Faculty Resources

Mission Statement | Purpose and Procedures | Confidentiality | Plagiarism Resources

In an attempt to serve the writing needs of the entire University community, The Writing Center offers the following information specifically selected for faculty.  Both the mission statement and the paragraph on the Center’s purpose and procedures may be copied and pasted into your syllabi for your students.

The Writing Center: Mission Statement

[May be inserted into syllabus]
The Truman State University Writing Center provides all writers on the Truman State University campus with a comfortable environment for conversations about writing.  Writing Consultants can work with writers at all levels of competence, from all disciplines, at any stage of the writing process – generating ideas, drafting, revising, and editing – or share ideas about writing strategies and techniques.

The Writing Center: Purpose & Procedures

[May be inserted into syllabus]
The Writing Center serves writers either by appointment or during walk-in hours without an appointment.  Most conferences take about 30 minutes; writers should bring with them ideas or a typed (preferred) or electronic copy of a draft, guidelines for the writing assignment, and a willingness to participate in this collaborative opportunity.  Keep in mind that the consultants will only be able to read up to 6 pages of a document during a single session. Longer documents require extra reading time and so should be submitted at least 48 hours in advance of the appointment time. Drafts over 40 pages require special conference arrangements made on a case-by-case basis.  A consultant will discuss any issues that concern the writer, including brainstorming, development, organization, flow of ideas, style, word choice, grammar, mechanics, and formatting.  Although writing consultants will not formally edit or proofread a piece of writing, they will assist the writer in acquiring or improving these techniques.  For more information about the Center and its services, visit The Writing Center on the third floor of McClain Hall, call 785-4484, email write@truman.edu or check writingcenter.truman.edu.

Confidentiality Statement

In order to foster free and open conversations among writers, The Writing Center does not report the names of any clients to any outside constituencies without the client's knowledge and consent.  If a student client indicates that a faculty member should be notified, the name of the client, the date of the conference, will be sent to the designated faculty member.  The Center does notify faculty on a monthly basis about the number of conferences (without names) conducted with clients identifying writing assignments from their classes.  However, all information concerning individual conferences remains confidential and for the Writing Center use only.

Plagiarism Resources

As an alternative to Turnitin.com, check out the sources below on plagiarism and how to avoid it in your classroom.

Thinking About Plagiarism
http://bedfordstmartins.com/technotes/workshops/plagiarismhelp.htm
Nick Carbone offers good advice and other resources on how to recognize and avoid plagiarism.

Talking About Plagiarism
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/technotes/workshops/talkingplagy.htm Media Consultant Nick Carbone provides specific techniques for talking about plagiarism in conjunction with creating writing assignments.

Anti-Plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers.
http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm
Robert Harris provides detailed strategies for defining, detecting, and avoiding plagiarism in writing assignments.

Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The Council of Writing Program Administrators Statement on Best Practices
http://www.ilstu.edu/~ddhesse/wpa/positions/WPAplagiarism.pdf
Available as a PDF (Adobe Acrobat) file, this statement responds to the growing educational concerns about plagiarism in four ways: by defining plagiarism; by suggesting some of the causes of plagiarism; by proposing a set of responsibilities (for students, teachers, and administrators) to address the problem of plagiarism; and by recommending a set of practices for teaching and learning that can significantly reduce the likelihood of plagiarism. The statement is intended to provide helpful suggestions and clarifications so that instructors, administrators, and students can work together more effectively in support of excellence in teaching and learning.