WriteLab Information

Based in Berkeley, California, WriteLab is an online writing tool offering immediate, objective, and constructive responses to any writer's prose. Drawing on the latest developments in machine learning and natural language processing, our tool blends data-driven analysis with proven pedagogical principles to address specific features of thinking in writing, such as clarity, cohesion, logic, and concision. 100 million American students and professionals lack skills and confidence in their writing. Under the pressures of deadlines, these writers often find themselves struggling to write clearly and effectively. WriteLab addresses these issues by offering immediate editorial assistance at any time. Through practice, every user of WriteLab can master the techniques of confident and successful prose and appreciate writing as a tool for effective communication. WriteLab is developing a technology, the first instance of which is in education. WriteLab utilizes probability and statistics to identify patterns in each writer's choices. Writers can accept or reject suggestions, and WriteLab learns continuously from these choices, customizing its algorithms to suit users' preferences. Users receive customized feedback, generating powerful analytics. Student users can share drafts with instructors on WriteLab, and instructors can read and respond to students' writing and leave comments of their own. Instructors need not spend time clearing up students’ prose and can, instead, focus on helping students develop intellectually in more substantive ways beyond grammar and mechanics and to reach their full potential as writers.