Brief Guide to Writing from Readings, A, 7th edition

For college courses in Writing Across the Curriculum (Composition) and Research Writing (Composition).

This version of A Brief Guide to Writing from Readings has been updated the reflect the 8th edition of the MLA Handbook (April 2016). * 

Mastering the art of critical essay writing

A Brief Guide to Writing from Readings is a clear, process-oriented guide to academic writing. The guide covers the subtleties of rhetorical analysis and argumentation strategies as well as the technical aspects of writing with sources. Students will learn first to examine texts critically and then to clearly, accurately and creatively respond in essay form. In-text tools including summary charts and revision checklists help students tackle source-based essays step by step. Instructors will rely on the guide as a one-stop reference tool; students can apply their learning to any discipline, whether for class work or independent study.

In the Seventh Edition, in response to student and faculty feedback, Wilhoit includes a new chapter on analyzing readings and composing analytical essays; more coverage of literary analysis and a new short story; eight academic readings; and expanded coverage of how to cite electronic sources in APA and MLA style.

*The 8th edition introduces sweeping changes to the philosophy and details of MLA works cited entries. Responding to the “increasing mobility of texts,” MLA now encourages writers to focus on the process of crafting the citation, beginning with the same questions for any source. These changes, then, align with current best practices in the teaching of writing which privilege inquiry and critical thinking over rote recall and rule-following.

• Essential instruction on critical reading and model readings from a variety of sources.
• Chapter 1 provides instruction on reading rhetorically, annotating texts, and note-taking to help students develop these skills at the outset of the course and to cultivate audience awareness for their own writing.
• Readings throughout the text model writing strategies and address high-interest topics in order to help students think critically about topics of concern in their communities.
• Six student essays serve as models for students to follow in terms of its thesis, organization, and use of sources.
• NEW! Four of the student essays are new to this edition.
• Eleven professional readings address a range of topics that students find interesting or relevant to their lives.
• NEW! Eight new academic readings: Two on controversies surrounding academic freedom, three on the ethics of human genetic enhancement, and three on leadership.
• More readings than ever are now drawn from academic sources across the curriculum.

• An exploration of and instruction in reading and analyzing visual texts in Chapter 8, including explicit instruction in writing a rhetorical analysis of a visual text and a sample of such a visual rhetorical analysis

• Clear, step-by-step instruction on writing for the academy.
• To prepare them for the challenge of academic writing, students learn how (and when) to quote, paraphrase, and summarize source material in chapters 2, 3, and 4.
• Chapters 5-11 take students step-by-step as they compose a variety of academic essays.
• NEW! Chapter 5 on literary analysis teaches students how to read analytically and to write well-supported analysis essays.
• Chapters 6 and 7 on response essays and critiques introduce students to the conventions of responding directly to texts.
• A comprehensive discussion of rhetorical analysis in Chapters 8 and 9 helps students analyze visual and verbal texts and includes sample texts for analysis.
• How to synthesize informational texts (Chapter 10) provides students with opportunities to interact with three readings and with instruction about how to compose an essay that fuses together multiple viewpoints and ideas.
• Argument coverage in Chapter 11 includes the classical appeals and the Toulmin method and provides clear instruction in argument strategies as well as samples for discussion and analysis.
• Revision Checklists at the end of each chapter are easy to find quickly and remind students of tasks to perform when quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, responding, critiquing, synthesizing, and avoiding plagiarism in order to help them check their work for accuracy and originality.
• Students learn to avoid plagiarism and to document and cite sources properly following MLA and APA styles in chapters 12-14.
• REVISED! Expanded coverage of MLA and APA documentation styles includes plentiful sample reference citations and a thorough coverage of online sources.

• A chapter on analyzing readings and composing analytical essays.
• Coverage of literary analysis and the inclusion of a short story.
• Eight new academic readings, with two on controversies surrounding academic freedom, three on the ethics of human genetic enhancement, and three on leadership.
• Four new sample essays.
• Expanded coverage of how to include electronic sources of information on APA reference lists and MLA works cited lists.