Write Site dropbox

Please review the information on this page, or in the video above, before submitting your paper. It is important that you meet our guidelines so we can support you effectively.

Read time: 7-10 minutes.

Download a summary of our guidelines

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Submit to the dropbox

After reviewing our guidelines below, you can click the button below to submit your assignment. Please review all the information on this page before submitting your paper so we can support you effectively.

Write Site dropbox

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What is writing coaching?

Writing coaching supports your development as a confident writer and editor of your own work. Our mission is to support and encourage writers to develop confidence and skill in academic communications.

Begin by setting a goal. What would you like to learn or improve on? A writing specialist can work with you to achieve that goal over time. Then, you can set a new goal to continue to develop your writing skills. Coaching is about learning over time, not about making this one assignment perfect.

Over time, a writing specialist can help you:

• Prioritize your writing goals
• Identify and address writing concerns
• Assess the clarity of your ideas
• Develop confidence as an academic writer

We can support you most effectively when you engage with the coaching process by sharing your specific comments and concerns about your assignment. Please leave comments in the document, or provide specific questions on the dropbox form.

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What writing coaching is not

Writing specialists provide feedback and support on your writing as writing experts outside the context of your course. The feedback you receive is not an evaluation of your assignment or a suggestion of your grade, and we cannot guarantee your desired grade.

To fully understand what we do, it is important to understand what we cannot do. Writing specialists do not:

• write, revise, edit, or proofread your assignment
• explain assignment requirements
• evaluate whether you are meeting assignment requirements
• confirm whether an assignment is ready to submit to your instructor
• tell you an expected grade
• explain course content, such as lessons, readings, or assignment topics
• comment on assignment content (what you’ve written). We can only assist with how you’ve written it
• comment on grades, tutors, instructors or appeals. However, if you need support with what to do next, you can contact the Write Site coordinator.

You can do it! If you’re stuck:

• Learn strategies to help you read and understand your assignment
• Contact your instructor to introduce yourself and ask your questions about assignment requirements or course content
• If you’re not sure how to contact your instructor, you can contact your course coordinator

If you’re stuck, we may not be able to answer all your questions, but we’ll try to point you in the right direction. Please contact us. We’re here to help.

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The coaching process

Before you submit

1. Identify 1-2 writing goals for learning or improvement. Possible areas include:
   • Thesis statement
   • Organization
   • Sentence structure
   • Citations and references
2. Plan ahead. Though usually you will receive feedback within a few business days, at high-volume times it could take longer. Leave enough time to revise and edit your paper once you receive feedback. Requests for last-minute feedback may not be accepted.
3. Revise or edit your paper before submitting to the Write Site dropbox. We can provide better support on your goals when the rest of your paper is smooth. Occasionally, we may return it for you to work on more first before providing you feedback.
   
   Tip: Use our editing checklist to help get you started. The checklist can also help you brainstorm your writing goals if you’re not sure where to start.
   
   
4. Highlight areas of concern. Before you submit, we strongly recommend that you add questions and comments related to your goals throughout your document.
5. Submit to the dropbox. Provide as much specific information as possible for us to understand your questions and needs.
6. Receive a confirmation. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please add wsdropbox@athabascau.ca to your safe senders list. If you’ve already done this, and you still don’t receive a confirmation email, your upload may not have succeeded. Contact us to double-check.

What to expect from us

1. Your writing specialist may not read your whole paper but will instead focus on supporting you with your learning goal. Your writing specialist will usually focus on one to two areas for you to work on to achieve your goal. Your writing specialist may also choose to focus on a more pressing issue that you did not identify. You can expect to receive 10-25 comments or more, depending on your assignment’s length and complexity.
2. Usually you will receive an email with feedback attached within a few business days, though at high-volume times it may take longer.

After you receive feedback

1. Read the whole document to get the most out of coaching. Your writing specialist may give you introductory comments, in-text comments, and concluding comments, all of which can help you learn. Take time to understand the comments, and email your writing specialist if you do not understand.
2. Use our feedback to guide you as your revise and edit your own paper.
3. After you receive feedback, the dropbox will not accept assignments from you for 48 hours. During this time, review the comments and resources provided and apply what you’ve learned to your next assignment. This way, you can learn from each assignment and get feedback on your progress.
4. If you would like further support with your goals for your current assignment:
   • Contact your writing specialist with 1-2 specific questions about their feedback or your learning. Please do not email your revised draft.
   • Book a follow-up appointment.
   • Submit your revised draft dropbox.
5. Continue to develop as a writer by working with a writing specialist over time. It can take time to accomplish each goal, but we’re here to help.

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Submission types

For certain types of submissions, we may have special requirements. Please check if your writing falls into any of the following categories.

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Guidelines

• Respect and professionalism are expected in all written and verbal communications with Write Site staff. Please familiarize yourself with Article 3.5 of the Non-Academic Misconduct Policy.
• Please do not book an appointment and submit your paper to the Write Site dropbox for written feedback at the same time.
• You can submit only one assignment at a time to receive feedback on your writing from a writing specialist.
• Only one follow-up submission per assignment will be accepted. This means you can submit the same assignment only twice for feedback.
• Readers, including writing specialists and instructors, might not always agree. You can consider all feedback, but please follow the comments from your instructor first. If you receive a lower grade than you expected, you can contact your instructor to discuss how to improve essay content and your writing to meet their expectations next time.

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Accessibility

Students registered with Accessibility Services can request extra writing support. Contact the coordinator or ask your writing specialist for more information.

We strive to make our coaching accessible to everyone. On the dropbox form, you can state your preferences. For example:

• coloured background or font
• increased font size
• audio feedback

You are also welcome to request a specific writing specialist if you wish. We will do our best to honour your request when possible. However, we encourage you to work with multiple writing specialists to get different perspectives.

If you have a need that is not being met, please contact the coordinator. We are open to your suggestions.

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Technical support

I didn’t receive my coached assignment.

• Check the date you submitted. Though usually you will receive feedback within a few business days, our turnaround time can be up to seven days.
• Check your junk folder for an email from wsdropbox@athabascau.ca. Add wsdropbox@athabascau.ca to your safe senders list.
• If you still cannot find your coached paper, contact us for support.

I can’t attach my document.

• Make sure you are attaching a Word document (.doc, .docx). You can access Word for free as an AU student. Please contact the coordinator with your file if it must be a PDF, PowerPoint, or other format.
• Check that the file name is free of non-alpha-numeric characters (e.g. % ^ * , ).
• Make sure the file is under 1MB in size.
• Remove all photos or graphics.
• If you have met these requirements but your document was still not accepted, please contact us.

I’m running out of dropbox submissions.

Each student is initially allotted 20 submissions per year. However, if you find you are running low, please email us to request more, and we will provide them.

I got this message: “You cannot use your LDAP login to use this application.”

If you get this message when you try to log in, empty your browser’s cache. Click for instructions.

I got this message: “Unfortunately, the Write Site cannot accept your paper because the maximum number of coaching spaces has been filled.”

Please try again in 8-12 hours. We have updated our guidelines to ensure we can reach as many students as possible, and we are doing our best with the resources available to open more spaces soon. We appreciate your patience!

If you have a question or concern, please contact us for support.