How to Get Writing Help

My role at U-M SSW is to teach writing and revision. I am not an editing service, but can help you to become your own good editor. I provide writing assistance through individual meetings. Currently, I can meet with you either in person, with social distancing (M-W) or  via Zoom (M-F). On Zoom, we will both view your document on screen.

Here's some info on what to expect during your appointment and how you might prepare.

How to Schedule an Appointment

Email me at betsywil@umich.edu . Briefly describe the task (ex, reflection paper for SW 590) and suggest several days and times that could work for you. You can also call 734-647-6081, though email works best.

We will agree on a time to meet, either in person or via Zoom.

Scheduling Policies:

• I can meet with current SSW students about papers and other course assignments. I can provide career services to both current students and alums of the U-M School of Social Work.

• Generally, students may meet with me up to once per week.

• For group work, at least 50% of collaborators should participate in the meeting.

Services Provided

I can meet with you about almost any SSW-related writing or communication task, including:

• Papers and most writing assignments for a class

• Class presentations

• Career documents, including resumes, CVs, cover letters, goal statements, e-portfolios, and more

Documents I cannot look at include:

• Take home exams (because they are exams)

• Application materials (like essays for admission or for scholarships) which go through the SSW Office of Student Services (because I am connected to that office)

For coursework, I can only give feedback during meetings, not over email. Here's why:

• Papers may take many different directions. I should not shape your work into the paper I might choose to write on your topic.

• Papers and other course assignments are the student's work, for the student's grade. Academic integrity matters.

If you are unsure whether I may help you with your task, please ask.

Before Your Appointment

Contact me to schedule: email betsywil@umich.edu, or phone (734) 647-6081 and leave a voicemail message.

Email me a copy of your current draft (or partial draft) and a copy of the assignment instructions.

Know what you want to accomplish during the appointment.

During Your Appointment

We will work together to address your questions and concerns about the writing.

We can discuss your paper at whatever stage of the writing process is most helpful for you. For example, we could discuss:

• Initial planning for a large writing project

• Organizing a paper/creating an outline

• Finding, using, and citing evidence, like scholarly articles

  • We can share screens to discuss how to use library databases to find and retrieve those articles.

• Revisions to a near-final draft

  • Here we might focus on specific issues like grammar or APA style. If the paper is long, choose which pages or issues you want to focus on. We can share screens or view a shared Google doc. (Google docs work well for collaboration, but not for final formatting. Plan to use both Google Docs and Microsoft Word.) If we are meeting in person, I can print your draft before we meet.

We will consider big-picture issues first, like thesis, evidence, or organization. Sentence-level concerns come later, after content and structure are clear. That said, I can also explain points of grammar, or help you with public speaking.

But I cannot edit your paper for you.

Strong writing skills will benefit you in your MSW classes and throughout your entire career. Don't leave SSW without them.