Omar Hussein is the Graduate Writing Specialist in the Graduate Center (formerly the “Graduate Studies Resource Center” or “GSRC”) at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). His pet peeves include misplaced modifiers, incorrect uses of “begging the question,” and having to write biographical blurbs about himself.

I’m Omar the “Writing Guy.” Welcome to my site!

Have you ever been confused about the difference between a literature review and an annotated bibliography? Or wondered how to use “et al.” properly? Or maybe you’re thinking of applying to grad school, but you don’t know how a personal statement differs from a research statement, or how a résumé differs from a CV.

Or perhaps, worst of all, you’re gripped with crippling writing anxiety each time you face a blinking cursor or a blank page.

If so, you’re not alone.

The graduate students that I work with at CSULB come to me with any and all problems related to academic writing. Some of the specific areas I help them with include:

• Overcoming writing anxiety/ “writer’s block”
• Improving grammar and usage skills
• Enhancing the clarity, conciseness, and coherence of academic writing, including improving organization, cohesiveness (what some people call “flow”), and logical cogency
• Developing and practicing strategies for all stages of the writing process, including pre-writing and “post-writing” (editing and revising)
• Deepening general knowledge of the English language, including continuing development as an English learner (or ESL learner)
• Writing to specific audiences and mastering the nuances of various genres.

In terms of genre, I help students with all graduate writing tasks, including:

• Theses and dissertations
• Class papers and seminar papers
• Conference papers and presentations
• Journal articles and other publications
• Graduate admissions essays (statements of purpose, personal statements, research statements)
• CV/résumés

The purpose of this website is to share the tips, tricks, resources, and materials I’ve assembled–and continue to assemble–on academic writing. The primary audience is my current students at CSULB, along with the rest of the CSULB community. However, I’ll be delighted if these tools and resources are helpful to academic writers beyond CSULB. Explore the menu options at the top of the page to find the writing resources you’re looking for. And check back frequently, because the site will be updated often.

My Credentials

MA in English Literature, CSULB, 2016

Certificate in Technical & Professional Communication, CSULB, 2016

CA Clear Teaching Credential (English, Physics, Chemistry), CCTC, 2013

MA in Teaching, USC, 2008

BA in English Literature, USC, 2007