About HWC
We give writers supportive feedback and a place to think out loud.
All writers benefit from sharing a work in progress, and our staff is ready to support your work. We can offer feedback, guidance, and reliable information about academic writing, as well as a chance for you to generate new ideas through discussion.
We can support you throughout the writing process.
You can consult with us about writing at any stage. We work with writers who are just getting started and trying to understand a writing task, who have created part or all of a draft and are seeking feedback, and those who are working through the feedback they have received from other readers.
Our meetings are interactive and customized to meet your goals.
Every one-to-one meeting is a little different, because each writer has a unique project. We'll help you set some goals for the session and then work together to reach your goals. Activities like brainstorming, modeling, reading aloud, or mapping out ideas on whiteboards are common in our conversations.
We are human readers providing Caltech-specific guidance.
Generative AI tools can be helpful to writers in certain contexts. However, they don't replicate the support we offer. Our staff have years of experience with the very specific types of writing Caltech writers do. Further, since we are actually reading and responding to your text, rather than simulating those activities, writers can have much greater confidence in our support.
We understand the unique writing challenges of scientists and engineers.
Caltech writers are often trying to communicate complex, technical information. We can help you learn to calibrate your message for different audiences, including fellow experts, interdisciplinary audiences, and non-specialist readers.
We are available in person and online.
Our staff of professional and peer tutors are available for meetings in person and online (via Zoom). When you book an appointment, you can select the type of appointment that works for you.
