The ECU Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers Distance Education students the opportunity to consult with a trained writing center consultant via email. Our OWL allows these off-campus students to ask specific questions about their writing in any stage, from invention to the final draft. While our online consultants do not simply proofread or edit anyone's paper, we gladly answer questions and try to provide feedback that will help any student become a better writer. Only students enrolled in Distance Education courses have the opportunity to submit papers to the OWL.
Some things to know before you submit writing:
- Please make sure you are submitting work for a Distance Education course.
- Please ask the consultant specific questions about your writing. If you do not provide specific questions for your writing, our consultants will critique only 3-4 pages of your writing to identify patterns of writing difficulty that you should address.
- We strive to respond to submissions within 24 hours of receipt. However, we do not respond to writing on weekends or university student holidays. Also, during busier times in the semester, response times may increase slightly. Please keep all that in mind as you plan your writing process.
- All responses will be in the form of an email from the writing consultant that includes feedback based on your questions. Our online consultants may also annotate your writing to point out specific things, but we will never simply change any of your writing.
Because the OWL provides consultation by email, we ask that you send your paper as an email attachment. Please be aware that the OWL uses Microsoft Word and cannot read proprietary files from other word-processing programs, such as Word Perfect (.wps files). If you are using a different word-processing program, please save and send your documents as rich text format (.rtf) files so that we can view and respond to them.
In the body of the email, please include the following information:
- Name (First and Last)
- Email address
- Course Name, Number, and Section (ex. NURS 3520-602)
- Instructor's Last Name
- A short description of the assignment - including due date
- Two or three specific questions you would like the consultant to address
Giving the OWL consultants all of this information will enable them to respond with more specific feedback and should help you get those questions you have answered. Click on the link below to submit your writing and questions.
submit your writing
- onlinewriting@ecu.edu -
