Spotlight: Writing Center Feasibility Study Results
The Writing Center Feasibility Study engaged the entire UCSF community through a campus survey, along with faculty focus groups, interviews, and peer research. These efforts are part of the larger Faculty Writing Support Project, led by the Committee on Library and Scholarly Communication and the UCSF Library.
Writing Center Feasibility Study Report (Executive Summary)
Writing Center Project Background
To facilitate equitable access to publication and grant writing and to improve scientific communication and dissemination, COLASC and the Library launched a writing services project with three components:
- A Faculty Writing Support Fund which provided financial support to faculty for writing, publication, and scholarly communication expenses in Spring 2023. Additional funding was provided in 2024 through the Committee on Research.
- Two online writing courses for faculty in Summer 2023, from which the recordings and learning materials were transformed into a self-paced CLE course for the UCSF community.
- A feasibility study for a centralized writing center at UCSF. The feasibility study was carried out by Nicole Williams, MSW, Writing Center Project Specialist.
This project was funded by a UCSF Academic Senate Chancellor’s Fund award to COLASC.
Scientific Writing for UCSF Authors: Techniques for Clarity and Brevity
Writing Center Feasibility Study (Full Report)
Assessing Writing Support Needs at UCSF
While the larger Faculty Writing Support Project focused specifically on faculty, the proposed writing center and feasibility study focused on the entire UCSF community of learners, educators and researchers, including post-docs and students.
Key findings:
- There is an unmet need for scientific writing services—grant writing, scholarly publishing, and academic research papers (e.g., systematic reviews)
- UCSF is the only UC campus without a formal writing center for students; distinctive need for scientific writing support due to health science mission.
- Many groups report lack of access to necessary writing support and were unaware of existing resources
- Early career faculty and trainees face barriers to accessing writing support, including the “hidden curriculum” [1] of scholarly publishing and scientific writing
- International, underrepresented, and first-generation academics have lower confidence in their language and writing skills and face additional barriers
- Most urgently needed services were 1:1 scientific editing/ writing consultation and a single point of contact for finding help.
The proposed central writing center would be a hub for connecting learners, educators, and researchers to services that facilitate equitable access to funding and scholarly communication activities — which could be especially impactful for early career researchers and faculty, departments and authors with limited resources, and groups underrepresented in medicine or facing sociocultural barriers to academic or professional advancement.
See the final feasibility study report on UCSF Box, which includes a scenario-based business plan outlining approaches and an implementation strategy for a sustainable writing center, as well as findings from the writing support needs assessment survey and focus groups.
[1] “Hidden curriculum” was defined by faculty focus group participants as the unwritten rules learned over time in academia.
Timeline & Next Steps
Share report with campus community – COMPLETE
Present study findings and writing center business plan to leadership – IN-PROGRESS
- EVCP Catherine Lucey Presentation (October 30, 2024) – COMPLETE
- EVCP and University Librarian to present to Deans (Spring 2025) – IN-PROGRESS
Internal Decision-Making
- EVCP determines whether to proceed
- Determine funding level and source(s)
- Identifying managing unit
- Select business plan
- Adopt start-up scenario
- Further analysis of assessment findings, as needed
Writing Center Feasibility Study Report
Writing Support Needs Assessment Results
More Information & Updates
Complete this short interest form to get updates on the writing center when they are available, including implementation decisions.
Visit the Library’s Scientific Writing and Scholarly Publishing guide for a list of UCSF writing and editing classes, workshops, and consultation services, as well as recommended writing and publishing resources outside of UCSF. Do you have a UCSF resource to add to the list? Contact the Library to suggest it.