Brief Guide to Writing from Readings, A

List of contents

1. Critical Reading
Definition and Purpose   
Asking Questions about What You Read   
o    Questions to Ask Before You Begin a Close Reading of a Text   
o    Questions to Ask While You Read and Reread Material   
Marking Texts   
o    Highlighting Texts   
o    Annotating Texts   
Sample Annotated Reading: “Hard Choices,” by Patrick Moore   
Note Taking   
o    Before Jotting Down Any Notes, Always Write Down the Source Text’s Full Bibliographic Information   
o    In Your Notes, Carefully Distinguish between Material You Quote and Material You Paraphrase   
o    Carefully List Page Numbers   
o    Pay Attention to the Punctuation in the Source Text   
o    In Your Notes, Clearly Differentiate between the Author’s Ideas and Your Own   
o    Be Consistent with Your Note-Taking System   
Additional Reading: “Getting Serious about Eradicating Binge Drinking,” by Henry Wechsler   
Summary Chart: Critical Reading: Asking Questions   
Summary Chart: Critical Reading: Marking Texts   
Summary Chart: Critical Reading: Note Taking   


2.  Quotation
Definition and Purpose   
Guidelines on When to Quote Material   
o    Quote Passages When the Author Has Written Something in a Distinctive or Especially Insightful or Interesting Way   
o    Quote Material That Lends Support to a Position You Are Trying to Make in Your Paper   
o    Quote Authorities Who Disagree with a Position You Are Advocating or Who Offer Alternative Explanations or Contradictory Data   
Guidelines on When Not to Quote Material   
o    Do Not Quote Passages Merely to Fill Space   
o    Do Not Quote Passages as a Substitute for Thinking   
o    Do Not Quote Passages Because You Do Not Understand the Author’s Ideas Well Enough to Paraphrase Them   
Integrating Quotations into Your Writing   
o    Two Basic Types of Quotations   
Reading: “Generation Text,” by Mark Bauerlein   
o    The Block Quotation   
o    The Integrated Quotation   
Altering Quoted Material and Avoiding Misquotations   
Leaving Words Out of a Quotation   
Adding Words to a Quotation   
Noting Emphasis Added to a Quotation   
Summary Chart: Guidelines on Quotations   
Summary Chart: Integrating Quotations into Your Writing   
Quotation Revision Checklist   


3.  Paraphrase 
Definition and Purpose   
Qualities of a Good Paraphrase   
o    Thorough   
o    Accurate   
o    Fair   
o    Objective   
How to Paraphrase Material   
o    Changing Words   
o    Changing Sentence Structure   
o    Combining Sentences   
o    “Unpacking” Sentences   
o    Combining Strategies: Paraphrasing Longer Passages in Source Texts   
o    Blending Your Writing with Paraphrased Material   
Documentation   
Summary Chart: How to Paraphrase Material   
Paraphrase Revision Checklist   


4. Summary  
Definition and Purpose   
Types of Summaries   
Qualities of a Good Summary   
o    Comprehensive   
o    Brief   
o    Accurate   
o    Neutral   
o    Independent   
How to Summarize a Text   
o    Read, Reread, and Annotate the Source Text   
o    Summarize Each Section of the Source Text   
o    Check the Section Summaries against the Source Text   
How to Write an Abstract
How to Write an Informative Summary Essay   
How to Write an Explanatory Summary Essay   
Documentation   
Reading: “From Animal House to Big Brother: Student Privacy and Campus Safety in an Age of Accountability,” by Ron Chesbrough
o    Sample Abstract
o    Sample Informative Summary Essay
o    Sample Explanatory Summary Essay
Summary Chart: How to Summarize Texts
Summary Revision Checklist

5.  Analysis Definition and Purpose
Reading: “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin
How to Analyze a Text
o    Read the Source Text Carefully
o    Identify or Choose Which Analytical Criteria to Employ
o    Apply the Analytical Criteria to the Text
o       Interpret the Text
o    Explain and Support Your Interpretation
Qualities of a Good Analysis Essay
o    Comprehensive
o    Clear
o    Consistent
o    Tied to the Source Text
o    Informative
How to Write an Analysis Essay
o    Opening Section
o    Body
o    Concluding Section
Revising Your Essay
o    Accuracy
o    Development
o    Clarity
o    Balance
Documentation
Sample Analysis Essay
Summary Chart: How to Analyze Texts
Summary Chart: How to Write an Analysis Essay
Analysis Essay Checklist


6. Response Essays  
Definition and Purpose
Qualities of a Good Response Essay
o    Honest
o    Informed
o    Clear
o    Well Supported
Writing the Response Essay
o    Carefully Read the Material
o    Compose Your Rough Draft
o    Write Your Conclusion
o    Revise Your Rough Draft
Sample Response Essay
A Response to “From Animal House to Big Brother: Student Privacy and Campus Safety in an Age of Accountability”
Summary Chart: How to Write a Response Essay
Response Essay Revision Checklist


7.  Critique
Definition and Purpose
The Film Review as Critique
Writing a Critique
o    Step 1 -- Carefully Read and Annotate the Source Text
o    Step 2 -- Analyze and Evaluate the Reading
o    Step 3 -- Write Your Thesis and Decide Which Aspects of the Reading Will Be the Focus of Your Essay
o    Step 4 -- Write Your Rough Draft
o    Step 5 -- Rewrite Your Critique
Reading: “The Doctrine of Academic Freedom,” by Sandra Y. L. Korn
Reading: “Academic Freedom vs. Academic Justice,” by Michael LaBossiere
Sample Critique
“An Unconvincing Argument Concerning Academic Freedom”
Summary Chart: How to Write a Critique
Critique Revision Checklist


8.  Rhetorical Analysis of Written Texts
Definition and Purpose
The Rhetorical Situation
o    Elements of the Rhetorical Situation
Rhetorical Strategies
o    Content
o    Structure
o    Style
Analyzing a Text’s Rhetorical Strategies -- An Example
o    Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
o    A Rhetorical Analysis of Lincoln’s Speech
Writing a Rhetorical Analysis Essay
o    Step 1 -- Carefully Read the Assignment
o    Step 2 -- Establish the Source Text’s Rhetorical Situation
o    Step 3 -- Determine the Author’s Goal
o    Step 4 -- Identify and Evaluate the Text’s Rhetorical Strategies
o    Step 5 -- Determine Your Thesis
o    Step 6 -- Write Your Rough Draft
o    Step 7 -- Revise Your Essay
Sample Rhetorical Analysis Essay
o    Rhetorical Analysis of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
Summary Chart: How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Rhetorical Analysis of Written Texts Revision Checklist


9: Rhetorical Analysis of Visual Texts
Definition and Purpose
Reading Visual Texts Critically
o    Questions Concerning the Visual Text Itself
o    Questions Concerning the Visual Text’s Creator or Source
o    Questions Concerning the Visual Text’s Purpose
o    Questions Concerning the Visual Text’s Audience
o    Questions Concerning Your Response to the Visual Text
Reading a Visual Text -- An Example
o    Questions Concerning the Visual Text
o    Questions Concerning the Visual Text’s Creator or Source
o    Questions Concerning the Visual Text’s Purpose
o    Questions Concerning the Visual Text’s Audience
o    Questions Concerning Your Response to the Visual Text
Writing a Rhetorical Analysis of a Visual Text
o    Step 1 -- Carefully Read the Assignment
o    Step 2 -- Analyze and Describe the Text
o    Step 3 -- Establish the Text’s Rhetorical Situation
o    Step 4 -- Determine How the Text Attempts to Achieve Its Rhetorical Goals
o    Step 5 -- Determine Your Thesis
o    Step 6 -- Write a Rough Draft
o    Step 7 -- Revise Your Essay
Sample Rhetorical Analysis of a Visual Text
An Effective Advertisment for Literacy Support
Summary Chart: How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis of a Visual Text
Rhetorical Analysis of a Visual Text Revision Checklist


10. Informative Synthesis
 Definition and Purpose
Types of Synthesis Essays
Reading: “Humanity 2.? Enhancement, Evolution and the Possible Futures of Humanity,” by Sarah Chan   
Reading: “On Designer Babies: Genetic Enhancement of Human Embryos Is Not a Practice for Civil Societies,” by Sheldon Krimsky
Reading: “A Moderate Approach to Enhancement,” by Michael Selgelid
Informative Synthesis
o    Definition
o    Writing an Informative Synthesis
Sample Informative Synthesis
The Ethical Debate over Human Enhancement and Designer Babies
Summary Chart: How to Write an Informative Synthesis
Informative Synthesis Revision Checklist


11.  Argumentative Synthesis
Definition and Purpose
The Elements of Argument
o    Claims
o    Grounds
o    Warrants
Argument and Persuasion
o    Appeals Based on Reason
o    Appeals Based on Emotion
o    Appeals Based on Character and Credibility
Writing an Argumentative Synthesis
o    Step 1 -- Analyze the Assignment
o    Step 2 -- Annotate and Critique the Readings
o    Step 3 -- Formulate a Thesis
o    Step 4 -- Choose an Organizational Plan
o    Step 5 -- Write Your Rough Draft
o    Step 6 -- Revise Your Draft
o    Step 7 -- Check Quotations and Documentation
Sample Argumentative Synthesis
Make Human Enhancement Available to All
Additional Reading: “A New Definition of Leadership,” by Josh Misner
Additional Reading: “Understanding Your Leadership Balance,” by Lee Ellis
Additional Reading: “A Question of Leadership,” by Gene Klann and Talula Cartwright
Summary Chart: How to Write an Argumentative Synthesis
Argumentative Synthesis Revision Checklist


12. Plagiarism
Definition
Forms of Plagiarism
o    Purchasing a Paper
o    Turning in a Paper Someone Else Has Written for You
o    Turning in Another Student’s Work without That Student’s Knowledge
o    Improper Collaboration
o    Copying a Paper from a Source Text without Proper Acknowledgment
o    Cutting and Pasting Material from Sources
o    Lifting Images from the Web or Other Sources
o    Copying Statistics
o    Copying Material from a Source Text, Supplying Proper Documentation, but Leaving Out Quotation Marks
o    Paraphrasing Material from a Reading without Proper Documentation
o    Self-Plagiarism
Why Students Plagiarize Work
How to Avoid Plagiarism
o    Do Your Own Work
o    Take Good Notes
o    Paraphrase Properly
o    Supply Proper Documentation
o    Online Plagiarism Check
o    Clarify Collaboration Guidelines
Summary Chart: Plagiarism
Plagiarism Checklist


13.  Documentation   
Definition and Purpose
Types of Documentation
Primary Academic Style Manuals
APA Guidelines
o    In-Text Documentation
o    Footnotes and Endnotes
MLA Guidelines
o    In-Text Documentation
o    Footnotes and Endnotes


14.  Reference Lists and Works Cited Entries
Definition and Purpose
APA Format
o    Sample Reference List Entries
o    Sample APA-Style Reference List
MLA Format
o    Sample Works Cited Entries
o    Sample MLA-Style Works Cited List   

Credits   
Index 

Summary

For college courses in Writing Across the Curriculum (Composition) and Research Writing (Composition)


Mastering the art of critical essay writing
A Brief Guide to Writing from Readings is a clear, process-oriented guide to academic writing. The guide covers the subtleties of rhetorical analysis and argumentation strategies as well as the technical aspects of writing with sources. Students will learn first to examine texts critically and then to clearly, accurately and creatively respond in essay form. In-text tools including summary charts and revision checklists help students tackle source-based essays step by step. Instructors will rely on the guide as a one-stop reference tool; students can apply their learning to any discipline, whether for class work or independent study.
 
In the Seventh Edition, in response to student and faculty feedback, Wilhoit includes a new chapter on analyzing readings and composing analytical essays; more coverage of literary analysis and a new short story; eight academic readings; and expanded coverage of how to cite electronic sources in APA and MLA style.

Also available with MyWritingLab™
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Product details

• Authors: Stephen Wilhoit
• Publisher: Pearson Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2015
• EAN: 9780133800333
• ISBN: 978-0-13-380033-3
• No. of pages: 320
• Weight: 350 g
• Series: Longman; Longman
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics; Social sciences, law, business > Business > Advertising, marketing