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Face-to-Face Paper Readings: Local

Local paper readings are one-on-one, in-person paper readings that take place in the Writing Lab. A trained undergraduate or graduate paper reader will sit and discuss your paper with you.

  • Determine which type of paper reading appointment you would like to have.  You may need to check with your professor to see which type of paper reading he or she requires.
  • Determine how many appointments you'll need for your paper.  On average, Writing Lab assistants can read between two and seven pages an hour, depending on the quality of the paper and the experience of the paper reading assistant.
  • Keep in mind that Writing Lab assistants will not write your papers for you, nor can they help you produce error-free, publishable papers. Their job is to help you write better. 

  • To make an appointment, go to your student home page in Navigate, click on the blue "View Advising/Student Support or Tutoring Availability" button in the upper, right portion of the screen, select Writing Lab, and follow the prompts.
  • You may also call or visit the Writing Lab office at which you would like your Paper Reading appointment to take place:
  • Provide the following to expedite the scheduling process:
    • your UWF Gmail address,
    • your professor's name (be sure to spell the name correctly),
    • the name of your class,
    • the due date of the paper (Note: Writing Lab assistants will not read papers on the day they are due),
    • the style guide the paper should follow (MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian, etc.), and
    • the type of paper reading appointment you require.
  • Keep in mind you may make only three paper reading appointments per day.
  • Check your e-mail for messages confirming your appointments.

  • Create the best draft you can. The time for a paper reading is limited, and the last thing you want is for the Writing Lab assistant to waste time correcting things that could have been corrected before the paper reading began.
  • If you need to cancel your appointment, contact the appropriate Writing Lab office at least twenty-four hours in advance.  If you need to cancel your appointment while the Writing Lab is closed, you may either call and leave a voicemail message or e-mail us.  Please give us your name, the date and time of your appointment, and the name of your paper reader.
  • Note: If you do not cancel your appointment twenty-four hours in advance, your missed appointment will count as a no-show.

  • Bring yourself -- on time.  If you're more than five minutes late, you will lose your appointment to a walk-in, and your appointment will count as a no-show.
  • Print a double-spaced copy of your paper, and bring it to your appointment.  The Writing Lab assistant will write possible revisions on that copy, and you will take that marked-up copy with you when you leave. The Writing Lab does not accept e-mailed or faxed papers, and you may not print your paper at the Writing Lab.  Visit UWF Student Printing to learn how to print.
  • Print your professor's instructions, and bring them to your appointment so that the paper reading assistant can be sure that you have what your professor wants you to have.
  • It is best to bring hard copies of the sources you used for your paper, especially if you want your Works Cited or References page checked.

  • You must sit with the Writing Lab assistant while he or she reads your paper, so be prepared to be fully engaged throughout the reading, just as you would be during class.  You will have to be present for the entire session.
  • Each appointment lasts one hour, but the paper reader will work on your paper for only 45-50 minutes.  The paper reader will have to spend 10-15 minutes completing a Paper Reading Report for your professor.  The paper reader will summarize what the two of you discussed and revised during the appointment and scan your marked-up paper into Navigate to show your professor that a paper reading took place.
  • You do not have to accept every revision your paper reader suggests, but the reader does have to mark each of the recommended revisions on your paper so that there is a record of said recommendations.
  • The paper reader is authorized to terminate a reading if you do not participate in the process of revising and editing your paper.
  • The paper reader will make a copy of the marked-up draft of your paper for Writing Lab records and for review by your professor, if necessary. 

  • Use the marked-up copy you and your paper reader revised as a guide to help you make changes to your paper.
  • Although the Writing Lab isn't responsible for your grade, you should still keep track of the marked-up paper until after you've received a grade from your professor.