Online Submissions
Continue to main contentSubmit your papers electronically and become a skilled writer: you'll do that here.
The Writing Lab is now on Canvas.
Students unable to visit the Writing Lab in person may upload papers to the Canvas Online Writing Lab.
Please contact us at (573) 651-2460 if you have any questions.
Important!
Since the submission process no longer offers a place to put comments to the tutor telling them what questions and concerns you have about your draft, please put them directly on the paper itself. Our tutors need these comments in order to properly assess the paper. The checklist below may help you determine what you could write to the tutor.- Please explain the assignment. Assignments may be similar in courses, but each teacher has different expectations. If we don't know what the assignment is, it might be difficult for us to provide the most relevant feedback.
- Is the main idea (thesis) or purpose clear?
- Does anything need further explanation or description? Or is there something that doesn't seem relevant and should be omitted? Does the paper make a convincing case? Does it achieve the purpose of the assignment?
- Is the paper effectively organized? Are the supporting ideas or sections or stages clearly separate? Are they in the most effective order? Would the paper be easy to outline?
- Is there a sentence or passage that might confuse the reader?
- Is there a technical matter (in punctuation, grammar, word choice, documentation style, or something else) that needs addressed?
Submit your draft online
Students can now use the Canvas Online Writing Lab to submit their drafts online.
Response Time
Tutors will respond to your submission within three business days, as a rule. If you send us a paper on Friday afternoon, we can't retrieve it until Sunday afternoon, and you may not hear from us until Tuesday, depending on how busy we are. Keep in mind that midterm and end-of-the-semester are busy times and we may not be able to respond to your submission as quickly.
The Writing Lab's hours are Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Interpreting Online Feedback
The Writing Lab offers online reviews of essays for students who can’t actually come to the Writing Lab.
Tutors look at two types of concerns:
Higher-Order Concerns
These are higher priority items that affect the paper as a whole.
- Topic – Is the topic narrowed properly? Does the thesis statement cover the topic as a whole?
- Tone – Does the point of view match the type of paper? Is the tone consistent throughout?
- Organization – Is the paper set up in an easily understandable way? Does it go through ideas in a logical order and explain everything that is necessary?
Lower-Order Concerns
These are lower priority concerns that are easier to address but can still affect the whole paper.
- Grammar and Punctuation – Is the paper mechanically correct? Are there misplaced words or phrases that alter the meaning of individual ideas?
- Formatting – Does the paper match the formatting and style required by the assignment? Are the citations properly formatted throughout the document?
Resources
Access student and faculty resources, quick reference guides, and a place to ask your questions.
Quick References
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701