QEP LibGuide: Books

Composition studies is a rapidly growing and constantly changing field. At present, however, graduate students new to the field and writing teachers who want to make new connections between theory and practice have little choice of current reference works that define key terms in composition studies and provide information about the scholars and researchers who have shaped and are shaping the discipline. This book supplies this information in an easily accessible format and places both scholars and terms in the context of the field's development. Included are alphabetically arranged entries for 108 individuals who have developed the field and 128 terms central to the discipline. The first part of the book provides entries for leaders in composition studies. Each entry identifies the areas in which the scholar has contributed most influentially to the field and provides both a chronological overview of the person's contributions and a bibliography of representative works. The second part includes entries for terms that are problematic both for newcomers and for those already familiar with the discipline. The entries for the terms show how the disciplinary context has shaped the ways in which they have been used. The entries also indicate how established thinkers in composition studies and other disciplines have explained or defined the terms, provide examples of the terms in context, and list scholars often associated with them. An appendix includes entries for scholars from other disciplines who have contributed to the field.

The essays in this book argue that the active learning strategies that teachers trained in composition use for their literature courses can be exported to other disciplines to enhance both teacher performance and student learning. The book provides and explains examples of those strategies and illustrates how they have been effectively used in other disciplines.

With Writing without Teachers and Writing with Power Peter Elbow revolutionized the teaching of writing. His process method--and its now commonplace "free writing" techniques--liberated generations of students and teachers from the emphasis on formal principles of grammar that had dominated composition pedagogy.

This new collection of essays brings together the best of Elbow's writing since the publication of Embracing Contraries in 1987. The volume includes sections on voice, the experience of writing, teaching, and evaluation. Implicit throughout is Elbow's commitment to humanizing the profession, and his continued emphasis on the importance of binary thinking and nonadversarial argument. The result is a compendium of a master teacher's thought on the relation between good pedagogy and good writing; it is sure to be of interest to all professional teachers of writing, and will be a valuable book for use in composition courses at all levels.

completion, covering topics such as: Gaining momentum, Reviewing and revising, Self-discipline, Writing regularly, Writers' groups and retreats. Academic writing is one of the most demanding tasks that all academics and researchers face. In some disciplines there is guidance on what is needed to be productive, successful writers; but in other disciplines there is no training, support or mentoring of any kind. This book helps those in both groups not only to improve their writing skills and strategies, but, equally importantly, to find satisfaction in engaging in regular and productive writing.

Underpinned by a diverse range of literature, this book addresses the different dimensions of writing. The fresh approach that Murray and Moore explore in this book includes developing rhetorical knowledge, focusing on writing behaviours and understanding writing contexts.

This book will help writers in academic contexts to develop a productive writing strategy, not only for research monitoring exercises, but also for the long term.

How to Write is an introductory guide to writing, aimed at people who think they can't write, or for whom writing is an ordeal. Broken down into short topic-based chapters on everything from beginning to revising, it demystifies the writing process by taking the reader through each stage necessary to bring a piece of writing to a decent finish. The book also offers a wealth of invaluable practical considerations, including when and where to write, when to printout and when to edit onscreen, what type of pen works well for revisions, and the hazards of the paperclip. The author is a seasoned writer whose encouraging but uncompromising guidance will delight as well as instruct.

Offering practical advice in a lucid, no-nonsense style, How to Write will be ideal for both students and professional people who need to write during the course of their work.

Berger’s slim, user-friendly volume on academic writing is a gift to linguistically-stressed academics. Author of 60 published books, the author speaks to junior scholars and graduate students about the process and products of academic writing. He differentiates between business writing skills for memos, proposals, and reports, and the scholarly writing that occurs in journals and books. He has suggestions for getting the “turgid” out of turgid academic prose and offers suggestions on how to best structure various forms of documents for effective communication. Written in Berger’s friendly, personal style, he shows by example that academics can write good, readable prose in a variety of genres.

With more than 400,000 copies now in print, The Craft of Research is the unrivaled resource for researchers at every level, from first-year undergraduates to research reporters at corporations and government offices.

Seasoned researchers and educators Gregory G. Colomb and Joseph M. Williams present an updated third edition of their classic handbook, whose first and second editions were written in collaboration with the late Wayne C. Booth. The Craft of Research explains how to build an argument that motivates readers to accept a claim; how to anticipate the reservations of readers and to respond to them appropriately; and how to create introductions and conclusions that answer that most demanding question, “So what?”

The third edition includes an expanded discussion of the essential early stages of a research task: planning and drafting a paper. The authors have revised and fully updated their section on electronic research, emphasizing the need to distinguish between trustworthy sources (such as those found in libraries) and less reliable sources found with a quick Web search. A chapter on warrants has also been thoroughly reviewed to make this difficult subject easier for researchers

Throughout, the authors have preserved the amiable tone, the reliable voice, and the sense of directness that have made this book indispensable for anyone undertaking a research project.

This concise guide to writing is designed to help any academic become not only productive but truly prolific. It is a pithy, no-nonsense, no-excuses guide to maximizing the quality and quantity of scholarly output. Johnson and Mullen offer an accessible overview of the art of writing efficiently and effectively, provide a one-stop source for the nuts and bolts of success in getting things written and into print, and advise academics on how to navigate the turbulent waters of professional stress along the way. This is the first book that explicitly summarizes the key elements of prolific productivity in academic settings.

Writing at University offers guidance on how to develop the writing you have to do at university along with a greater understanding of what is involved in this complex activity. Writing is seen as a tool for learning as well as a product to be assessed. The importance of what you yourself can bring as a writer to your academic writing is stressed throughout the book.

The book looks at an array of writing projects, including essays, reports and dissertations, and analyzes what is expected of each form of assignment. The authors provide examples of student writing and reflections on writing by both tutors and students.

Writing in Action provides a step-by-step, practical guide to the process of writing. Although the emphasis is on creative writing, fiction, poetry and drama, it also covers autobiographical writing, the writing of reports and essays. Because this is a book about process, rather than product, Writing in Action also looks at the practice of adaptation and editing.

Academic writing can be a daunting prospect for new undergraduates and postgraduates alike, regardless of whether they are home or overseas students. This accessible book provides them/students with all they need to know to produce excellent written work.

Based on their many years of experience, the authors have structured the book so as to build students' confidence in their own writing ability whilst at the same time respecting conventional ideas of what is, and what is not, acceptable in the academic domain. To reinforce student learning, the material is presented using a wealth of clear examples, hands-on tasks with answers, and logical sequences that build on earlier chapters. The first two sections of the book address the preparation and writing of assignments and research projects, while the third provides a useful toolkit containing reference materials on areas including punctuation, grammar and academic terminology.