Writing Support

THE WAGNER WRITING CENTER

All the best intentions and brilliant ideas in the world are for naught if they aren’t communicated clearly. In fact, in an era when think tanks have become content creators, public services use texts and tweets to help their target populations, and blogs and social media are major fundraising tools, clear, smart, engaging communications are essential in any public servant’s toolkit. As such, NYU Wagner provides a variety of services to support students as they strive for excellence in their written and verbal expressions.

Writing Tutors

NYU Wagner provides writing tutors free of charge to assist students—in person or online—with their writing assignments. Beyond a general expertise in writing skills, NYU Wagner Writing Tutors specialize in public policy-specific formats and can assist students at any point in their writing process—from initial concept brainstorming and mid-paper writer’s block, to first draft clarity and coherence checks and final draft line edits. Email appointments are a fantastic way to get extensive feedback on a deep read of your paper. In-person and video chat appointments are best used as a way to talk through a writing block, an organizational issue or something else.

To learn more about Wagner's writing tutors and to make an appointment, visit the Wagner Writing Center main site.

Professional Writing Workshop

This fundamental writing skills class (NONCR-GP 907) aims to give students an overview of the key elements of successful writing, and equip them with the tools to approach any writing assignment, from memos to emails to reports to research briefs. Any student who attends for the duration of the course will have access to additional tutoring hours with the instructor through the end of the semester. For more details and to register, log into Albert.

Writing Skills Series

The School offers a series of 90-minute writing lectures throughout the semester. Each lecture focuses on a specific academic or public policy writing issue.

Becoming a Better Writer: A Crash Course

This crash course is geared toward writers at all skill and comfort levels. In short interactive modules we will cover: 1) habits, strategies, and practices that will make you smarter and your writing more effective; 2) how to write memos: the most common assignments at Wagner; and 3) how to keep getting smarter and improving your writing after this crash course. Find more information about this lecture on the Wagner Writing Center main site.

International Students Guide to Navigating Writing at Wagner

Join us the Writing Center for specialized conversations around Wagner writing and how to best approach it. Visit the Events page for upcoming workshops, or schedule an appointment with us. 

Policy Memo & Other Writing Resources

Memo About Policy Memos

Memo Writing Video Series (via NYU Stream)

Style Guides, Citations & Avoiding Plagiarism (via NYU Stream)

NYU WAGNER LIBRARY LIAISON

NYU's Division of Libraries provides guidance to Wagner students with regards to research methods, literature reviews, data qualitative and quantitative research software packages and more. For a directory and to sign up for free workshops offered at Bobst, visit the NYU Library Classes calendar.

RESOURCES FOR PROPER CITATION

All students are expected to pursue and meet the highest standards of academic excellence by adhering to the norms of a serious intellectual community (see Academic Code). This includes the proper citation of ideas, data and published work of others. The following resources serve as a guide for students who are unclear about the rules or styles of citation. These references are universally recognized as acceptable by scholars and very adequately demonstrate how students should handle the issue of proper citation of material. All are available at the NYU Library or NYU Bookstores.

  • Visit the NYU Libraries Citation Style Guide
  • American Psychological Association. Publication Manual. 6th Edition. Washington: APA, 2010. 272 pages. Bobst Library, 9th Floor Reference BF76.7.P83 2010
  • Chicago Manual of Style. 15th Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. 956 pages. Bobst Library, Reference Z253.U69 2003
  • Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th Edition. New York: MLA, 2009. 292 pages. Bobst Library, Reference LB2369.G53 2009
  • Turabian, Kate. Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. Bobst Library, Reference LB2369.T8 1996 

In addition to these manuals, below are several websites to help you learn about appropriate citations and writing research papers:

NYU WRITING CENTER

The Writing Center NYU’s general writing support center. It is a place where one-on-one teaching and learning occurs, and where the work always focuses on writing. Experienced consultants assist NYU students, faculty and staff with their work at any stage in the writing process.  They work with individuals on essays, lab reports, personal statements, poems, stories and other written texts. Writers may schedule one appointment per week, up to two weeks ahead of time, using their online scheduling system. A second weekly appointment is available on a walk-in basis. Appointments normally are 45 minutes in length.

The Writing Center is a part of NYU's Expository Writing Program. It is located at 411 Lafayette, 3rd floor. The phone # is (212) 998-8866. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please go to NYU Writing Center's website.