ms Constanze Sabathil from the Praxisbüro is also happy to help with questions regarding applications.

Research

I need help on how to conduct research—who can help me?

You are welcome to consult any of our tutors with questions on research methodologies. Additionally, our website offers an introduction to the most common questions. The UB (University Library), the StaBi (Bavarian State Library), and the faculty libraries also regularly offer introductions—including some held in English—on research methods and software both for beginners and advanced students.

Writer’s Block

I have writer's block—what can I do?

We are currently in the process of expanding our website to offer short instructions for problems relating to writer's block and procrastination. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please send us an e-mail to schreibzentrum@lrz.uni-muenchen.de to ask for an individual consultation or drop in during office hours so as to talk through the difficulties you are experiencing.

What can I do if I have fear of writing?

Many students fight with writer's block, procrastination and fear of writing, making the daily life at university difficult, delay the completion of a course of study or even make it impossible. To counter this effect, the Writing Center regularly offers the workshop on how to overcome fear of writing, "Schreibängste überwinden,"  held by Wolfgang Chr. Goede, academic journalist and associate of the Münchner and Deutsche Angsthilfe MASH/DASH. Please see our program to find out when the workshop will be offered next. Furthermore, the psychosocial consultation offered by the Studentenwerk München will also be glad to support you.

Materials for Self-Help

Aside from the consultations offered, does the Writing Center have any materials or general advice on research methods and the writing process?

We are always expanding our website to include immediately accessible advice and assistance. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please come to our office hour or send us an e-mail to schreibzentrum@lrz.uni-muenchen.de to arrange an individual appointment. In our consultation room (Room B 037, Theresienstr. 39), we hold a small reference collection of books on writing. While you cannot borrow them, you may consult them there as long as the room is not in use for consultation. Simply ask the library staff to unlock the room. Please note that you will need to leave your personal belongings in a locker.

Writing Groups

How can I register for a writing group?

Simply send an e-mail to schreibzentrum@lrz.uni-muenchen.de indicating that you would like to join or form a writing group. We will then connect you with an already existing group, put you in touch with other students interested in forming a group, or organize an event aimed at creating new groups.

What is a writing group?

A writing group is usually formed by students and/or doctoral candidates to discuss each other's work in a supportive environment. The members of a group may work on projects of varying length (longer paper, thesis, PhD-dissertation, etc.) and the members may come from different fields of study as a writing group's focus is placed less on content than on the interdisciplinary aspects of writing, among them argument, structure, research, and time management. The group sets itself a meeting schedule (e.g. weekly or bi-weekly), the expectation being that members can commit to attending regularly. The commitment to the group paired with the possibility of exchange with other students creates a relaxed atmosphere; this can serve as motivation for your writing, and provide you with suggestions and feedback regarding your work.

Are writing groups only relevant for doctoral candidates?

Writing groups are not only relevant for doctoral candidates—they can be helpful at earlier stages of study, too, especially for anyone working on a longer paper or a BA/MA-thesis.

What does a writing group session look like?

A session might, for example, be conducted as follows: during the first half, each member briefly presents what they have accomplished since the previous meeting and what they plan to accomplish until the next. Subsequently, one member presents part of their project in greater detail and sketches the challenges and difficulties they are facing, thus opening for discussion among the group.
Other groups may additionally or alternatively want to set up joint research and writing sessions in a library or group study room. In this case, the emphasis would lie less on discussion and exchange than on the creation of a productive and committed work environment.

Where does a writing group meet?

Every writing group can decide for themselves where they would like to meet. We recommend the university's open rooms for the purpose of constructive work, as it may be harder to concentrate in a café or other public space. Library group rooms could be especially suitable.

Will there be a tutor present at every meeting of a writing group?

A tutor will usually only be present for the first kick-off session. If at any point your group feels like it needs external support, however, you can request a tutor for one of the next scheduled sessions.

Is there a maximum number of participants per writing group?

To make sure that every member can share their work and ideas and receive extensive feedback, there should be no more than five people in a writing group.

Events

What events does the Writing Center organize?

The Writing Center offers a large number of events throughout the year. During the semester, we offer the Friday Workshop series covering a great variety of topics around the writing process. We also regularly organize Writing Days and the Long Night of Procrastinated Papers; at these, we offer smaller workshops, the possibility of individual consultation, and a generally constructive atmosphere.

When will the next Long Night of Procrastinated Papers take place?

The next Long Night of Procrastinated Papers will take place in February 2019.

Do I have to register for Writing Center events? If yes, how?

If you would like to participate in one of our events—the Friday Workshops, the Writing Day, or the Long Night of Procrastinated Papers—please register on our website. If you would like to meet with a tutor for an individual consultation at the Writing Day, you do not need to pre-register. In preparation for the Long Night, however, we do ask you to register on site so that we can coordinate our tutors.

Workshops

When do the workshops take place?

During the semester, we offer workshops on a variety of topics every Friday. Additionally, we organize workshops as part of the Writing Day and the Long Night of Procrastinated Papers. Please find the current program on our website.

Where can I find information on the workshop topics?

You can find the current program and workshops, including dates and topics, on our website.

Do I have to register for a workshop? If yes, how?

If you would like to participate in one of our Friday Workshops or one of the workshops offered at the Writing Day or the Long Night of Procrastinated Papers, please register on our website, as the number of participants is normally limited. You can also find the link for registration next to the respective workshop's description on our website.

Does the Writing Center offer workshops on journalistic writing?

Yes, thanks to our cooperation with Ms Kals from the FAZ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) we can now offer workshops on journalistic writing. You can find more information on our website.

Can I suggest a workshop topic?

We are always grateful for ideas concerning new topics and will try to incorporate them into our program. Please send an e-mail with any suggestions to schreibzentrum@lrz.uni-muenchen.de.

How do you allocate any last-minute places on your workshops?

If places are still available on a workshop, this will be advertised on our website and Facebook page, where you can always find up-to-date information. Alternatively, just send us an e-mail to find out if there are any places available.

Creative Writing

What does the Writing Center offer in terms of creative writing?

Since the summer semester of 2017, we have been working on expanding our program on creative writing. Please refer to our website to see if we currently offer any workshops on the subject.

Can you point me to opportunities for getting published?

We recommend getting in touch with university magazines if you are looking to publish short stories or poems. For instance, the CampusZeit magazine regularly publishes creative writing.

Does LMU have any university magazines I could contribute to?

There is a range of university magazines at LMU, some faculty-based, some more general—these include CampusZeitung, Philtrat, Unikat, Cog!to, kon-paper and nebentext. Furthermore, the Presserat Kultur der studentischen Zeitungen an der LMU was founded to support young journalists at the university.

Tutor Training

What training do the Writing Center’s tutors receive?

Our tutors are regularly trained on the various aspects of tutoring through the LMU TutorPlus program. This ensures that we can provide you with the best possible service.

How can I become a writing tutor?

If you would like to become a writing tutor, please send an e-mail to schreibzentrum@lrz.uni-muenchen.de and we will respond as soon as possible.

 Mailing List

What is the Writing Center's mailing list?

The Writing Center's mailing list informs its subscribers at regular intervals about offers and important events (e.g. Friday Workshops, Writing Days, the Long Night of Procrastinated Papers).

How can I subscribe to the mailing list?

Students can subscribe, unsubscribe, and change their mail adress via the link https://lists.lrz.de/mailman/listinfo/studienbuero13-studierende.

Doctoral candidates subscribe, unsubscirbe, and change their mail adress via the link https://lists.lrz.de/mailman/listinfo/dr-schreibzentrum.

My question is not among the above—what should I do?

If your question is not among those answered above, please send an e-mail to schreibzentrum@lrz.uni-muenchen.de and we will respond as soon as possible.