Welcome to the Academic Success Center On-line Writing Lab (OWL)! Thank you for utilizing our services. Below is information to help with and inform requests for an OWL tutoring session.

Please Note:  A submission of a paper to email tutoring does not guarantee an appointment will be available within the time frame the student desires. There is a 24-48 hour return time in processing email tutoring requests. Email tutoring requests received during non-business hours/days will be processed the next business day; example: a paper submitted after 5:00 pm on Friday will be processed on the following Monday morning and the 24-48 hour return time will begin then. Students will receive an email confirming receipt of the request. ***Non-business hours are after 5:00 pm Monday-Friday and non-business days are Saturdays and Sundays.

Please take the time to read the following:

  • Students must use a Rider University email address to receive feedback.
  • Papers must be submitted as a Word document or share a Google Doc.
  • Students are limited to 1 email session per day, and 2 email sessions per week (Sunday through Saturday.)
  • Students are limited to 10 email sessions per semester.
  • Email tutoring will respond to a pre-set number of sessions each day; once we have received more than our volume limit, we will no longer accept additional sessions on that day. Students who submit papers after the limit has been reached will receive an email to that effect.
  • Students will also receive an automated email from TutorTrac regarding the scheduled appointment. The student does not have to attend the appointment-this is simply a function of the scheduling program.
  • Please keep in mind that tutors will take no more than one hour to read and respond to your paper. In face to face sessions, tutors are typically able to get through 5 pages in an hour. If your paper is longer, you may want to consider sending the paper for a “read-ahead” session and then schedule an OWL, or plan to attend more than one face to face session.
  • We cannot edit or proofread your paper. We can make suggestions or ask questions to help clarify thoughts, etc., yet the real work has to be completed by you.
  • Students may only submit their own work. You cannot submit a paper on behalf of someone else.

Please include the following information in your email request for an appointment. 
Send emails to [email protected]

  • Course name
  • Instructor's Name (optional)
  • When is the paper due?
  • What is the assignment? Please be as detailed as possible or attach the assignment to the email.
  • Have you received any feedback on this paper from your instructor or a Writing Studio tutor?
  • What are your areas of concern within the paper? For example: Thesis clarity/strength; organization and flow; supporting evidence; does the paper address the assignment goals; grammar (word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, active/passive voice, etc.) ***Because of time constraints, tutors cannot focus on every aspect of your paper.
  • If you are submitting a paper for review, please keep in mind that the Writing Studio does not proofread to identify and/or correct every error in your paper. Rather, we try to identify patterns of errors or areas of weakness and explain how to improve them.