Skip to content

Welcome to the Academic Commons

The Academic Commons offers tutoring in multiple subjects, career development support, library research assistance, and much more to ALL Marian students...all in one place!

If you are located on or near our Indianapolis campus, you can visit us in person. The Academic Commons is located on the first floor of Hackelmeier Memorial Library on the Indianapolis campus.

Not on or near the Indianapolis campus? Not to worry! We offer both in-person and virtual appointments.

Academic Resources for Graduate Students

Writing

Professional-level Academic Writing Consultants are available to work one-on-one with graduate students from all MU programs on a variety of writing activities, including academic papers, literature reviews, journal articles, presentations, scholarship applications, personal statements, master’s theses as well as doctoral dissertations, capstones and more.

During a typical session, our Academic Writing Consultants may help writers to:

  • get started with writing projects by brainstorming organizational schemes, evaluating materials, defining research questions.
  • explore ways to shape coherent arguments, make strong use of evidence, work with appropriate sources and citation conventions.

  • consider questions about depth of analysis, organization, thesis statements, paragraph development, audience expectations, style, sentence structure.
  • identify patterns of error in grammar or usage in order to develop effective strategies for line editing.

Graduate writing support is available by appointment only, so to get started, you need to register for a Marian University WC Online account. This is where you will schedule and manage all writing support appointments. Appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance. Next, you need to decide how you would like to attend your session.

  • If you select a FACE-TO-FACE APPOINTMENT, unless otherwise noted, you will meet in the Academic Commons on the first floor of the Hackelmeier Memorial Library on the Indianapolis campus. We strongly recommend that you upload a draft of your writing as well as the assignment sheet or rubric 24 hours before your scheduled appointment time.
  • If you select an ONLINE APPOINTMENT, you will meet with an Academic Writing Consultant within WC Online where you both can view, edit, and discuss your draft synchronously. Consultants are prepared to help you navigate technology issues. Please contact the consultant you are scheduled to work with directly by email if you have any trouble logging on. To prepare for your appointment, you should:
    • upload a draft of your work as well as a copy of the assignment sheet or rubric within 24 hours of your scheduled appointment time.
    • a few minutes before your scheduled appointment time, log in to the scheduling site at https://marian.mywconline.com
    • click on your red appointment block
    • look for red text in the middle of the pop-up window "Start or join online consultation."
  • Click "Start or join online consultation" to open an online meeting

An email confirming your appointment will be sent to you and your Academic Writing Consultant. If you are meeting online, the confirmation email will include a link for you to join at your appointed time.

Our Academic Writing Consultants are generally flexible in our work with writers, but the following guidelines may help you to better understand how we function.

No Editing/Proofreading Policy

Our goal in the Academic Commons is to help writers improve their writing and grow as writers. Collaborative discussions are critical to this process. We do not edit or offer feedback on drafts without a conversation with the writer. We focus on higher-order concerns, like clarity, coherence, organization, and audience. Writing consultants are also available to provide certain kinds of micro-level support. They will clarify rules, explain conventions, provide examples, and guide writers as they revise their own sentences. They will discuss style, language, and rhetorical choices. However, our writing consultants do not provide page-by-page editing services. Writing consultants will not line-edit or proofread documents for students. Proofreading typically includes correcting all typos and spelling errors, or incorrect words (typing “the” instead of “then,” for example). With sentence-level work, the consultants' goal will be to help you, the writer, identify errors and correct them on your own.

Cancellation Policy

Writers should cancel tutoring appointments no less than 6 hours before the scheduled appointment.

We understand that you may not realize until the last minute that you cannot attend your tutoring appointment. As a courtesy to tutors and to wait-listed writers, please be sure to cancel as soon as possible.

If you miss three appointments (without canceling them), your WC Online account will be automatically disabled.

Other Resources

For More Information

Academic Commons
Tutoring Hours: Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Saturday closed
Sunday 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
(317) 955-6090
academiccommons@marian.edu

Can't Find What You're Looking For?

Search for it.

© 2021 Marian University
Notice of Nondiscrimination
Marian University does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, age or disabilities in the selection of administrative personnel, faculty and staff, and students.
*Placement rates are gathered from data collected from graduates within six months of graduation.

Students may make a complaint to the Indiana Commission of Higher Education.

Marian University is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis, Oldenburg, Indiana.

Submit a Marketing Request

Website built with