If you’re working on a long-term project such as a capstone or thesis, the Writing Center offers flexible support at every stage of the writing process.
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Request recurring or extended appointments
We know that long-term research projects require consistent support and intensive focus. Complete the following request form if you’d like to:
- Set up recurring meetings with the same consultant (every week, every two weeks, or every month), or
- Schedule an extended two-hour session (instead of two one-hour sessions)
The Writing Center directors will review your request and reply by email to confirm or request more information. Please note this response may take up to a week.
Request a facilitator for your writing group
Creating a writing group (a consistent group of people who meet to work on the same or different writing projects together) can help you keep your writing on track. When you write with others, you can help each other set goals, meet deadlines, revise drafts, and talk through whatever issues come up as you draft.
Your writing group might consist of fellow thesis writers, of classmates, of friends, or of group project partners—all you need is a group of people who are committed to a set writing time.
If you have an established writing group (or if you have a group of people interested in creating a new writing group), you can ask a Writing Center consultant to join and facilitate your writing group meetings. A facilitator can help you set achievable writing goals for each meeting, provide resources on shared topics of interest, and facilitate effective peer and self-editing.
Resources for developing research projects
Our collection of writing guides contains many resources that can help you develop a clear, persuasive, and focused research project. We’ve highlighted a few helpful resources below:
Choosing a topic
The first step of any long-term research project is deciding on the scope of your project. If you’re looking for a book-length guide on this process, we recommend The Craft of Research. For a shorter resource, we’ve adapted a few key moves from this book into the guides linked below:
Scheduling a research consultation at the library
As you begin your research, you may wish to schedule a meeting with one of Baruch’s research librarians. They can help you identify sources and create a research plan. Visit the Newman Library’s website to request a research consultation.
Keeping track of your sources
As you enter the research stage, be sure to keep detailed notes on every source that you consult. We recommend looking through our online resources for working with sources for additional help with this process. It’s easy to lose track of important sources, so we recommend organizing your sources as you go, alongside the appropriate citation information. Consider using Zotero to keep track of and organize your sources. This bibliographic software allows you to store your PDFs and notes in one place as you research.
Still need help?
If you can’t find an answer to your writing question in our online resources, contact us, and we’ll help you find what you need.
