Preface for Students: Using This Book   Preface for Instructors      PART 1: The Process of Writing     1. Assessing the Writing Situation   a. Understanding how writing happens   b. Analyzing the writing situation   c. Discovering and limiting a subject   d. Defining a purpose   e. Considering the audience  f. Understanding genres           2. Discovering and Shaping Ideas   a. Discovering ideas   b. Developing a thesis   c. Organizing ideas      SAMPLE INFORMATIVE ESSAY 3. Drafting, Revising, and Editing      a. Writing the first draft      b. Revising a draft      c. Giving and receiving comments d. Examining a sample revision   e. Editing the revised draft      f. Preparing and proofreading the final draft      g. SAMPLE FINAL DRAFT (RESPONSE ESSAY)      h. Preparing a writing portfolio   4. Writing and Revising Paragraphs     a. Relating paragraphs in the essay    b. Maintaining paragraph unity      c. Achieving paragraph coherence      d. Developing the paragraph      e. Writing special kinds of paragraphs       5. Presenting Writing   a. Formatting academic writing     SAMPLE MARKETING REPORT   b. Using visuals and other media in multimodal writing c. Presenting writing on the Web     SAMPLE WEB SITE      SAMPLE LITERACY NARRATIVE POSTED TO A BLOG d. Making oral presentations      SAMPLE POWERPOINT SLIDES   PART 2: Reading and Writing in and out of College   6. Writing in Academic Situations   a. Determining purpose and audience b. Using an academic genre c. Choosing structure and content   d. Using sources with integrity e. Using academic language   f. Communicating with instructors and classmates  7. Critical Reading and Writing      a. Using techniques of critical reading     b. Summarizing     c. Developing a critical response      d. Viewing visuals critically e. Writing critically f. Examining sample critical analyses    SAMPLE CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF A TEXT      SAMPLE CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF AN IMAGE   8. Reading Arguments Critically   a. Recognizing the elements of argument   b. Testing claims   c. Weighing evidence   d. Discovering assumptions   e. Watching language, hearing tone    f. Judging reasonableness   g. Recognizing fallacies   h. Reading visual arguments 9. Writing an Argument      a. Finding a subject      b. Conceiving a thesis statement      c. Analyzing your purpose and your audience      d. Using reason      e. Using evidence   f. Reaching your readers      g. Organizing your argument    h. Revising your argument   i. SAMPLE PROPOSAL ARGUMENT   10. Taking Essay Exams   a. Preparing for an essay examination   b. Planning your time and your answer  c. Starting the essay   d. Developing the essay   e. Rereading the essay   11. Pu

Accessibility and Ease of Use Authoritative and accessible coverage of the writing process, grammar, research, and documentation have made The Little, Brown Handbook one of the bestselling handbooks of all time. A clean, uncluttered page design uses colour and type clearly to distinguish parts of the book and elements of the pages. Annotations on both visual and verbal examples connect principles and illustrations.Dictionary-style headers in the index make it easy to find entries, and helpful endpapers offer several paths to the book’s content.NEW! Streamlined explanations and new explanatory headings throughout make key information easier to find. Academic Writing NEW! A greatly expanded overview of common academic genres in the chapter on academic writing (now at the start of Part 2), such as responses, critical analyses, arguments, informative and personal writing, and research papers and reports, highlights key features of each genre and points students to examples in the handbook. NEW! A summary box titled “The writing situation” with each of the sample papers gives an overview of the situation to which the student responded–subject, purpose, audience, genre, and use of sources–thus connecting concepts with actual writing.NEW! Eighteen examples of academic writing in varied genres appear throughout the handbook, among them a new critical analysis of an advertisement and a new social-science research report documented in APA style.Synthesis receives special emphasis wherever students might need help balancing their own and others’ views, such as in responding to texts and visuals.NEW! The expanded chapter on critical reading and writing includes two full-length opinion pieces as exercises in critical reading, a new advertisement with a student’s analysis, a revised discussion of writing critically about texts and visuals, and a new critical analysis paper.Parts 9 and 10 give students a solid foundation in research writing and writing in the disciplines (literature, other humanities, social sciences, natural and applied sciences), along with extensive coverage of documentation in MLA, Chicago, APA, and CSE styles.NEW! Key material on academic integrity in Chapter 6 on academic writing and Chapter 44 on plagiarism discusses developing one’s own perspective on a topic, using and managing sources, and avoiding plagiarism. Other chapters throughout the handbook reinforce these important topics. Research Writing and Documentation To help students develop their own perspectives on their research subjects, the text advises asking questions, entering into dialog with sources, and presenting multiple views fairly and responsibly.Extensive attention to research methods supports students in the early stages of research. The discussion of searching for and evaluating sources–library, Web, and social media–helps students to refine search terms and to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources. Case studies show the application of critical criteria to sample articles, Web documents, and a blog.NEW! A streamlined discussion of gathering information from sources stresses keeping accurate records of source material and marking borrowed words.Meticulous attention to research writing across the disciplines emphasises

Academic Writing A new chapter on academic writing includes a greatly expanded overview of common academic genres, such as responses, critical analyses, arguments, informative and personal writing, and research papers and reports, highlights key features of each genre, and points students to examples in the handbook.Two new student papers (critical analysis of an advertisement, social science research report in APA style) are included.New summary boxes entitled “The writing situation” accompany each sample paper, providing an overview of the situation to which the student responded–subject, purpose, audience, genre, and use of sources–thus connecting concepts with actual writing.An expanded chapter on critical reading and writing includes two full-length opinion pieces as exercises in critical reading, a new advertisement with a student’s analysis, a revised discussion of writing critically about texts and visuals, and a new critical analysis paper. Research Writing A new chapter on documenting sources explains key features of source documentation, defines the relationship between in-text citations and a bibliography, and presents pros and cons of bibliography software.Coverage of the working bibliography groups sources by type and reflects a streamlined approach to source material throughout the handbook.A revised discussion of keywords and subject headings helps students develop and refine their search terms.A streamlined discussion of gathering information from sources stresses keeping accurate records of source material, marking borrowed words and ideas clearly, and using synthesis. Documentation Reorganized chapters for all four documentation styles group sources by type, simplifying the process of finding appropriate models and clarifying differences among print, database, Web, and other sources.Updated, annotated samples of key source types illustrate MLA and APA documentation, showing students how to find the bibliographical information needed to cite each type and highlighting the similarities and differences between print and database sources.A succinct guide accompanies the index to the models in each style to help students match their sources with appropriate citation formats.A new, complete social-science research report shows APA style in the context of student writing.The chapter on CSE documentation reflects the new eighth edition of Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. Writing As a Process An expanded discussion of thesis covers using the thesis statement to preview organization.A reorganized presentation of drafting, revising, and editing distinguishes revising more clearly as a step separate from editing.A revised discussion of preparing a writing portfolio gives an overview of common formats and requirements.A revised and streamlined chapter on presenting writing focuses on essential information related to document design, visuals and other media, writing for online environments, and oral presentations. Usage, Grammar, and Punctuation Revised explanations of grammar concepts and rules throughout simplify the presentation and emphasize key material.Dozens of new and revised examples and exercises clarify and test important concepts.Two common trouble spots–sentence fragments and passive voice–are discussed in greater detail and illustrated with n