When Do Graduate Students Write?

The timing of graduate students’ research writing is a critical question: on which days of the week do they typically engage in this activity?

This study aims to address these questions by analyzing data from over 1,000 days of Grammarly usage by graduate students at UNBC since 2022, facilitated by the premium service offered by the NBCGSS.

Since May 2022, NBCGSS has invested significant resources each year to provide premium Grammarly services to all graduate students at no cost. Due to the limited number of available user accounts, it is important for NBCGSS to monitor the number of active Grammarly users among students. From May 2022 to February 2025, there has been a consistent increase in the number of active Grammarly members, indicating a growing dependence on the platform for writing support among graduate students. Figure 1 illustrates the daily usage of Grammarly by UNBC graduate students throughout 2024. As shown in Figure 1, of the 250 accounts purchased by NBCGSS, the maximum recorded usage was 156 active accounts in one day, indicating that 94 accounts were inactive each day. As illustrated in Figure 2, the average number of active users was less than 100, so the average number of inactive users was more than 150 each day.

Figure 1 shows noticeable fluctuations in user activity over time. A closer examination reveals that these fluctuations occur on a weekly basis, indicating that certain days see higher usage while others experience lower engagement. This raises the question: Which days of the week are preferable for students to write essays, papers, thesis or complete assignments? Are weekends—when students are generally more relaxed—better, or is the beginning or middle of the week more suitable?

Based on Figure 1 and 2, and considering Grammarly usage as an indicator of scholarly writing activities, such as essays, papers, and theses, it can be concluded that UNBC graduate students spend more time writing on specific days of the week:

Weekdays vs. Weekends: As shown in Figure 2, active usage of Grammarly is significantly higher on weekdays (Monday to Friday) than on weekends (Saturday and Sunday). This suggests that students primarily engage with Grammarly during their academic work throughout the week.

Peak Days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays consistently exhibit the highest number of active users. This likely corresponds to academic schedules and deadlines, which are typically concentrated in the middle of the week. This trend is evident in various means and over 95% of the week’s trends.

Seasonal trends are evident in the data collected. Certain months show significant spikes in activity, especially at the beginning of new semesters and just before major submission deadlines. This highlights Grammarly’s important role in supporting academic writing during critical periods. Conversely, user activity declines notably during specific times of the year, such as the last week of December. Additionally, the overall number of active users has significantly increased as NBCGSS has begun removing inactive accounts from its subscription list. The fluctuations in Grammarly usage tied to academic days and events suggest robust engagement among UNBC graduate students, driven by academic demands and supported by NBCGSS investments in writing resources. The variations in usage patterns across different days and months also emphasize the importance of timing in student productivity and engagement with writing support tools. Furthermore, with approximately 100 accounts going inactive each day and considering the high cost of Grammarly, it is crucial for NBCGSS to receive support from UNBC to maintain the full complement of 250 accounts. Without this support, we may have to reduce the number of accounts to 150 in order to continue providing this free service to students.