About the OWL

The mission of the Online Writing Lab (OWL) is to provide a learning environment where students can learn about writing in writing. Tutors believe that writing is a process, using the student's writing as the basis for that work. Therefore, receiving feedback from a tutor is only one step in the larger process of the writing. A visit to the OWL should not be seen as the final step in the process.

Students can work with a tutor on any part of a writing assignment or at any point during the writing process. Online tutors teach many aspects of writing. For example: how to organize and develop writing and how to use standard English conventions of punctuation and grammar to make writing accessible to an audience are part of what we teach.

Tutors help writers become independent in their learning. Tutors work to create a dialogue about writing with the hopes that students will submit subsequent drafts of a paper as they work on it.

When a paper is sent to the Missouri State University at West Plains OWL , a team of tutors receives it. One will claim your paper and respond in an email within 24 hours.