Little, Brown Essential Handbook, The, 9th edition

For first-year composition and undergraduate courses across the curriculum.

Cross-curricular outlook, straightforward presentation, essential coverage.

The Little, Brown Essential Handbook is brief, accessible, and pocket-sized--answering questions about the writing process, grammar and usage, researching writing, documentation, and writing in different disciplines. Through clear explanations and examples, minimal terminology, and specific tips for ESL writers, the text helps students at all levels of learning. Extensive sections on academic writing, research writing, source documentation, and document design support writers in all disciplines. The 9th Edition provides a better educational experience for instructors and students, with annotated examples of student writing and complete discussions of four major documentation styles, including MLA, APA, CMS, and CSE.

Now available! Free copy of the Pearson Guide to the 2021 MLA Handbook

Download your free copy, for use with this title. Contents include:

• What Is MLA Documentation Style?
• The Basic Principles of Documenting
• A Three-Step Process for Documenting Sources
• Creating Your Works-Cited List
• Creating In-Text Citations
• Researching Online
• Sample Works-Cited List

About the Book

• Minimal grammar terminology makes contents accessible, with examples replacing or supplementing terms in headings. 

• Checklists on academic writing, effective sentences, grammatical sentences, punctuation, mechanics, and research writing distill the text to accessible conventions or steps.

• An overview of writing in the disciplines helps students make choices about features such as subject, audience, purpose, thesis, evidence, synthesis, organization, language, and document design.

• Thorough chapters on research writing cover strategy, Internet searches, synthesis and evaluation of sources, paraphrase, summary, quoting, avoiding plagiarism, and integration of sources across the disciplines.

• Chapters on MLA, APA, CMS, and CSE documentation offer the latest models.

• EXPANDED! Part 1 includes a new chapter on academic writing and a new chapter on paragraphs. In addition, Part 1 offers more detailed chapters on analyzing the writing situation and writing as a process. 

• NEW! A full chapter on paragraphs discusses unity, coherence, development, introductions, and conclusions--all with relevant examples.

• NEW! Part 2 presents writing in response to common academic assignments, including critical analysis, argument, literary analysis, informative writing, and oral presentations.

• NEW! Eight annotated examples of student writing in varied genres appear throughout the text: critical analysis of a visual, proposal argument, literary analysis paper, informative essay, research paper documented in MLA style, research report documented in APA style, sample pages from a research paper documented in Chicago style, and a laboratory report documented in CSE style.
  

• REVISED! A revised chapter on presenting writing focuses on essential information related to document design, visuals, and other media.

A guide to research writing

• NEW! The discussion of libraries websites covers ways students may search for sources: catalog, databases, and research guides.

• REVISED! A revised discussion of keywords and subject headings helps students develop and refine their search terms.

• The discussion of evaluating sources, such as library, websites, and social media, helps students discern purposes and distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources.

• Case studies show the application of critical criteria to sample articles, web documents, and a blog.

A guide to documentation

• REVISED! Reorganized chapters for all four styles (including a fully-revised chapter on MLA style that incorporates the newest changes) group sources by type, simplifying the process of finding appropriate models and clarifying differences among print, database, Web, and other sources. 

• UPDATED! New, annotated examples of key source types show students how to find the bibliographical information needed to cite each type. 

A guide to usage, grammar, and punctuation

• NEW! Exercises in connected discourse clarify and test important concepts. Answers to selected exercises appear at the end of the book. 

• EXPANDED! Examples of appropriate language show how to revise common texting shortcuts for academic writing.

• Part 1 includes a new chapter on academic writing and a new chapter on paragraphs. In addition, Part 1 offers more detailed chapters on analyzing the writing situation and writing as a process.  

• A full chapter on paragraphs discusses unity, coherence, development, introductions, and conclusions--all with relevant examples.

• Part 2 presents writing in response to common academic assignments, including critical analysis, argument, literary analysis, informative writing, and oral presentations.

• Eight annotated examples of student writing in varied genres appear throughout the text: critical analysis of a visual, proposal argument, literary analysis paper, informative essay, research paper documented in MLA style, research report documented in APA style, sample pages from a research paper documented in Chicago style, and a laboratory report documented in CSE style.
  

• A revised chapter on presenting writing focuses on essential information related to document design, visuals, and other media.

A guide to research writing

• The discussion of libraries websites covers ways students may search for sources: catalog, databases, and research guides.

• A revised discussion of keywords and subject headings helps students develop and refine their search terms.

• The discussion of evaluating sources, such as library, websites, and social media, helps students discern purposes and distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources.

• Case studies show the application of critical criteria to sample articles, web documents, and a blog.

A guide to documentation

• Reorganized chapters for all four styles (including a fully-revised chapter on MLA style that incorporates the newest changes) group sources by type, simplifying the process of finding appropriate models and clarifying differences among print, database, Web, and other sources. 

• New, annotated examples of key source types show students how to find the bibliographical information needed to cite each type. 

A guide to usage, grammar, and punctuation

• Exercises in connected discourse clarify and test important concepts. Answers to selected exercises appear at the end of the book. 

• Examples of appropriate language show how to revise common texting shortcuts for academic writing.