Recommended Reading Composition

RECOMMENDED READING

English Composition (ESL)

Dictionaries

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary

Handbooks

Diana Hacker, A Writer's Reference, 5th ed. (2003).

A proven success. The best-selling college textbook of any kind. Thoroughly class tested and enthusiastically endorsed by millions of students and their instructors at more than 1300 colleges and universities across the country.

Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oliu, The Handbook of Technical Writing, 7th ed. (2003).

Abundant "real world" examples and sample documents throughout the text provide models for effective technical communication. New and revised entries on research, documenting sources, brochures, formal reports, newsletters, proposals, sales letters, presentations, and visuals. In-depth treatment of grammar, usage, and the writing skills that both students and professionals need to master

[NOTE: I've been using this book in my work as a writing teacher for thirty years, since it was originally published in its first edition. It has been republished many times and is now in its 7th edition, which sells at Amazon for $25.71 (list price, $38.95). I ordered a "used" 6th edition (brand new, for just $10), for the following reason: the entries pertaining especially to writers of English as a second language (ESL) are highlighted, which makes this very important information for ESL writers very easy to find. Information valuable to ESL writers, such as the use of the indefinite articles a/an, is accurately presented and well illustrated with examples jbc]

Guides

Robert A. Day, How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 5th ed. (1998).

Popular and highly-regarded, the 5th edition details the explosive growth of the Internet, electronic publishing, software packages, and other technology changes, as well as updating chapters on preparing, writing, and submitting.

Lois DeBakery, The Scientific Journal Editorial Policies and Practices: Guidelines for Editors, Reviewers and Author (1976)

Andrew J. Friedland and Carol L. Folt, Writing Successful Science Proposals (2000).

Derived from a course taught by the authors at Dartmouth, this book is of value both to scientists and to undergraduate and graduate students who want to write successful grant or research proposals. Designed to provide a guide to writing proposals and improving their overall quality, it describes the process of thinking and writing from conceptualization and formulation of a research plan to effectively organizing and presenting material in formats widely used for proposal submissions.

Michael J. Katz, Elements of the Scientific Paper: a Step-by-Step Guid for Students and Professionals (1985)

Herbert B. Michaelson, How to Write and Publish Engineering Papers and Reports (1990)

“This is a book for engineers, this is in fact, a must book for engineers. For the engineer user, there can be no higher recommendation.”–IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

James G. Paradis and Muriel L. Zimmerman, The MIT Guide to Science and Engineering Communication (1998).

For college students and science professionals alike, a handbook that treats four kinds of literacy -- written, oral, graphic, electronic -- as crucial and inseparable to science and engineering communication. Emphasizes processes and forms that will help in creating documents and includes numerous realistic examples. A special feature of the book is its acceptance of the fact that most work in science these days is collaborative and that writing is often a group rather than a solitary activity. There is also a strong emphasis on the central role of the computer in creating and disseminating technical materials.

Thomas E. Pearsall, How to Write for the World of Work, 6th ed. (2000).

Incorporates up-to-date research and communication practices and many other developments in the work place. The long anticipated revision reflects the increased diversification and professionalism of the workforce, the globalization of the workplace, and the expansion of computers and electronic media that have influenced all aspects of communication.

Richard Stelzer, How to Write a Winning Personal Statement for Graduate and Professional School (1989).

John H. White, From Research to Printout: Creating Effective Technical Documents (1997)

Step-by-step guidance through an effective communication process. Using narratives, illustrations, and actual industry examples (almost 150 illustrations and tables), the author presents practical advice and information for success everyday.

Jen Tsi Yang, An Outline of Scientific Writing: for Researchers with English as a Foreign Language (1995)

Aimed at researchers who need to write clear and understandable manuscripts in English, this book begins by discussing constructs of the English language, such as sentence structure and word use. It then proceeds to discuss the style and convention used in scientific publications. Some of the topics covered include: Planning Manuscript; Authorship; References; Tables and Figures; Submission to a Journal; Production Schedules. Written so that the reader should not have to resort to a dictionary, it includes many examples and exercises to clarify the rules and guidelines presented.

Justin Zobel, Writing for Computer Science: the Art of Effective Communication, 2nd ed. (2004)

Provides extensive guidance for writing style and editing; presents sound practice for graphs, figures, and tables; guides the presentation of mathematics, algorithms and experiments; shows how to assemble research materials into a technical paper; offers guidelines and advice on spoken presentations. This second edition contains detailed new material on research methods, the how-to of being a scientist, including: development of ideas into research programs; design and evaluation of experiments; how to search for, read, evaluate, and referee other research; research ethics and the qualities that separate good and bad science. Writing for Computer Science is not only an introduction to the doing and describing of research, but also a handy reference for working scientists in computing and mathematical sciences.

Online Resources

General

refdesk.com
http://www.refdesk.com/

Dictionaries

The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

Merriam-Webster Online
http://www.m-w.com/

Encyclopedias

TechEncyclopedia
http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Writing and Editing

APA Style (OWL)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html

Citation Styles
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/citex.html

Common Errors in English
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html

Commonly Confused Words
http://www.pnl.gov/ag/usage/confuse.html

Elements of Style, The
http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html

English as a Second Language (OWL)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/index.html

Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling (OWL) http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/index.html)

Guide to Grammar and Writing
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

Online Resources (OWL)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/internet/resources/index.html

Research Communications (Consultants)
http:/www.writing4science.com

Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students
http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/