Writing Consultations

Our Support

The Writing Center is closed whenever the university is closed. Please review the Academic Calendar
Writing Consultants can work with:
  • Academic writing
  • Personal statements
  • Creative writing
  • Personal work
They cannot work with:
  • Take-home essay tests for a class
  • Career Center documents, such as resumes

The In-Person Appointment

*Unavailable during the summer session

All in-person consultations will be held in the Bear CLAW, located on the first floor of the Meyer Library. Check in at the front desk a few minutes before your scheduled session. Drop-In appointments are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that scheduled appointments have priority services and may cause your drop-in session to be shortened. An appointment is strongly recommended.

Schedule an In-Person Session

You must use TracCloud for synchronous (in-person or virtual) consultations. 

Schedule an In-Person Appointment Online Using TutorTrac

  • Go to your My.Missouri.State, locate the Student Success Resources Card, and select TracCloud.
  • Appointments made online must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance and can be booked up to seven days in advance.
  • You can also call the front desk at (417) 836-6398.

Online Consultations - Email

Writers can obtain advice regarding their manuscript through an email consultation. A paper may be at any stage of the writing process. A writing consultant will read and give you an overview of the text's strengths and weaknesses.

Rules for Submission
  1. We can accept submissions only from a valid Bear PASS accounts.
  2. Only one paper per email is accepted.
  3. Drafts with comments will be returned to you as soon as possible, normally as follows:
  • 1-5 pages: Up to 2 Business days.
  • 6-10 pages: Up to 3 Business days.
  • Over 10 pages: Up to 3-5 Business days
  • Graduate Thesis: For best results, send us a chapter at a time, not the entire thesis.
  • Screenplay/Stage Play: Up to 10 pages at a time.
  • Book: One chapter at a time.

NOTE: The Writing Center is closed whenever the university is closed, affecting the timeline. Please review the Academic Calendar.

How to Submit Your Paper

Attach a paper in either Word or rich-text format to an e-mail and send it to writingcenter@missouristate.edu. Links to Google docs are also welcome with permission to access.

*Please note that we can accept submissions only from a valid Missouri State University email address. All others will be deleted.

In the body of your email, please include:

  1. your first and last name.
  2. your native language (if not English).
  3. your Missouri State University connection: online course, academic department, dual credit, satellite location, or study away – (where?).
  4. any specific concerns and/or questions about the paper.

It is important to include answers to all four questions to ensure a timely and topical response to your submission.

Synchronous Virtual Consultations

*Unavailable during the summer session

Virtual appointments may be available during our service period.

Schedule a Synchronous Virtual Appointment Online Using TutorTrac

  • Go to your My.Missouri.State, locate the Student Success Resources Card, and select TracCloud.
  • Appointments made online must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance and can be booked up to seven days in advance.
  • You can also call the front desk at (417) 836-6398.

Information for Faculty & Staff

We're looking forward to assisting your students! Please contact us at writingcenter@missouristate.edu, before sending your students en masse to the Online Writing Center so we can best help them. In your email:

  1. Include your prompt: Students often forget to share that with us. We want to ensure we're following directions, too.

  2. Indicate the due date: We want to make your job easier. Sharing the due date will allow us to allocate enough consultants to meet deadlines.
  3. Let us know how many students we can expect: This is helpful, too!
  4. Verifying submissions: If you need us to verify that your student submitted a paper, let us know. We can send you the exact day of submission and the proof of consultation.