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Little DK Handbook, The, 3rd edition

Published by Pearson (January 2, 2019) © 2019

  • Anne F. Wysocki
  • Dennis A. Lynch University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

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For first-year courses in composition.

A focus on research with a distinctive design

The Little DK Handbook stands apart from comparable composition texts. The authors help students learn to narrow down topics, find and cite sources properly, craft clear arguments, hone their voices and more. An emphasis on research, including online resources, provides a solid foundation in information literacy, while grammar and documentation (e.g., MLA, APA, etc.) are handled in an accessible way. Unique 2-page spreads marry design and content to make the text enjoyable and easy to understand.

The 3rd Edition contains new additions and revisions and expands on the fundamentals of research and writing.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Plagiarism and ethics coverage underscores the writer's responsibilities in a “cut-and-paste” culture and includes academic standards for using sources.
  • Connects critical reading and using sources, teaching students to synthesize multiple sources and maintain their own voice.
  • Sample citations and instructions demonstrate how to cite digital sources, including social media and material accessed via mobile devices.
  • Student samples exemplify all writing process stages and demonstrate how research and composition develop.
  • Visual presentation includes 2-page spreads chunked text and imagery that help students grasp key concepts.
  • 10 interactive modules designed by author Anne Wysocki spark experimentation and discovery with game-play, “Try It” activities and more.
  • Free download: The Pearson Guide to the 2021 MLA Handbook.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: Ties chapter content to WPA Outcomes in the objectives listed at the start of each section.
  • NEW: Expands coverage of working with sources and evaluating them for integrity, relevance, and credibility (new sections in Parts 3 and 4), and features current MLA guidelines for source documentation, per MLA Handbook, 8/e.
  • NEW: Discusses why sources are used (e.g., to provide a definition or specific argument, to set up a problem, or to spark one's own thinking).
  • NEW: Includes additional instruction on multimodal research projects and how to compose them.
  • REVISED: Adds guidance and models for arranging visual texts and oral presentations in Part 5 and addresses visual style and style for oral presentations in Part 7 (includes sample oral presentation slides based on a student research project that is featured recurringly throughout the text).
  • NEW: Expands coverage of design and presentation to include planning for academic projects and how to consider design and presentation from the outset of an assignment (Part 1).

1. A PROCESS FOR ACADEMIC COMPOSING

What is rhetoric? 

What is composing? 

A rhetorical process for composing 

Understanding a project assignment 

Composing in different academic genres 

Academic composing... 


2. FINDING IDEAS

A research process

Finding a general topic

Narrowing a topic

Questions to guide research

Kinds of research

Kinds of sources

Choosing sources

    Periodical sources

    Nonperiodical sources

Finding sources

Using your school’s library catalog

Which search results best help your research?

Starting a paper: One student’s process


3. EVALUATING AND TRACKING SOURCES ETHICALLY

Evaluating sources for RELEVANCE

Evaluating sources for CREDIBILITY

Evaluating sources for INTEGRITY

Why cite and document sources? Considering plagiarism and how to avoid it

The four facets of citing and documenting

Collecting citation information

    From books

    From periodicals

    From webpages

    From articles you find in a database of journals

Keeping track of sources: Starting a working bibliography

Hints and tips for collecting citation information


4. ENGAGING WITH AND ANALYZING SOURCES

Engaging with sources

    Summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting

    Summarizing and paraphrasing others’ words

    Quoting others’ words

    Ways to use others’ words and ideas well

    An annotated bibliography: Summary and response

    Putting sources in dialogue with each other

What is analysis?: About critical reading

Analyzing to understand

    Identifying rhetorical strategies

    Analyzing thesis statements

    Using rhetorical analysis to understand

Analyzing to evaluate


5. ARRANGING A PROJECT

Using analysis to develop a thesis statement

Using a thesis statement to arrange an academic paper

Arranging paragraphs for audience and purpose

    Unified and coherent paragraphs

    Paragraphs that develop

Multimodal arranging: Visual texts

Multimodal arranging: Oral presentations


6. DRAFTING A PROJECT, CONNECTING WITH AUDIENCES

Understanding your audience

Developing a statement of purpose

Composing a first draft

A rough draft

Once you’ve finished a draft...

Receiving feedback to a draft

Responding to your peers’ writing


7. REVISING WITH STYLE

Revising a project

    Developing a revision plan

Styling paragraphs

    Concluding paragraphs

    Introductory paragraphs

    Transitions between paragraphs

    Passive voice

Styling sentences

    Academic sentences

    Sentences that are easy to read

    Parallelism

    Using coordination and subordination

    Using inclusive language

Styling words

Multimodal style: Visual texts

Multimodal style: Oral presentations

    Slides to support oral presentations


8. DOCUMENTING 

MLA DOCUMENTATION

Guide to MLA Documentation Models

A Paper in MLA Format

A Works-Cited Page in MLA Format

MLA Documentation for In-Text Citations

    Variations on the MLA In-Text Citation Pattern

MLA Documentation for Works Cited

    “Stand-alone sources” and “Sources in containers”

    Pattern: MLA Works Cited

    Pattern: MLA Works Cited for Sources inside containers, inside containers

    What sources need which elements

    Figuring out a citation if there isn’t a model

    Element 1: Author

    Element 2: Source Titles

    Element 3: Container Titles

    Element 4: Other Contributors

    Element 5: Version

    Element 6: Number

    Element 7: Publisher

    Element 8: Publication Date

    Element 9: Location

    Citing sources when your project isn’t a research paper


APA DOCUMENTATION

Guide to APA Documentation Models

Pages from a Paper in APA Format

A Reference List Page in APA Format

APA Documentation for In-text Citations

    Variations on the APA Pattern for In-text Citations

APA Documentation for Reference List Entries

    Pattern: APA References for Periodical Sources

    Pattern: APA References for Nonperiodical Sources

APA References

    Author’s Name

    Date of Publication

    Place of Publication

    Titles

    Additional Information

Periodical Volume and Issue

For Online Texts

For Other Kinds of Sources


CSE DOCUMENTATION

Guide to CSE Documentation Models

CSE References: The Patterns

Details of the Patterns

CSE List of References

In-text Citations

Sample References


CMS DOCUMENTATION

Guide to CMS Documentation Models

CMS In-text Citations and Footnotes

Subsequent Note Entries

Bibliography

CMS Sample References


9. EDITING AND PROOFREADING YOUR WORK

Editing and proofreading

Making subject-verb agreement

Using verb tenses consistently

Using verb tenses in academic writing

Avoiding shifts in style and voice

Avoiding sentence fragments

Avoiding comma splices and fused sentences

Working with pronoun reference and agreement

Avoiding disruptive and dangling modifiers

Using apostrophes with possessive forms

Using articles conventionally

Using commas with introductory phrases


10. GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION, AND MECHANICS

Grammar: Parts of Speech

    Nouns

    Pronouns

    Adjectives

    Articles

    Verbs

        Main verbs and helping verbs

    Adverbs

    Prepositions

    Conjunctions

Grammar: Sentences

    Sentence functions and patterns

    Simple sentences

    Subjects and predicates

    Independent clauses

    Compound sentences

    Complex sentences

    Compound-complex sentences

Punctuation

    Commas

        When not to use commas

    Colons

    Semicolons

    Ellipses

    Parentheses

    Dashes

    Brackets

    Hyphens

    Slashes

    Quotation marks

    Apostrophes

    Periods

    Question marks

    Exclamation points

Mechanics

    Using Italics and underlining

    Spelling

    Capitalizing words

    Numbers

    Abbreviations


Glossary

Index

Guide to Student Sample Work

Revision Checklist 


 

About our authors

Together, Anne Frances Wysocki and Dennis Lynch have over 60 years of experience teaching writing and rhetoric in universities and literacy programs. Together and alone, they have published broadly on rhetoric, writing and new literacies; developed print and digital learning materials and offered workshops across the country. Dennis has run writing programs and teacher preparation programs; Anne has developed learning materials on digital and print literacies, life skills and 3-dimensional visualization for organizations ranging from Apple to the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, from the U.S. Government to public/private ventures.

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