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wants me to correctIn this case, guidelines for face-to-face tutorials can apply to an e-mail tutorial. Explain to the student why you don't want to proofread, and why it's not in the student's best interest simply to have you "correct" something. Remember, though, that you may want to offer the student a couple of options if time limits seem tight.
Here is one way to respond to such a request:
Hi (student's name)--
You sent an essay and asked us "to do some corrections." What kinds of "corrections" did you have in mind? What were you hoping we could help you with? One thing to consider is that we don't proofread papers at the Tutorial Center, either in-person or online. We're happy to offer advice about thesis sentences, organization, development, etc. We can point out patterns of errors and point you to some resources to help you understand the errors and correct them. We'd also be happy to comment on the wording of a sentence or two, if you tell us which specific one you need help with. The one thing we can't do, though, is simply "correct" someone's paper. That improves our editing skills, but it doesn't help you as a writer.
So, please feel free to write again with more detailed directions or questions. Let us know what exactly you're worried about with your paper, and we'll try to help out. Be sure, by the way, to tell us what your assignment is. What kind of essay has your teacher asked you to write? How have you tried to meet the demands of that assignment? Hope to hear from you again soon.
(your name)
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