Location 

The AWLC Office is located in Room PH119, 1st Floor, Park House, 191 North Circular Road, Dublin 7, D07 EWV4

Academic writing, a form of writing used in university, is formal in style with specific genre and disciplinary features.  Taking into account that writing is the preferred method of assessment in college, a competence in academic writing is a good indicator of success in higher education. 

Academic writing allows you to:

• present information clearly,
• communicate ideas succinctly,
• demonstrate your critical and analytical competence,
• anchor your arguments in evidence,
• explore concepts and theories,
• build up a robust argument.

The Academic Writing & Learning Centre is here to help you to develop the necessary skills and to enhance your ability to meet the challenges of becoming a competent academic writer and learner at university.

Students can engage with the TU Dublin Academic Writing & Learning Centre in three different ways:

• One-to-One Appointments
• Thematic Workshops
• 'Write now' Postgraduate Students Writing Group

One to one appointments offer an opportunity for undergraduate and postgraduate students to engage in pre-booked 50-minute slots designed specifically to support and develop your academic writing.

One-to-one appointments focus on supporting students with their academic writing skills, whether this is the development, structure, flow, or referencing of an academic essay, written project, report, or other document.

What happens during your one-to-one appointment?

One-to-one appointments adopt a tutorial format.  You will have the opportunity to interact with an academic writing tutor in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.  Tutors at the AWC support students across the various stages associated with academic writing (ideation, drafting, editing, and revision)

During the one-to-one appointment, you are encouraged to reflect on your approach to writing, to adopt new writing strategies, and to develop your critical thinking. Though dialogue with the tutor and depending on your needs, you concentrate on how to:

• generate ideas on a topic,
• research and gather information,
• analyse issues relating to document structure,
• develop alternative constructions for sentences and paragraphs
• consider issues of coherence, style, and register.

Through your interaction with a writing tutor, one-to-one appointments afford you the opportunity to reflect on your current academic writing competences, to identify areas for improvement, and to learn new writing strategies.  One-to-one appointments provide you with a unique learning experience and aid you in the process of becoming an independent writer.  It is expected that after a one-to-one appointment you will reflect on what you have learned about yourself as an academic writer, on the ideas and strategies explored during the session, and on how these may be applied to other sections of your written assignment or to future written projects.

Our tutoring approach is student-centred and collaborative in nature.  The fundamental principles that inform the practical and pedagogical approach at the AWLC are

• student-centred learning
• the promotion of a view that writing is a process
• a collaborative approach to the interaction between tutor and student.

Academic writing tutors at the AWLC are expert writers themselves and keen to support students become more independent and competent academic writers. Academic writing tutors hold a PhD degree or are in the process of completing their PhD thesis.

You can only avail of ONE one-to-one appointment per week.

Depending on your needs, after your first one-to-one appointment at the AWLC you may book follow-on one-to-one appointments in subsequent weeks.  However, keep in mind that AWLC's resources are limited and we would like to engage with as many students as possible.

I am an undergraduate/postgraduate student, can I book a one-to-one appointment at the AWC?

Yes, at the AWLC we welcome undergraduate and postgraduate students.

I am a part-time/full-time student, can I book a one-to-one appointment at the AWLC?

Yes, we welcome all students part-time and full-time.

I am a mature student, can I book a one-to-one appointment at the AWLC?

Yes, at the AWLC we welcome all students including mature and advanced-entry.

I am registered with TU Dublin’s Disability Service, can I book a one-to-one appointment at the AWLC?

Yes, you can.  You book your one-to-one appointment in the usual manner.  If you require a TU Dublin learning support officer to be present at your one-to-one appointment please send an email in advance to academicwritingcentre@tudublin.ie

I am an Erasmus/International student, can I book a one-to-one appointment at the AWLC?

Yes, at the AWLC we welcome Erasmus and International students.  However, we do not provide English as a foreign language tuition or instruction. 

One-to-one appointments are 50 minutes long.

Depending on your query you may need to bring your written assignment guidelines or your draft document.  If your appointment takes place online you will be asked to share these documents with your writing tutor during the appointment.

The AWLC does not provide:

• a write my assignment service
• a proofreading/editing service
• tuition in English as a foreign language
• ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) for participating in any of our activities

Through your interaction with a tutor you will hopefully learn to understand how to structure, write, and edit your written assignment.  With particular reference to proofreading it is expected that through your interaction with a writing tutor you will learn to identify recurrent grammatical, syntactical, and lexical issues in your writing and that you will then be able to address similar issues in other sections of your work.

It is important to plan in advance and seek support as soon as you need it.  You also need to keep in mind that the Academic Writing & Learning Centre is particularly busy mid-way through the semester, and in advance of semester/end-of-year exam periods.

You are required to pre-book your one-to-one appointment in advance of your desired date/time.

Visit Book a One-to-One Appointment and select a day of the week. Find an available appointment that suits your schedule. Fill in the registration form with your details and submit.

One-to-one appointments take place online or face-to-face at Room 119 in Park House, TU Dublin Grangegorman Campus or in the Aungier Street City Campus Room 4-015 (Mondays only), and in Tallaght Campus Room 002 (Wednesdays only). Please check our current schedule for specific details on days/times and online/face-to-face option.

Bookings for one-to-one appointments take place online using the booking platform youcanbook.me. You may also book by sending an email to academicwritingcentre@tudublin.ie.

View our Online Booking System Data Protection Notice.

Please note: each student may only book ONE one-to-one appointment per week. Bookings must be made in advance and are subject to availability/on a first come, first served basis.

Youcanbook.me is an interactive online scheduling system. It allows you to book an available one-to-one appointment and sends you a confirmation email with your booking details. If you are unable to attend your pre-booked one-to-one appointment please cancel by following the instructions in the youcanbook.me notification email.

One-to-one appointments are in high demand during the semester so please take this into account when booking. Late cancellations often result in missed opportunities for other students who wish to attend the AWLC’s one-to-one appointments.

The AWLC also offers a range of academic writing thematic workshops each semester. These workshops offer you the opportunity to learn about a specific academic writing topic such as writing a literature review, writing for exams, and writing an MA dissertation.

Our workshops/seminars are advertised on our website at the start of the semester. Currently, all our thematic workshops are delivered online using Teams.  

You can attend as many thematic workshops as you wish. 

How do I register for a thematic workshop?

If you are interested to learn more about an aspect of academic writing, you may register for a thematic workshop.  Registration is on Forms. All communication regarding your thematic workshops’ registration will take place via your TU Dublin email account.

The ‘Write now’ Postgraduate Writing Group is an AWLC’s initiative in collaboration with the Graduate School at TU Dublin. It provides a friendly space for PhD students to support and learn from each other. The group is facilitated by an experienced writing tutor and meets weekly during the academic year.