Center for Writing

Welcome to the University of Iceland Center for Writing

The Center for Writing offers writing support for all students, faculty and staff at the University of Iceland from all schools, faculties, and departments in both Icelandic and English.

Booking for the National Library

Booking for Stakkahlíð

Booking for instructors

Titill

Writing support

We offer one-on-one sessions with trained writing tutors at the library of the School of Education and at the National and University Library on the main campus. The sessions last one hour and can be booked online at either the School of Education library or the National and University Library. After selecting the place you would like to meet, select English-language Tutoring to book a time.

Anybody at the University of Iceland can book a time with a tutor to discuss all types of university writing, from classroom papers to grant applications to final projects to articles for publication. The content of the meeting depends on the needs of the person booking the appointment. The only thing connected to writing that we do not cover in these times is proofreading and copy editing. We have a list of professional proofreaders available here.

Workshops and Courses

The Center for Writing offers a variety of workshops and courses throughout the year for all levels of writers. General courses offered in the spring semester in English include:

Academic English: EndNote Basics
This is the perfect course for anyone just starting out using EndNote. We go over the most commonly used features and settings in EndNote.

Sign up at https://ugla.hi.is/vidburdir/SkodaVidburd.php?sid=1448&vidburdur_id=7003
Date: Monday, February 21, 12:00 – 13:00

Academic English: Citations and Sources
Being able to correctly cite sources in the text and citation list of your work is essential in academic writing. This workshop will look at why we cite and how it is done in the APA system.

Academic English: Essays, Theses and Dissertations
This workshop focuses on the structure of English essays, particularly theses and dissertations. We will touch on issues of organization, flow, style and format.

Sign up at https://ugla.hi.is/vidburdir/SkodaVidburd.php?sid=1448&vidburdur_id=7008
Date: Wednesday, March 9, 13:00 – 14:00

Academic English: Tips and Tricks
Whether English is your first, second, third or even later language, writing academic English can be a challenge. In this short workshop, we will help you to identify and avoid some of the most common pitfalls of writing in English at the university level and beyond.

Sign up at https://ugla.hi.is/vidburdir/SkodaVidburd.php?sid=1448&vidburdur_id=7012
Date: Tuesday, March 22, 12:00 – 13:00

All students at the University of Iceland are welcome to attend our free workshops. Please register at the links above to ensure your place in the workshops.

Master's Students
The Center runs several shut-up-and-write sessions for master's students throughout the semester. These times are for students to write and consult with staff on their writing. They usually take place on Saturdays from 10:00 to 14:00.

Doctoral Students
Doctoral students are invited to join the Facebook group specifically for writing at the PhD level. The shut-up-and-write sessions for doctoral students are on every other Wednesday from 13:00 - 15:00. Check the calendar in Ugla for more information.

Recordings and videos

The Center for Writing often records workshops or produces online videos that you may find helpful. Browse through the selection of videos below.

Assigning essays in class: Tips for instructors

Citations and Sources in APA 7

Citing government and legal sources in APA

Essays, theses and dissertations

Sources and citations in APA

Tips and resources for academic English

Understanding and avoiding plagiarism

What is new in APA 7

Working with thesis templates

Classroom support

The Center for Writing offers a variety of support for instructors who use writing assignments as part of their classes. Past support has included the following:

Short introduction to the Center for Writing
Citations in both the APA and Chicago Manual of Style
Essay structure and flow
Poster presentations
Working in Microsoft Word
Complete teaching and grading of writing assignments

Please contact us at ritver@hi.is if you would like to schedule a classroom presentation or workshop. We are also happy to design something specifically for your course.

The APA system

Many faculties at the University of Iceland use the American Psychological Association system for citations and occasionally for essay structure. The Center for Writing highly recommends using the Purdue OWL website for the most updated information on the English edition of the APA.

There are some small differences for citing sources when writing in Icelandic. The most updated version of the APA in Icelandic can be found on our website.

The choice of citation system is dictated by the language of the essay. That is, if you are writing in English, you use the English APA system, even for Icelandic sources. If you are writing in Icelandic, you use the Icelandic system.

The Chicago Manual of Style

Many faculties at the University of Iceland use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) for citations and occasionally for essay structure. The Center for Writing highly recommends using the Purdue OWL website for the most updated information on the English edition of the CMoS.

There are some small differences for citing sources when writing in Icelandic. The most updated version of the CMoS in Icelandic can be found on our website.

The choice of citation system is dictated by the language of the essay. That is, if you are writing in English, you use the English CMoS system, even for Icelandic sources. If you are writing in Icelandic, you use the Icelandic system.

The MLA System

A few faculties at the University of Iceland use the Modern Language Association system for citations and occasionally for essay structure. The Center for Writing highly recommends using the Purdue OWL website for the most updated information on the English edition of the MLA.

There is currently no Icelandic version of the MLA available.

Bachelor's Theses

Many departments require students to write a thesis or final project as part of their degree at the university. Each school or faculty creates its own requirements for the thesis or project. You can find more information, and a template if it is available, about the thesis requirements on the internal network at the university using the links below.

Some schools have more information available in English than others. If you have any questions about the final project, Turnitin, or Skemman, please contact your department administrator.

Master's Theses

Most departments require students to write a master's thesis as part of their degree at the university. Each school or faculty creates its own requirements for the thesis. You can find more information, and a template if it is available, about the thesis requirements on the internal network at the university using the links below.

Some schools have more information available in English than others. If you have any questions about the final thesis, Turnitin, or Skemman, please contact your department administrator.

Doctoral Dissertations

All schools at the University of Iceland require students to write a dissertation as part of their doctoral degree. Each school or faculty creates its own requirements for the dissertation. You can find more information, and a template if it is available, about the dissertation requirements on the internal network at the university using the links below.

Some schools have more information available in English than others. If you have any questions about the final thesis, Turnitin, or Opin vísindi, please contact the doctoral program administrator at your school.