( 2 reviews )
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( 3 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: Aug 7 2002
This book is very easy to read and understand. Without ever being condescending, the author writes at a level that Undergraduate and Graduate students can greatly appreciate. I always wanted a sense of the big picture in my approach to writing, and this book provided that. In fact it was the first book that did this for me. If you are an undergraduate who wants to improve your writing of essays, or a graduate student writing a thesis, this book is a good one to own, to refer to, and to give you a sense of how to approach your writing. The book is also useful if you are undertaking a literature review. The author has sections on note-taking and citation that are very useful. The book applies across the disciplines, but I would suggest it is most suitable to those in the social sciences. Overall, I would not hesitate this book to anyone who is faced with writing essays or theses for University or Research.
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( 5 of 5 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jul 6 2000
As a part-time instructor of Freshman English, I am always looking for new ideas for my classes. This book has, since 1995, offered me some unconventional approaches. Giltrow outlines some of the rules and conventions of academic writing while acknowledging that rules change, genres overlap, and contexts matter. My students really liked the passage in which Giltrow admits that rules for writing are different within different academic disciplines and that "'Organization' in history is not 'organization' in psychology, and neither resembles 'organization' in an 'argument' essay..." I admire the exercises Giltrow provides and her use of rhetorical theory helps students grapple with the genre of academic writing. If a new edition is planned, I would ask for more examples of academic writing. The exercises are quite useful.This is a different sort of course text.
