Annotated Bibliography of Writing Resources
Compiled by Terry Hall, writing coach, Rutgers SPAA Graduate Writing Center
Aaron, J.E. & Repetto, E.K. (2011). The Compact Reader: Short Essays by Method and Theme (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martins.
This reader is composed of 35 essays and 20 short paragraphs that emphasize different methods and themes in writing. The works are brief and used as models to reinforce concepts of effective writing. Beginning with a chapter on the importance of critical reading, the guide approaches writing skills from the preparation to finalization stages. It concentrates on structural fundamentals, such as developing and revising essays, in its first section. It extensively discusses methods and themes in its second section. These include narration, description, comparative analysis, persuasive argument and working with different types of sources among others. It also contains an instructor’s manual.
Axelrod, R.B. & Cooper, C.R. & Warriner, A.M. (2011). Reading Critically Writing Well: A Reader and Guide (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
This book is designed to combine the advantages of readers with rhetorical guides. It uses well written excerpts to emphasize effective reading and writing techniques. It opens with critical thinking, reading and college level writing skills. It continues by exploring different types of writing, including autobiographies, observational research, explaining and abstract concepts. It moves on to evaluation methods. Finally, the guide covers writing with a purpose, including taking persuasive positions and writing proposals. The appendices contain materials that focus on implementing effective strategies in using the material. The guide is meant for use by both students and instructors. It also contains an instructor’s manual.
Barnett, T. (2002). Teaching Argument in the Composition Course: Background Readings. Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
This text is a collection of articles written by various authors on the subject of writing composition. It focuses on the fundamental principles of using rhetoric to develop strong arguments. Part 1 provides a historical background of classic and contemporary styles of argument. Part 2 focuses on teaching argument in English classes as well as throughout the rest of the academic curriculum. It features editorial content that frame the topics. These include introductions, key findings and detailed reference material for further study.
Glenn, C. & Goldwaite, M.A. (2008). The St. Martin’s Guide to Teaching Writing (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
This book is a comprehensive guide to teaching writing. It is thorough in its coverage of teaching a class; beginning with preparation of the course. One of the resource’s key strengths is addressing the impact of technology on contemporary writing techniques. It discusses written work, visual and oral presentations. It also provides advice for multilingual writers. The first part of the book covers choosing resources and creating syllabi. It moves onto the expectations for the first days of classes and useful everyday exercises. The source moves on to developing successful writing assignments and evaluation methods. The second part of the book is centered on good rhetorical practices for teaching students. It addresses innovation, style and delivery, among other skills. The third part of the book is an anthology of scholarly essays that exemplify the best practices in writing.
Hacker, D. & Sommers, N. (2010). The Bedford Handbook: Instructors Annotated Edition (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
The Bedford Handbook is an extensive guide to academic writing. It explores the basics of the writing process. An instructors guide, it explains constructing strong arguments and evaluating academic writing across multiple disciplines. The guide spends extensive time on the mechanics of grammar, syntax and vocabulary. It addresses the particulars of researched writing across different formats (APA, MLA, Chicago). The guide is also useful in explaining ways to meet the needs of multilingual writers. The source is well organized and uses color coding and various visual aids for quick referencing. It also features helpful notes and exercises for the benefit of instructors.
Hacker, D. & Sommers, N. (2011). Working with Sources: Exercises for a Writer’s Reference (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
This is a collection of exercises is designed for students. It teaches research skills across different academic writing styles. It contains 60 different exercise sets. They focus on creating research questions, theses and primary arguments. The worksheets also cover crediting sources and proper documentation. The book contains examples to complete the work and separate answer keys.
Hedengren, B.F. (2004). A TA’s Guide to Teaching Writing in All Disciplines. Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
This book is a basic guide to teaching students how to write effectively. Teaching assistants are its target audience. It provides instruction about how to manage each stage in the writing process from pre-writing to editing the final draft. The book also covers publishing. The second half of the guide is explains various ways to teach writing. It covers various methods of coaching through one-on-one sessions and workshops. The guide teaches different ways that instructors can evaluate essays, research papers and collaborative projects. It also touches on ethical principles such as plagiarism and professionalism.
Kirszner, L.G. & Mandell, S.R. (2011). Focus on Writing: Paragraphs and Essays (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
This comprehensive guide to writing is aimed at students who wish to create strong paragraphs that will develop into strong essays. The stylish visual design is color coded and contains notes for quick references. The source is divided into the following sections: paragraphs and essays, editing and revision, and critical reading. It features two appendices to further assist students with research and vocabulary. The guide also contains a variety of practical exercises to apply learned skills and checklists for quick references. A full chapter is dedicated to the needs of ESL students. The book is unique because it contains a self-assessment test designed to evaluate writing and editing skills.
Lester, J. D. & Lester Jr., J.D. (2013). The Essential Guide: Research Writing Across Disciplines (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
The guide is a quick reference manual to develop research papers across different academic disciplines. It is written concisely, listing step-by-step instructions to aid students in every step of the research process. The first half of the book focuses on the research process itself, beginning with asking the right questions to target one’s research. It continues by teaching students how to manage hardcopy and online resources. Student will also learn how to conduct field research. The guide also dedicates an entire chapter to discussing plagiarism. The second half of the book is focused on the various requirements of academic studies, including APA, MLA, CMS, CSE and creating electronic research projects.
Lunsford, A.A. & Ede, L. (2012). Writing Together: Collaboration in Theory and Practice: A Critical Source Book (). Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
The book is specifically designed to address methods of collaboration in academic research. It contains a collection of essays that cover the purposes and best practices of collaboration. Addressing specific audiences is a key focus. The book discusses the basics of rhetoric. It also uses feminism as a lens to analyze writing with a particular perspective in mind. Finally, it provides commentary on the evolving roles of writing centers.
McWhorter, K.T. (2012). Successful College Writing: Skills, Strategies, Learning Styles (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
This instructor’s edition guide is a comprehensive guide to writing academic papers. It helps students by offering step-by-step instructions about various elements of strong writing. These include writing methods, individual readings and study skills. Beyond writing procedures, it covers the proper use of external resources. The book features a helpful handbook that reviews key principles. Furthermore, the book explores applied writing skills in both academia and business settings. The book is well organized and color coded. It uses helpful illustrations, charts and diagrams.
Palmquist, M. (2012). The Bedford Researcher (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
This thin guide book is designed to address effective methods of developing academic research papers. It begins with exploration of topics and formulating effective research questions. The source emphasizes critical reading and effective use of resources without running into issues of plagiarism. It continues by discussing gathering and analyzing diverse resources. The guide extensively reviews the writing process, including finalizing papers and creating presentations. Finally, it covers documenting sources across academic disciplines. The book is color coded and makes extensive use of pictures and notes in the margins.
Reinking, J.A. & Von Der Osten, R. (2014). Strategies for Successful Writing: A Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader, and Handbook (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
This resource serves as comprehensive research guide of writing strategies. It covers developing writing fundamentals and documenting research. The book also contains a helpful reader that provides samples of effective writing and breaks down their qualities. The handbook provides practical examples of the material to be taught in a classroom or used for self-evaluation of learned skills. The book is well organized, using color coding, text boxes and tips in its margins.
Runciman, L. & Lengel, C. (2010). Exercises for EasyWriter (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
This book contains supplemental exercises that complement the guide, EasyWriter, Fourth Edition. It is designed for use by students. The worksheets focus on key writing skills, including grammar, sentence structure, punctuation and use of language. An entire section is dedicated to multilingual writers.
Sustein, B.S. & Chiseri-Strater, E. (2012). Fieldworking: Reading and Writing Research (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/ St. Martin’s.
This text is focused on performing field research. It features strategies and tips for field writing. It also covers fundamental practices in college level writing. The book uses a multitude of models from professional and student writers. It is designed to be beneficial both inside and outside of academic disciplines. The book offers guidance to keeping a research portfolio. It also serves as a companion to its electronic resource online.
Trimble, J. (2011). Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.
This guide focuses on improving the voice of the writers through providing detailed tips on the fundamentals of writing. Its conversational style makes it approachable and easy to understand. The book covers writing rules, punctuation and proper citations. It emphasizes structure and organization. It teaches the basic principles of writing effectively through practical tips and examples of strong work.
Troyka, L. Q. & Hesse, D. (2013). Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
The handbook is a thorough writing aid that can benefit students and instructors. At 850 pages, it breaks down the writing process in a balanced way from planning and research to formatting, proper execution and increasing the effectiveness of a piece. The book is an excellent reference guide for students to learn how to properly document their resources and review rules concerning grammar and syntax.
The handbook is well organized. The front and back cover include helpful brief and detailed contents for quick reference. It uses a system made of color coding and multiple fonts to attract the eye. The system addresses a variety of people with different learning styles. There are numerous full page layouts with arrows and indicators, graphics, and photographs. It includes lists of rules, examples, and exercises for students. The authors also include full essays with notes in the margins for further instruction.
The book gives tips to help writers with thinking critically, developing ideas, avoiding common mistakes and applying concepts in one’s writing. It also dedicates an entire section to students for whom English is a second language. Finally the writers observe specific situations that writers may find useful. Finally, the handbook features a high level of interactivity. It references several websites and e-books that can be accessed online. Students can consult contemporary multimedia sources, such as www.mywritinglab.com, to learn composition, store their work and engage in further tutoring.
Wysocki, A.F. & Lynch, D. (2014). The DK Handbook (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
The handbook is a thorough guide to the writing process from development of ideas to finalization of a research paper. It covers evaluating and analyzing resources. It continues by addressing good structure and organization to inform and persuade the audience. It provides a comprehensive guide to editing and revision. Finally, it addresses the proper ways to document findings. The book features helpful exercises and checklists of key concepts in its final chapter. It is well organized, using color coded tabs for quick reference, as well as pictures and charts to emphasize its finer points.