What Our Service Provides
The Center for Writers Online provides Cameron's online and distance-learning community with consultation services comparable to those available on campus.

What the Service Does Not Provide
Though our staff is eager to assist you along the way to becoming a confident, capable writer, it is ultimately up to you to develop the necessary skills. As such, we will not write, re-wtire, or otherwise edit your work for you. Instead, we will familiarize you with the  tools you need to recognize and address problems on your own. 

What to Expect from Us
The specific responses you will recieve to your work will vary; however, there are some general conventions we use.

For purposes of clarity, all responses to your work will appear in red type and will be placed within brackets ({and }), as in the following example:

       Student's text:     There are many unpleasant effects of drug abuse. Such as criminal
                                        prosecution, health problems, and broken relationships.

       Our response:     {The last line is a sentence fragment, or incomplete sentence,
                                        and in this case lacks both a subject (a word or group of words
                                        that reveals what the sentence is about and answers the question
                                        Who? or What?) and a verb (a doing word that reveals the action
                                        of the subject noun).  Consult ch. 12 of your Simon & Schuster
                                        Handbook and/or the applicable handout(s) available on our references page
                                        (http://www.cameron.edu/writing_center/resources.html) to help
                                        resolve the error.}

Note that though there are many grammar guides we could refer you to, the Simon & Schuster, 8th edition, is used by many Cameron students and so is easily accessible. This in mind, a number (or number-letter combination) appearing in brackets is intended as a reference to a chapter (or chapter and section) of that book. Specific page numbers, in contrast, are preceded with the typical abbreviation for "page" or "pages" (e.g., "p. 42" or "pp. 42-45").

In the event you do not have the Simon & Schuster, you may reference the same topic by name (e.g., sentence fragments) in another, similar handbook.

Turnaround Time
It is our desire to make every effort to return your manuscript to you as quickly as possible. As such, the following turnaround schedule has been provided for the benefit of our students:
 
 

Please note that no papers will be returned on weekends or during university-recognized holidays.

So as to avoid undue stress and ensure ample time for the revision process, we encourage you to submit papers as early as feasable.

Submitting Manuscripts: The Essentials
All manuscripts should be submitted as e-mail attachments. Acceptable formats include Word, WordPerfect, and Rich Text File (.rtf). If you are uncertain how to attach a file to an e-mail, consult the appropriate section of your e-mail program's Help file.

In the body of the accompanying e-mail, provide your name, student ID number, instructor's name, course and section (e.g., BUS 1113-0123), title of the work, and total number of pages (including any Works Cited or Reference pages).

Note: Providing the student ID# is essential, as this is how we determine student eligibility for the online portion of our service. Manuscripts that do not include a student ID# cannot be accepted.

In addition, please supply a description of the assignment and any specific requirements that need to be met. so that we can help you meet the objectives for the assignment. Providing this information is most helpful.  

You should also draw our attention to any specific concerns you have with the assignment or the paper itself, as well as any other information that might help us better meet your specific needs.

You may ask questions about any portion of a manuscript, but please submit the entire document, as we need to consider the context of that portion with respect to the paper as a whole in order to procide an appropriate response.

Where to E-mail Manuscripts
Send all manuscripts to ellish@cameron.edu