Steps to Writing Well with Additional Readings (with InfoTrac )

Book Description

The informal, student-friendly tone of this rhetorically-organized rhetoric/reader/handbooks provides step-by-step instructions on writing a variety of short, 500-800-word essays. This is a text that both students and instructors can use easily.

Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking (8th Edition)

Average customer rating:

ok
Great book
Good questions. Very helpful indeed.
Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking
A balanced and informative guide

Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking (8th Edition)
Neil Browne , and Stuart Keeley
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Pedagogy | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Rhetoric | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Academic & Commercial | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum (2nd Edition)
A Rulebook for Arguments
Critical Thinking
The Thinker's Toolkit: 14 Powerful Techniques for Problem Solving
The Art of Deception: An Introduction to Critical Thinking : How to : Win an Argument, Defend a Case, Recognize a Fallacy, See Through a Deception,

ASIN: 0132203049

Book Description

This book helps readers bridge the gap between simply memorizing or blindly accepting information and the greater challenge of critical analysis and synthesis. It teaches them to respond to alternative points of view and develop a solid foundation for making personal choices about what to accept and what to reject as they read and listen. Chapter titles include: The Benefit of Asking the Right Questions; What are the Issue and the Conclusion?; What Are the Reasons?; What Are the Value Conflicts and Assumptions?; Are There Any Fallacies in the Reasoning?; How Good Is the Evidence: Intuition, Appeals to Authority, and Testimonials?; and What Reasonable Conclusions Are Possible?. For any critical reader who wants to enhance and develop better reasoning skills in order to make rational decisions.

Customer Reviews:

ok.......2007-09-23

did not come very quickly--wasn't even sent out until about 5 days after I placed the order. in very good condition though.

Great book.......2007-09-05

This book is a must have for every rhetoric class! Easy to read and understand, best tool for a student.

Good questions. Very helpful indeed........2007-04-03

I strongly agree with the author on pg 13, that "by the end of the book, you should know when and how to ask these questions productively (elaborated through individual chapters):-

1. What are the issues and the concclusions?
2. What are the ressons?
3. Which words or phrases are ambiguous?
4. What are the value conflicts and assumptions?
5. What are the descriptive assumptions?
6. Are there any fallacies in the reasoning?
7. How good is the evidence?
8. Are there rival causes?
9. Are the statistics deceptive?
10. What significant information is omitted?
11. What reasonable conclusions are possible?

Of course, a compilation of good questions doesnt qualify it to be a good book. Indeed, the samples and stories well illustrate the principles and concepts behind. The discussions on various fallacies are marvelous, including:-

Ad hominem: An attack, or an insult, on the person, rather than directly addressing the person's reasons.
Slipperly Slope: Making the assumption that a proposed step will set off an uncontrollable chain of undesirable events, when procedures exist to prevent such a chain of events.
Hasty Generalization: A person draws a conclusion about a large group of based on experience with only a few members of the group.
Causal Oversimplification: Explaining an event by relying on causal factors that are insufficient to account for the event or by overemphasizing the role of one or more of these factors.
Confusion of Cause and Effect: Confusing the cause with the effect of an event or failing to recognise that the two events may be influencing each other.
Neglect of a common cause: Failure to recognize that two events may be related because of the effects of a common third factor.
Post hoc: Assuming that a particular event, B, is caused by another event, A, simply because B follows A in time.
............

In short, an excellent food for thought. Highly recommended!

p.s. I like the following story on pg 137 the most.

"After carefully conditioning a flea to jump out of a box following the presentation of a loud noise, the researcher removed the first pair of legs to see what effect this had. Observing that the flea was still able to perform his task, the scientist removed the second pair of legs. Once again noting no difference in performance, the researcher removed the final pair of legs and found that the jumping behaviour no longer occurred. Thus, the investigator wrote in his notebook, "When all the legs of a flea have been removed, it will no longer be able to hear."

Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking .......2007-03-09

An excellent book on the subject of reflective thought and criticism. Moreover, this book was more concise and illustrative than others I have read on the subject. This book includes many helpful case examples of short one and two paragraph essays which are analyzed critically for assumptions and fallacies in reasoning. If you needed to buy (and keep) just one book on the subject of critical thinking - this one should be it.

A balanced and informative guide.......2006-08-21

I found Asking the Right Questions (ARQ) to be a very balanced and thorough approach to critical thinking. I am an electrical engineer by profession... I am well-regarded by my peers as an careful thinker; however, I have found myself frustrated at times when discussing controversial issues with friends... some lines of thought don't ring true, but are nonetheless hard to refute. After reading ARQ, I found that these dilemmas are frequently either the result of not agreeing on the definitions of ambiguous terms (e.g. oppression, sexism, racism) or on some logical fallacy that was used. This has made a quite difference in my ability to discern the issues at hand.

ARQ uses a systematic list of questions to review the proposed thesis. These questions are designed to help you understand their conclusion, and evaluate their supporting evidence. Throughout the book, you are encouraged to set your own biases aside in favor of rationally evaluating the evidence. Furthermore, you receive some brief instruction on typical logical fallicies. In particular, Ad hominem attacks (i.e. attacks on the character of participants) are addressed; however, blatant character references are just beginning of an ad-hominem attack. Many times discussions get sidetracked by implicit accusations about a person's character. As an example, this statement (greatly simplified here) was used on me in the past, "you couldn't possibly be able to think critically, because your spiritual convictions make you biased." Until I read ARQ, I had a hard time realizing that this is actually a diversionary tactic used to sidetrack the discussion. If I accept this "evidence", the issue now becomes my credibility, instead of discussing my actual position on the issue.

Another good point the authors make is that that the mere existence of a logical fallicy should be not used as a means to halt discussion.

Finally, this book doesn't try to give you the "right answers" to controversial issues. They teach you how to find those answers on your own. In many cases, there are no right or wrong answers... simply a difference in the core values of the individuals.

I have been very pleased with the thoughtful approach that ARQ uses. I believe that every high-school and college student should be required to read it.

Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum

Average customer rating:

Convoluted Nightmare -just terrible
Great Service
Good for Academics
The best apparatus out there

Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum
Laurence Behrens , and Leonard Rosen
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Rhetoric | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Brief English Handbook, The (8th Edition)
The Reader's Handbook: Reading Strategies for College and Everyday Life (3rd Edition)
Perceiving the Arts: An Introduction to the Humanities (8th Edition)
Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum (2nd Edition)
College Reading and Study Skills (10th Edition)

ASIN: 032129100X

Book Description

This brief version of the best—selling cross—curricular classic retains its hallmark coverage of source—based writing skills combined with five popular readings chapters. This portable version represents a carefully—chosen selection from the original edition, with five (of the original seven) readings chapters included in their entirety. The abbreviated rhetoric section still covers the skills of summary, critique, and synthesis, taking students step—by—step through the process of writing papers based on source material. Students then put these skills to practice on thematically—linked essays on provocative topics in the discipline—specific readings chapters. A stronger focus on argumentation addresses the trend found in today's composition classrooms. Individuals interested in writing from sources and academic writing in different disciplines.

Customer Reviews:

Convoluted Nightmare -just terrible.......2007-03-02

I'm currently using this for a freshman English course, and I find it is a complete mess. There are historical mistakes (claiming Cicero was the greatest writer of the Roman Empire -when Cicero wrote during the Republic), spelling errors, and even grammatical errors (take the title of Chapter 4 for instance: "Types of Synthesis: Explanatory and Argument" -has the author ever run into the term parallelism?).

The book is full of redundancies and proprietary terminology. Some of the concepts are barely explained, others are beaten to death. The writing style is not consistent, leading to the suspicion that many people had their hands in this one -perhaps "authors" in India. Some of the exercises are barely comprehensible. For instance:

"Look over the preceding readings and make a list of the ways they address the overall topics of computers, communication, and relationships. Make your list as detailed as you can. Then write several lists grouping together the readings that deal with similar aspects of the overall topics" (108).

We really don't want our students writing like this, so the last thing we should do is expose them to a textbook like this.

Some of the reading selections are good, and others are vapid, pointless, and generally worthless. Essays about dirty dorm rooms and lack of parking spaces behind the gym -oh yes, this is really provocative.

I challenge anyone to find me a worse textbook.

Great Service.......2007-02-24

Received book within a week of purchase. Book in excellent condition. Great Service!

Good for Academics.......2006-03-27

The book provides quality information about research papers and topical essays that effectively demonstrate the many major parts of a research paper. It focuses on summary, synthesis, critique, and analysis; the inside cover gives the reader an easy to read summary of the contents. While the subject matter of writing papers is fairly dry, the information contained in the essays is somewhat interesting.

The best apparatus out there.......2002-10-24

This cut down by more than half the time it has taken my students to learn to write summaries, integrate sources, understand argument, and write syntheses.

Many of the readings are also interesting and productive, especially those on Folklore and Obedience to Authority. I'd teach it in combination with a course reader, though, since there's almost no attention to the process of helping students find their voice and write more beautiful prose.

Book Description

Presented in a clear and visually appealing fashion, THE WRITER'S WORKPLACE breaks down the difficult writing concepts into easy to read, step-by-step explanations. All elements of writing, from grammar through the writing process, are covered in this text making it the most comprehensive yet easiest book on the market for the beginning writing student.

Scott Foresman Handbook for Writers with I-Book & 2003 MLA Update Package, Seventh Edition

Average customer rating:

Very Helpful
merely adequate
Straightforward and Comprehensive
It truly helps with reports for all grades
Excellent college writing handbook

Scott Foresman Handbook for Writers with I-Book & 2003 MLA Update Package, Seventh Edition
Maxine Hairston , John Ruszkiewicz , and Christy Friend
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Rhetoric | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Writer's Repertoire with MLA Update Revised Edition, A
Research for Writers: Advanced English Composition
Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide (spiral-bound) (11th Edition)
Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings (7th Edition)
Research for Writers: Advanced English Composition Telecourse

ASIN: 0131234714

Book Description

The best-selling Scott Foresman Handbook has proven again with this edition that it is still the most comprehensive and innovative writing handbook available. Examples of real writers at work gives this book human expression and reinforces key points about writing, style, and mechanics. Readers using The Scott Foresman Handbook will know what good writing means today and what they will need to know in the future. It incorporates the latest theories and technologies, including civic literacy, visual rhetoric, online research, and service learning and other emerging trends. Topics include the writing process (finding and exploring a topic, focus and organization, drafting and revising, editing and proofreading, and evaluation); writing for academic and public forums; style (crafting opening and closing paragraphs, what kinds of language to use, effective sentences, and stylish sentences); visual design (documents, web sites); grammar, punctuation, and mechanics; research and writing; and documentation. An excellent reference resource for anyone needing to learn effective writing skills, whether for college, business, or other areas.

Customer Reviews:

Very Helpful.......2006-03-16

I found this book to be very helpful in a number of areas. From developing a well written paper to using correct grammar, this book is it! It is easy to understand and uses a well thoughtout formula which is great for the novice. This book will be within easy reach for years to come.

merely adequate.......2001-01-30

every english major and writer should have a freshman comp handbook. this one is okay. it covers everything well enough.and if it weren't for the Little, Brown Handbook, i might suggest the Scott, Foresman Handbook. But the little brown handbook is by far superior, and i suggest that anyone interested in the scott foresman, or any other freshman comp handbook, check out the little brown before making a purchase.

Straightforward and Comprehensive.......2000-03-30

This book is aimed mostly at students and inexperienced writers. The subjects covered range from commonly-confused words to punctuation to creative inspiration to revision to research papers and business letters -- basically, everything. For students, there are sections on how to write for particular academic subjects.

As a general reference, this book has just about everything you'd need, although the sections on computerized research and word processing are a bit outdated. There is plenty of advice for people who need help with grammar or who are trying to make their writing less awkward and more effective. It is well-indexed, allowing you to quickly find answers and advice, which is good because plodding through the book sequentially (even with the help of the table of contents) would be very tedious.

It truly helps with reports for all grades.......1999-10-08

Hey guys, If your not sure this book will help you. I am telling you it will. I had a English course in college,it was required for class. Although, I would usually return my books, I kept this one. It has helped me during the course of my college years. In addition, it helps my sibling who is in high school.This book will help with any English problem you may be having.

Excellent college writing handbook.......1999-09-23

I'm an English instructor at Ohio State University. I chose this handbook above others (The Everyday Writer, The New St. Martin's Handbook) because it not only contains the usual grammar and style points in straightforward language, but also covers issues such as preparing to write, writing good arguments, avoiding argumentative fallacies, and how to respond to other people's written drafts in constructive ways. It's great to use as an instructional text because it comes with questions and exercises on the various sections. It's up-to-date about using visuals in texts, and using the web to research, and authoring websites. I'm using it for the first time to teach Sept-Dec 99, and I'll write back afterwards with a review of how successful it was and whether students liked it or not.

A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)

Average customer rating:

nice, but there are better
Kate Turabian Book for Writers
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
Commendable Book for Research Writers
necessary item

A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)
Kate L. Turabian
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Academic & Commercial | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Writing Skills | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Medicine | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Craft of Research, 2nd edition (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)
The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition
Quality Research Papers
How to Read a Book (A Touchstone Book)
Short Guide to Writing About History, A (6th Edition) (Short Guides Series)

ASIN: 0226816273

Amazon.com

Newly revised to conform with the Chicago Manual of Style, Turabian's Manual for Writers provides comprehensive, detailed, superior guidance to writers of research papers. From "Parts of the Paper" (including the niceties of copyrights and dedications) to "Sample Layouts," everything to do with format is covered. Mechanics of style (abbreviations to quotations) are reviewed, there's help on tables and illustrations, and chapters on bibliographies, parenthetical references, note taking, and citations. There are suggestions for manuscript preparation, hints on word-processing software, and formatting for research papers' more complex features. When you're up to your eyebrows in research data, it's a vast relief to have quick, accessible, reliable answers to your questions of structure, scholarly propriety, and academic style. --Stephanie Gold

Book Description

For close to sixty years Kate L. Turabian's Manual for Writers has offered comprehensive and detailed guidance to authors of research papers—term papers, theses, and dissertations. Now the editors of The Chicago Manual of Style have revised Turabian's Manual to bring the details of style into conformity with the fourteenth edition of The Chicago Manual. This new edition of Turabian also reflects the way students work today, taking into account the role of personal computers in the preparation and presentation of their papers.

The familiar organization of this popular book remains largely unchanged. Chapter 1 describes the parts of a long formal paper. Chapters 2-5 introduce the mechanics of writing style, from abbreviations to quotations. Chapters 6 and 7 show how to prepare and refer to tables and illustrations. The section on documentation, chapters 8-12, describes two of the most commonly used systems of citation; these chapters provide many examples including guidance on how to cite electronic documents. Chapter 13, on manuscript preparation, shows how to take advantage of word processing software to present the elements of a paper clearly and effectively. Chapter 14 offers more than two dozen sample pages illustrating ways of formatting some of the complex features found in many research papers.

Authoritative, comprehensive, easy to use, and filled with good sense, this new edition will be the standard for yet another generation of students and their teachers.

Kate Turabian (1893-1987) was dissertation secretary at the University of Chicago from 1930 to 1958. This manual and her Student's Guide for Writing College Papers made her name so well known that she has become "part of the folklore of American higher education" (Quill and Scroll).

Customer Reviews:

nice, but there are better.......2007-06-25

While excellent in its own right, the 15th Edition Chicago Manual contains all this work's information and then some. Indeed, the Chicago Manual is more extensive, detailed, and useful in general. Don't bother with this one if you have any heavy writing to do.

Kate Turabian Book for Writers.......2007-05-12

The book was recommended by a professor at my university. I found it to be a nice addition to my collection of background for doctoral style writing. It is in a nice format like an index or outline and easy to follow as a reference when writing.

A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.......2007-02-22

Very helpful, clear, concise, and easy to use.

Commendable Book for Research Writers.......2007-01-24

I have used this book in my project and dissertation research as well as writing papers and the book met all my needs. I found the book to contain detailed guidelines that facilitated my writing exercises, including paper layouts, formatting, citing references, manuscript preparation, advice on word-processing software, among several other tips and hints. The book is suitable for those undertaking undergraduate or postgraduate research studies or anyone wishing to produce a high quality piece of writing.

Although there is room for updating the book to meet the latest technological developments, this does not detract from the fact that this is one of the best books around on guidance on writing papers, theses and dissertations. The book is highly recommended for those writing academic or professional papers and projects, including publishing articles in journals and periodicals.

necessary item.......2006-11-14

This book was suggested by name for two of my college courses. It takes some of the fear out of turning in a paper that requires notation. It should be an item of reference on any student's shelf.

Bridging the Gap: College Reading (8th Edition)

Average customer rating:

Bridging the Gap: College Reading(8th Edition)
Bridging the Gap: College Reading (8th Edition)
A good book for getting to college level
Pretty good
Bridging the Gap/ Brenda Smith

Bridging the Gap: College Reading (8th Edition)
Brenda D. Smith
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literacy | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literacy | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Reading Skills | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books