About the Writing Development Centre
Find out more about the us including the services we offer and some frequently asked questions.
The Writing Development Centre is a team of Learning Developers who offer study skills provision in a variety of formats. We work with students in all subjects and at all stages of study at Newcastle University.
The Writing Development Centre is open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm throughout the academic year, including vacations periods.
Our Mission
The Writing Development Centre helps students to understand the expectations and demands of studying at Newcastle University, including the conventions of writing for assessment, appropriate to their discipline and level of study. Working in partnership, we help students explore and develop effective study strategies and approaches to learning which are tailored to the individual and their needs.
Our Values
Empowering: We aim to help you become a confident, independent learner. We won’t give you answers or tell you what to do; through discussion and reflection, we’ll help you find your own insights, strategies and approaches that will work for you in the context of your own studies and your own learning needs.
Aspirational: Our approach is non-remedial, regardless of any student’s attainment. Our guidance aims to help you achieve to the best of your ability, and encourages a ‘learning mindset’, self-efficacy and confidence.
Realistic: We acknowledge the complexity of studying in Higher Education, and will help you reach nuanced, sophisticated and context-specific understandings, rather than offer you simplistic, generic or prescriptive answers.
Non-hierarchical: We are partners in the learning process with students, whose equal collaboration we value and encourage.
Respectful: We recognise that you are the expert in your own field and context; our role is to help you reflect on it, draw learning from it and apply that learning within it.
Confidential: our provision is confidential at the level of the individual student. We will not feed back to academic staff or take action on your behalf unless it is in the interests of your learning, with your knowledge and permission. For more information, see our confidentiality policy.
Non-judgemental: Being confidential, our provision stands outside formal assessment. We do not make assumptions or judgements about any student’s work, aims, achievements, abilities, experience or understanding. We offer a safe, supportive place for you to explore your own learning.
Diverse and inclusive: Our work acknowledges the diversity of the University’s student body, and we will offer provision tailored to your needs.
How can I contact the Writing Development Centre?
Our website is the main source of information about the service. You can also email us WDC@ncl.ac.uk or tweet us @NCL_WDC. You don’t need to register with us.
What does the Writing Development Centre do?
The WDC is a team of professional Learning Developers. We offer guidance on a range of study issues to help students develop their academic skills and succeed as independent learners. Our service includes individual tutorials, a range of activities advertised on the ASK website, and workshops for degree programmes and modules in the Schools.
What can the Writing Development Centre help me with?
Academic writing is one of the most common issues we offer guidance on, as it’s usually the focus of assessment. We can help with not only the final product (authorial voice and academic style), but also the whole process of writing, from analysing the question, planning and structuring, building an argument to pulling a draft together and editing it. We can help with other forms of assessment too, like posters or presentations. Our remit covers more than writing though – we can also advise on a wider range of study skills which will help support your studies such as exams and revision, time management, avoiding plagiarism, critical reading or note-taking.
I’m an international student and English isn’t my first language. Can you help?
We are not specialists in teaching English as a Second Language or English for Academic Purposes. If you would like help with your academic English, and have a UELA score of less than 70 in your writing, you will be best supported by INTO’s In-Sessional English programme, which offers classes and individual consultations. If you have near-native English writing skills (a UELA score of over 70 or exemption from the UELA), you are welcome to make an appointment with us.
We may be able to comment on a limited range of fundamental grammar issues, but our main role is to help you understand the expectations, assumptions and conventions of study in UK university culture, which may be very different to your own. This might include understanding how teaching, learning and assessment differ (and how you need to adapt) or how academic UK English writing conventions are used to signal things like criticality, authorial voice or structure.
Do you run classes?
We don’t run a programme of classes on writing as we feel study skills are best learned embedded in context, rather than as a separate generic course. Most of our provision is through ‘just in time’ and tailored, in the form of one to one tutorials and workshop provision. Watch out for sessions as part of your course or advertised throughout the year on the ASK website!
I just wanted to ask a question about my studies….
Tutorials are by appointment only. Our tutorials are confidential and student-centred, and we try to ensure that when you book an appointment with us, we can focus on your questions without being disturbed, and ask that you extend this courtesy to others. If you have a question you’d like to discuss with us, please book an appointment or attend a drop-in rather than knocking on our door. If it’s a quick question, you can find more information about the service on our website or the ASK website, or email us WDC@ncl.ac.uk
Do you offer guidance on any kind of writing?
Our remit is specifically academic writing for assessment in Higher Education. This encompasses typical genres such as essays, reports, reflective writing, case studies, dissertations, posters and presentations. We can also help with other types of assignment if they are set as assessment as part of your course, as well as writing for academic publication and communicating research for the general public. Other types of writing such as creative writing, job and study applications or CVs don’t come under our provision as they are quite different. We cannot look at work where the main focus of the subject and assessment is the writing itself, such as translation or creative writing.
Can you answer questions on referencing?
We can answer questions about how to acknowledge your sources in your work and integrating the reading that you’ve done without plagiarising. This includes referencing, quotation, paraphrase and critically reviewing literature. If you have a technical question about referencing, you can also ask your liaison librarian or consult http://libguides.ncl.ac.uk/referencing. We can’t advise on Endnote and referencing software; please ask the liaison librarian.
What can WDC tutors help with in a one to one?
We are learning developers, and our role is help you to develop your study skills which you can develop, and explore strategies, skills and techniques which work for you, so you can become a successful independent learner. We aren’t subject experts – our expertise is in learning, teaching and assessment.
We can only focus on one or two issues in a tutorial, so do think about what aspect of your studies you’d like to improve (including using feedback to diagnose which issues to work on).
How long is a one to one appointment?
Appointments are 50 mins long, and begin on the hour.
What happens in a WDC tutorial?
In a tutorial, we will discuss your study query with you and your approach to study, look at sample assignments or examples of your work and any feedback you’ve had, to identify where you might further develop or adapt your study skills. We can explain assignment briefs, marking criteria or academic conventions to help ensure you understand your lecturers’ expectations. We can then explore and illustrate study strategies that will suit your needs and personal preferences, and discuss how you might put them into practice.
Can you look at my work?
Yes - it’s most productive to discuss your questions about study in the context of what you’re studying and your individual approach to it. It’s difficult to talk generally about academic writing in the abstract as each subject, assignment and each individual writer will raise different issues. Depending on your query, it’s often helpful to bring some of your previous or current work with you. This might include an essay question, assignment instructions or marking criteria, drafts or plans of current work, typical reading material, past exam papers, or previous assignments with feedback. We can look at work at any stage –from sketchy notes and plans to near-finished drafts.
We can look at a sample of your work (including drafts and past work with feedback) to help identify skills you might need to develop, and to illustrate strategies which you can then put into practice.
Please note: We don’t read whole assignments in depth, and we don’t check or correct work. We can’t discuss assignments where the main focus of the subject and assessment is the writing itself, such as translation or creative writing.
Can you print my work out if I bring it on a data stick?
We can't print work for students. We're happy to look at your work on a laptop or tablet however.
Why can’t I email you work to look at before my tutorial?
In practical terms, we don’t look at work outside of tutorials because to do this would mean significantly reducing the amount of time available for appointments, and fewer tutorials would mean that it would be harder for you to book one!
In terms of learning, one of the things we offer is a rare insight into how a reader perceives your writing, modelling in real time for you how the reader navigates, understands and reacts to your text. We read quickly, and can talk you through the reader’s response to and assessment of your writing as we go, which will help to contextualise some of the feedback you may be getting. We don’t aim to read whole assignments, just enough to get a clear indications of the issues to address, and we’ll then suggest strategies for you to apply independently to the rest of your work and future assignments.
Can you proofread my work and check for errors?
No – we don’t offer proofreading or copyediting, or correct work, as our remit is not to do the work for students but to teach them strategies to improve it independently themselves. Proofreading is a final, thorough check of a text to mark up all typographical errors (such as formatting, spelling or punctuation). Copyediting is a similar process, which highlights all issues of clarity, accuracy, consistency and conciseness.
We can however help you to become aware of common and habitual issues in your own writing, and discuss strategies to help you develop your own editing skills to address them. We may look at samples of your writing to highlight and illustrate issues and strategies, but this does not constitute proofreading or guarantee that all issues have been identified. There is no service in the university which offers proofreading.
I just wanted to ask a question about my studies….
Tutorials are by appointment only. Our tutorials are confidential and student-centred, and we try to ensure that when you book an appointment with us, we can focus on your questions without being disturbed, and ask that you extend this courtesy to others. If you have a question you’d like to discuss with us, please book an appointment or attend a drop-in rather than knocking on our door. If it’s a quick question, you can find more information about the service on our website or the ASK website, or email us WDC@ncl.ac.uk
Can I make an appointment?
You’re welcome to book a tutorial with us – appointments are made online. As we don’t have a reception desk, our booking process is handled by the Library Admin team; we aren’t able to book appointments or answer questions about bookings from the WDC offices. You can book a tutorial on our website: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/resources-and-study-support/writing-development-centre/one-to-ones/. If you have a question about booking, please email us on WDC@ncl.ac.uk.
Will you feed back what we’ve discussed to my lecturers?
Not unless you want us to –the service is entirely confidential and we don’t pass on any information to the Schools without your permission. If you would like us to liaise with your School, you may request that we do so, or if we feel it would be in your interests, we may suggest this, but would never communicate about you with your School without your permission. Please see our confidentiality statement for more information.
How many tutorial appointments can I have?
Our tutorials are in high demand at peak times of year so we ask that you book only one appointment at a time and only one in a week. This is to ensure that all students have equal access to appointments and that we aren’t booked up by a few users, to the exclusion of others. Moreover, our aim is to help you develop your skills to become a self-reliant independent learner, putting into practice and developing confidence the strategies we recommend rather than becoming dependent on our input. We therefore have a maximum limit of three appointments per semester (or long summer vacation) depending on need and availability. However, additional appointments may be offered at our discretion if needed. Please contact the Head of the WDC, Dr Helen Webster, if you would like to discuss further appointments.
When should I come and see you?
We embed our advice in the context of work you’re actually doing, so that it’s relevant, specific to your studies and practical. It’s best to wait until term is under way and you have a specific experience, issue or assignment arising from your work which we can discuss, rather than general questions.
We can offer guidance at any stage of your studies, from interpreting an essay question or formulating a plan, to strategies for editing the final draft. You don’t need to wait until you have completed an essay to come and see us! Some issues such as structure or critical thinking can only really be addressed at the beginning of the writing process, and it might be too late to be useful if you come and see us nearer the end. We might also be able to help you overcome writers’ block or other barriers in your way.
Can you check to see if my work is ok to hand in?
We aren’t subject experts, and can’t comment on the content or quality of your work, nor can we give an opinion about what mark it might get.
We strongly recommended that you don’t book an appointment for the day or day before your assignment is due. There is very little that the tutors can productively offer advice on at such short notice as you will not have time to develop your study strategies or put our guidance into practice, especially if it concerns a major issue such as structure or argument. Proofreading or final 'checking' of readiness for submission are not part of our remit.
What if I can’t attend my appointment or no longer need it?
That’s fine – we ask that you contact us by email to cancel, so that another student can be allocated the appointment. We regret that if you miss an appointment without prior notice, explanation or cancellation, we reserve the right to withhold future appointments. If there are mitigating circumstances, we invite you to discuss these with the Head of the Writing Development Centre.
I’m away from Newcastle and can’t come to the WDC. Can you still help me?
If you are studying away from Newcastle and cannot attend a tutorial in the Philip Robinson Library, we can offer you a distance tutorial. You might be on a placement, field trip or year abroad, studying part time in intensive teaching blocks, at home during the summer vacation, or for health reasons cannot attend a tutorial in person.
Depending on the nature of your query and your own contact preferences, we can offer various formats, including phone, skype or emailed comments on a document.
We book the same hour’s tutorial entitlement as a face to face appointment. Depending on the nature of your question, we can discuss your approach to study with you and offer guidance or, if your query concerns an aspect of writing, use part of that hour to familiarise ourselves with any samples of work you have sent us in advance, and the rest of the hour we can then discuss guidance and strategies with you. To arrange a distance tutorial, please complete the booking form.
We’re working on a group project – can we come as a team to discuss groupwork?
If you’re working as a team on a group assignment or project, we can offer a tutorial for your group to discuss the process of collaborating on a joint piece of work and managing joint authorship. Please complete the booking form including all members of the team who will be attending. It is preferable that the whole group is present for the tutorial if possible.
Please note that group tutorials are not generally suitable for students who are not working as part of a formal group assignment or project. With individual assignments, even if you and your friends are working on the same one, each student’s questions and goals will be different. Booking an individual tutorial will allow us to focus specifically on strategies which will suit your personal needs.
The Writing Development Centre offers one to one tutorials with students from its office in the Philip Robinson Library. It also offers group workshops across the university, both central generic sessions and also embedded in the Schools as part of the curriculum. We aim to provide a student-centred, non-judgemental space in which students can raise whatever issues they feel are pertinent to their studies, so that we can offer the most appropriate guidance on academic skills and help students to develop as independent, confident learners. Confidentiality is an important part of the ethos which characterises our provision.
This document describes our policy and practice when handling information about the individual students with whom we work, regarding confidentiality and data protection. This includes any personal information which enables you to be identified and may include information which is deemed sensitive under the Data Protection Act (such as that concerning a disability), or information which you yourself feel to be of a sensitive nature.
Confidentiality
The Writing Development Centre offers a confidential service for all students. Any information that a student discloses to a member of the Writing Development team in the course of a tutorial or workshop will remain confidential to the team. The team comprises the Head of the Writing Development Centre, the team of tutors, and the administrative team who support the Centre in the University Library. Issues raised by students may be discussed among members of the Writing Development team where necessary and on a ‘need to know’ basis.
Personal information, including your status as a student at Newcastle University, will not be shared outside the Writing Development Team with third parties without your explicit consent. Third parties might include teaching or administrative staff in the Faculties, other Services such as the Library or Student Services, parents and family, employers or other students. This is subject to the following exceptions:
- If you are believed to be at risk of harming yourself or others
- If you disclose details about your involvement in a serious criminal offence (this does NOT include academic misconduct, which is a matter of university policy only)
- If you request that we pass on information to a third party, or if you agree to a Writing Development Tutor’s suggestion of contacting a third party, on your behalf. In these cases, you must sign the disclosure form to indicate that you agree to the release of specific information to an identified third party.
We will disclose information only if, in our professional judgement, exceptional circumstances apply, and in this case, information would be disclosed on a need to know basis to relevant individuals. If the need ever arises for confidentiality to be broken, every attempt will be made to discuss this with you beforehand, unless to do so may worsen the situation for you.
There may be times when either we or you feel it would be necessary or helpful for a Writing Development Centre team member to contact a third party on your behalf, such as your Personal Tutor, Module Leader, member of the Student Services teams in King’s Gate, Student Union Advice Service or parent, to support you effectively or ensure you receive appropriate and accurate guidance. In this case, we will discuss the benefits of this disclosure with you, and seek your permission. You may withhold your consent, in which case we will not initiate discussion with a third party in a way which allows you to be identified. If you do give consent by signing the disclosure form, we will agree with you the nature of the information to be disclosed and the third parties to whom it will be disclosed.
It should be noted that, by law, consent is still required from under 18s in the same way as for adults with regard to matters of data protection and confidentiality. However, in accordance with statutory requirements, where child protection issues are involved, it is not possible to offer confidentiality to a person under 18 as any disclosures must be reported.
Data Protection
We record some of the information you provide us with, for administrative purposes such as booking appointments, case notes to ensure continuity of guidance between tutorials, and for monitoring reporting service use statistics to the university. All information concerning students is held and processed by Newcastle University strictly in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Both paper and computer records are the property of the University and responsibility for them is devolved to the Writing Development Centre. The University’s obligation to maintain confidentiality and data protection, and your right to decide who should have access to this information, are clarified in this document and will also be explained to you in tutorials and any data-gathering tool such as an online booking form.
Writing Development Centre Tutors will keep records of tutorials on our electronic database in accordance with their professional judgement. Information may include personal details, key points or issues raised, relevant background information, guidance offered and any actions to be taken. This is used to process bookings, inform future tutorials with our tutors to ensure continuity, and for monitoring and quality purposes. Electronic records are kept securely on the University computer system, and may only be accessed by the Writing Development Team and any Library or University staff who may be involved in maintaining the database. Any paper records such as correspondence with third parties or disclosure forms will be kept securely locked in the Writing Development Centre. Information from our database is also used for statistical purposes, to aid monitoring, planning and reporting and will be anonymised so that individuals cannot be identified.
Under the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998, you may seek access to records about you, using a Subject Access Request. Further information about these arrangements at the University are available at www.ncl.ac.uk/data.protection/. There is a presumption in favour of disclosure unless the preparation of the material will be unduly burdensome to the University or there is a need to contact third parties for consent.
The period for which records are retained before destruction is informed by current data protection legislation and good practice within the higher education sector. Records (both paper and electronic) are kept for the duration of the student’s studies plus 2 years.
Download PDF version: Writing Development Centre Confidentiality and Data Protection Statement