Since this is a writing text, the grammar should be perfect. it is broken down into manageable pieces. There are some very good, clear sections about this book. Although the grammatical errors aren't abundant, they do, however, detract from the book. I thought that the sections about organizing, revising, and composing were organized in a reasonable way. I did appreciate her discussion of signal phrases; I emphasize the use of the signal phrase, even in the lower level course. See above. This OER will be particularly helpful for late-returning, non-traditional adult students who need English skill remediation or a simplified, uncluttered, unimposing refresher to more intermediate/advanced courses such as English Composition II (WR122). This book is accurate and thorough. The language is free of jargon, and new terms are readily defined for students. The first part of the book, “Composition” is clear,... At first glance, the contents do offer instructors a comprehensive list of key writing areas that should be covered in a college writing class. As I wrote above, the information in this text is the kind writing instructors have been teaching for years, and what makes for good grammar and writing does not change very much, so I would expect that this text can be used for years to come. The text’s inconsistency lies in the amount of detail given to topics. The text is highly modularized, and the modules are readily accessible in the online interface. The table of contents is easy to use with links to all of the chapters and different subjects in each chapter.The book does not contain an index or glossary, but the table of contents is a sufficient tool for navigating the content. The text seems very comprehensive and I liked how it was organized. It also covers several basic areas of challenge for ESL learners, which is a plus. It would be helpful to move the revising section so it came before editing. The Table of Contents (TOC) is acceptably (but arbitrarily) organized and delineated. The text is not condescending to any particular group. The citation style information is contained in a single part of the book that would be quite simple to update. Unfortunately, About Writing doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. About Writing does not reflect these changes. Journalism, Media Studies & Communications. Examples given of concepts like writing prompts and thesis statements are unbiased and broadly applicable to a wide range of students and disciplines. The example shows the signal phrase first, the excerpt, and then the page number, as in the following example: The MLA section here will confuse students, as it is not the 8th edition, so it is useless, but updatable. Most certainly, the text uses diction and syntax that undergraduate students can easily understand. The book promotes questions provoking critical thinking, but maybe more context and explanation for faculty would be helpful. A Guide to Scientific Writing Neal Lerner Marilee Ogren-Balkama Massachusetts Institute of Technology Introductions What’s an Introduction? It employs sophisticated word choice (See “Countering Opposing Arguments”) and critical thinking, including analysis and evaluation. This type of grammar review is challenging for many students at this level, yet there is no guidance for understanding these terms or determining answers to questions like these. I have chosen to assess About Writing: A Guide by Robin Jeffrey from the perspective of an instructor of college composition, following principles of rhetoric first defined by Aristotle. I would say yes, but, the modules are too small and not comprehensive enough--a lot of lists really. The components of academic writing discussed include key competencies: analyzing a text, writing a summary, evaluating sources, researching, composing, and revising. It's a good text for a beginning instructor to use as a springboard for planning lessons, but I don't think it provides enough depth to be used as a class text. My biggest issue is the lack of comprehensive materials--I understand that the nature of the open- source online resource means less anthologized sources, readings, etc., but I'd like to be able to assign practice examples right from the text, instead of having the students refer to the text for a basic rule and a list then moving into other sources to practice say, verb agreement or point of view. However, this resource has no glossary; students taking basic composition will likely be learning the collegiate lingo and a glossary would help with terms, with which basic writers may struggle. The examples include a variety of races and ethnicities. The text is consistent in tone and information. The drop down menu and links make this text easy to uses, and the different sections are written in short, concise sentences and paragraphs. It is unlikely that students are to be overwhelmed given its relatively small page limit. Content is generally accurate and error-free. This book is an effective primer in grammar for students who are in need of a review, or those who have not had a sound foundation in grammar. It has easy, bite-sized chapters that can fit into a variety of courses and teaching situations. As a result, not only is the writing accessible, it's also relatable. Virtually any text could use some customized reorganization—but that is arguably a subjective/personalized perspective more related to the way each individual teacher approaches writing instruction (in my case across both basic composition (English Composition I—WR121) and intermediate composition (more expository, research-based for English Composition II—WR122) at Rogue Community College. Another notable and good exception is the section on plagiarism which does include specific examples. Please read it through, since it contains immediately useful information to help you with learning and writing at the University. Its one downfall is the MLA section. A writing teacher could find enough material for the major issues that might come up in a college composition class. It is concise and pointed. Reviewed by Jacinta Galea'i, Adjunct Instructor, Portland Community College on 8/2/18, At first glance, the contents do offer instructors a comprehensive list of key writing areas that should be covered in a college writing class. The Writing Process Chart model page provides teachers with a reference. This text does not include sample essays or writing exercises. The links in the Table of contents were easy to navigate in the e-Version of the text (using iBooks). On page 45, the “Relevance” section only speaks to currency, not source content relation to essay topic or significance. The book has very effectively divided the topics of academic writing into different modules. It makes sense to keep Krause’s OER as a more advanced, secondary source in WR121—while adding Jeffrey’s About Writing as a supplemental tutorial/remedial source in both WR121 and WR122. The text is composed and organized so that most entry-level college students could comprehend and use the information accordingly. Part One on Composition is lacking in some areas though. read more. Good job. The text is very modular and it is easy to access the topics desired. It would be stronger with an introduction. It’s accessible in terms of the language used and borders on TOO simple, including brief explanations and lists, until we get to the final chapter on revision when the prose suddenly becomes quite academic with longer paragraphs and scholarly examples the likes of which I would only see the top students in my classes being able to easily digest. See note on #6. Errors in the standard written English of this textbook are not present. The author also asks the reader to imagine themselves in specific writing situations. The text, happily, is gender neutral. Having a separate grammar section, or an explanation on why a particular grammar point has been mentioned in a particular place would help with the text’s clarity. The book reflects basic tenets & terminology that fellow colleagues at my institution use in the classroom and professional developments areas. However, I felt as if the chapter on basic grammar was an afterthought, as it only had one section on subordinate clauses (while never explaining what those are, or their functions). The final section on revision, however, seems uncharacteristically detailed ( I actually wish the whole text was more like this). What are relative pronouns used for? The text makes some effort to be inclusive with its examples but more could be done on this front. Grammar errors are problematic. As mentioned earlier, some of the grammar advice that the author was providing was incorrect; however, I would classify this as a content issue rather than a grammar issue. The use of terms is actually one of the biggest problems with the this book, in my opinion. I noticed no culturally insensitive materials or examples in the book. The text is clearly and logically organized around the elements of the research/writing process. I found that the content was accurate and free of errors or biases. The book's attention to Composing and Academic Writing is up-to-date. Yes, this was one of the immediately outstanding positive features of the book: how the various subjects are compartmentalized into succinct and focused chapters. I love the simplicity in the Writing Style in this book. The pie chart on page 14 is rather pixelated, and could be reformatted as well. Consequently, it lacks the level of substantive detail to be deeply comprehensive but could be a nice accompanying text to give students an introduction to writing basics. It’s a quick reference that students can pick up when they have a writing question that demands a direct answer. I am an ESL instructor and I teach an ESL bridge class for students transitioning into college and are taking a college course along with my course. The book is consistent, with the exception that the revision section contains detailed discussion, whereas the rest of the text does not. There are no interface issues or problems navigating the book. In addition to addressing drafting and crafting an essay, sentence structure and grammar are also included. For example, while the text has a nice section on citation, it doesn't talk much about why we cite, which is important in getting students to take the task seriously. Would love to see it more contextualized with an introduction, introduction to each chapter and a conclusion which would give the writer more of a voice they could identify with which would, Reviewed by Amy Flessert, Assistant Professor, Northern Virginia Community College on 6/20/17, Comprehensiveness is one of the weaker aspects of this text. In the range of material covered, this text is comprehensive for an introductory-level college composition course, but it is extremely superficial, and thus not truly comprehensive. Sections include: (1) the course The other obvious ‘visual perception’ design error is found in the ‘Examples’ boxes and text. Other than the MLA section, this textbook has longevity. While the content doesn't matter entirely to the formatting and the writing associated with the graphs, students may find this frustrating. is covered in three different places: The Visuals section, and the following 2 sections on Active Reading and Analyzing Texts. However, this is just true of the PDF version. The book appears accurate and provides easy access to students with questions about areas ranging from brainstorming ideas to revision. The reading, writing and listening practice tests in IELTS-Exam.net have been designed to resemble the format of the IELTS test as closely as possible. The book is well organized from composing to revising; however, the section on grammar is the largest and most comprehensive section. In fact, two of the three examples that the author uses to illustrate sentence fragments are not actually sentence fragments at all. However, in some respects, the approach to writing is already somewhat dated, because it is not holistic. The MLA section needs updating to the eighth edition. However, there are some errors that will make it confusing for readers. This is just one example, but it’s a problem that persists throughout the book. Reviewed by James Gapinski, Instructional Specialist, Chemeketa Community College on 3/13/19, ABOUT WRITING is a handbook, pure and simple. There are no significant grammatical errors in the text. But About Writing seems more suited to English Composition class, and in some sections, such as the section on Rhetorical Concepts, more appropriate for the Advanced Writing course. While the book covers many fantastic topics, some topics would benefit from fuller attention. In fact, for many sections no examples are offered. Some sections of the book require more context to set up topics/issues. It is definitely a summary of writing a summary as it is simply 5 sentences with valuable information, but with little guidance as to how to structure a summary beyond the beginning. The grammar portion, however, is arranged in such a flow chart yes-no decision-making template. It avoids discussing ESOL student concerns in the writing process, and it does not directly address writing as a mode of sociocultural expression. Items or examples regarding current events would be a wonderful addition. The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion, but smoother transitions between the different parts would help. While there were a few areas that I would like to see more developed, this is a well thought out text that I would like to implement in my own classroom. Chapters are short and easy to align with curriculum and course objectives. Subordinate clauses require an understanding of what a complete sentence looks like and how subjects and verbs work. The content of the book is fairly accurate. The text is certainly not culturally insensitive or offensive. The author seems to be directing the book at new students of writing or to emergent bilingual students. There are few examples. As an instructor it would be easy to assign brief sections of this book to fit with various topics of discussion. But, the engagement with these topics is at a superficial level. there is a nice patterned organization which creates a harmonious flow. read more. It delineates four types of writing styles, giving concise explanations of each. In that sense, I think that the book is trying to be comprehensive in terms of what it takes to write a college level paper -- how to read sources critically, how to understand a prompt, how to... Again, it just covers key areas that a writing teacher might use in a Comp class. The author covers a lot of different topics. I liked most of the book's flow, but I felt that the citation chapter and grammar chapters should have been placed at the end. In reading through this online resource, I am confident that I could rearrange it as needed for my own scheduling without interruption of purpose. There is nothing overtly offensive in this book, but its silence is deafening. In a lower level writing class, this could be effective, but it does feel a bit pedantic. It is easy to navigate, with a drop down menu and links to the various sections. Also, the author has a checklist for basically every section. All the content is up-to-date with the exception of Part IV. The text is a collection of different sections, not necessarily related to one another and not presented in a logical order, so assigning different points of the book throughout the semester wouldn’t be a problem. In editing the text, however, I would introduce “Understanding the Assignment” section through the “Checklist: Planning a Document” section BEFORE “Types of Writing Styles” are introduced. I did not experience any other interface issues. I noticed no errors. read more. The visual diagrams for certain grammar issues (i.e. The text does not explain what a clause is, and it has not up until that point discussed what nouns and verbs are. The scope of the work is appropriate for novice writers, but the development of concepts and execution of the work leaves me a bit confused. It reminds me of an essay that is skeletal: it has good bones and organization, but not enough development and support. The first part opens with “types of writing styles,” which works well with classes designed around a genre approach to the college essay, and continues with concepts like close reading, using outlines, and effective thesis statements. Certainly the section on MLA (which should be updated now) and APA are relevant to Freshman Comp classes, but despite the detailed explanations, there is no Works Cited sample page. There were parts that felt out of sequence. Pros: It covers the basics without a lot of extra "fluff" or fillers. See my online review of Krause’s OER book for in-depth detail about how I changed the chapter order assignments to improve the logical progression for intermediate/advanced composition students. A student can easily find the section/chapter that they need to work on and start there. It's easily digestible, and students of all levels would be able to understand it. This text is trying to cover too much ground in far too short of a textbook. Since I teach beginning college students, I explain the assignment to them but have unintentionally neglected teaching them how to figure this out for themselves when they move on to higher writing classes. This sentence is awkward and should be rephrased, but it’s not a fragment. Determining if a book about writing is comprehensive, saying that all areas and ideas of the subject are covered, is not possible without first defining the context for such a determination. The book is written in a clear, accessible way, that makes it suitable for undergraduates students. Reviewed by Sara Atwood, Adjunct instructor, Portland Community College on 8/15/17, This book is an effective primer in grammar for students who are in need of a review, or those who have not had a sound foundation in grammar. I am concerned that reading should come before writing---because generally in class we read materials, then analyze and discuss those materials, then write about them. I think one aspect of the book that adds relevancy to the subject of writing is that it takes into account visuals in writing and web sources. Reviewed by Jenn Kamrar, English Faculty, Columbia Gorge Community College on 11/8/18, The book is comprehensive, yes, but where it has breadth, it lacks depth. I feel that "Types of Writing Styles" is inclusive of writing purposes rather than styles. The scope of the work is appropriate for novice... Comprehensiveness The book has little relevance because it is not useful. Open Oregon Educational Resources, Reviewed by Karen Pleasant, Adjunct Instructor, Rogue Community College on 8/23/20, The book covers the basics for either WR 121 or WR 122 and uses many illustrations and charts to simplify key concepts. 1” rather than “43.1.” However, the text is arranged in such a way that necessary updates will be relatively easy and straightforward to implement. Reviewed by Amanda Jacob, English Instructor, Northshore Technical Community College on 6/20/17, While the book covers many fantastic topics, some topics would benefit from fuller attention. This review examines Open Oregon Educational Resources’ “About Writing: A Guide,” by Robin Jeffrey (2016), of Klamath Community College. Without any genre readings (along with the often-missing writing samples and reasoning), I feel students would struggle; thereby, I would need to find supplemental material for a successful first-year college composition course. Reviewed by Heather Botsford, Instructor, Southeastern Louisiana University on 6/20/17, About Writing: A Guide covers all of the basic areas of writing including composing, revising, academic writing, research, citation styles, basic grarmmar, and common challenges for ESL students. However, this resource has no glossary; students taking... I think of Expository Writing students as "beginning," although there are two lower, remedial courses offered also. I did catch one typo in Chapter 14. Text is logically divided into relevant content areas. Visuals that sum up each section would also be helpful for those who are visual learners. As stated earlier, bringing in culturally relevant information would make the text more fun and engaging. A writer may persuade with any of these means, but the text implies that the author only is responsible for ethical concerns, the audience is only persuaded by an emotional plea, etc. Erasing the cultural components of writing only serves to alienate and marginalize students who read this book. One of the principal weaknesses of any textbook’s set of chapters is that the given ‘table of contents’ structure is arbitrarily organized and therefore somewhat conceptually disjointed—at least insofar as my research writing courses are designed. It follows MLA formatting. (See note for #4). APA and CMS are also updated. The textbook contains no grammatical errors. Similarly, the chapters on grammatical sentences and multilingual learners were quite robust in terms of information (there were a lot of lists and flow charts for determining proper grammar), yet they would likely work better as individual reference handouts and posters in a classroom than as assigned textbook reading. I found all the information presented in this textbook to be accurate and reliable to the best of my knowledge. Any that are there are minor and not invasive or confusing. Many grammar examples had the text running into each other, especially when the text is italicized. The quality of the interface for the online version of the text is generally high. Adequate coverage of the concepts listed within the table of contents. The text uses the old version of MLA, however (not the 2016 update). The book is written in a succinct fashion and the addition of visuals makes it a quick and easy reference for students and enables them readily grasp the concepts. This book is an effective primer in grammar for students who are in need of a review, or those who have not had a sound foundation in grammar. read more. The guide is fairly accurate but not detailed nor in-depth enough, especially for students. However, the way that the author describes these terms is not at all how I understand them, and not how any university I have worked at has wanted them taught. The modular structure and indexed Web format are designed to enable the Guide to be accessed repeatedly during the course, as your writing tasks become progressively more advanced. From there it logically progresses to information about researching and citing sources. In fact, another of the highlights of About Writing is found in part seven, a section devoted to the common grammar challenges of multilingual writers. Other details, however, change rapidly, such as the rules of MLA documentation. I would not be able to use this book to teach because of my own educational philosophy. Updating _About Writing: A Guide_ should be fairly straightforward, as should expanding it. The text ends with aa helpful section on revision, although it might be more effective to place it earlier in the book. This is a pronoun/antecedent agreement issue. read more. This book needs more specific content to make it more relevant and more interesting to read. Chapters begin abruptly and dive into new information without much preamble or contextualization for students. The divisions and discussion of types of writing are useful for beginning students who are trying to get a grasp on purpose. It is as the title suggests: a guide to writing, not an in-depth how-to of thesis creation, analysis, and the art of persuasion. The MLA section is outdated due to the recent changes in publication. I did not see anything in this text that I think would be considered culturally insensitive or offensive. All of this resource’s writing style and formatting is consistent. The book is definitely accessible and user-friendly for students and instructors; however, it lacks detailed guidance to support student learning. The guide is very basic and practical in style and approach. For example, in Chapter 22, the author uses MLA format. The text’s sections on grammar serve as a helpful primer or review. Cons: The text is consistent but some areas have more details than others. For example, the chapter on outlining tells students what to do, but not why or how to use it, giving examples. The “Online” version (Pressbooks) is the easiest to use. Mainstream composition textbooks tend to be very long and unnecessarily complex; students often find them intimidating. It’s just easy to get a little lost there as a first year comp student. As far as analyzing readings, “About Writing: A Guide” contains only one page of content on “Analyzing a Text,” and could use more. The Krause (2007) OER should also be made into a single PDF as I observed in my review of The Process of Research Writing. An introduction, a conclusion, and small introductions to each chapter might help contextualize the work and ease the reading process. Later in the book, she writes “Every author has a purpose” (p. 21). For example, the “Types of Writing Styles” section contain zero examples of (for specific example) narrative writing vs persuasive writing, for a clear distinction. There are some pronoun issues throughout, and since this is an academic writing book, the contents and writing need to be as accurate as possible. Overall, the text provides a good introduction to basic academic writing principles and skills. It is as the title suggests: a guide to writing, not an in-depth how-to of thesis creation, analysis, and the art of persuasion. The information is accessible and clear to instructors but may prove confusing to students who are beginners to college writing and from diverse backgrounds. There are, however, some sections of the text which include only charts and which could use a bit of context to help explain what the charts are, and how they might be useful to the readers. Inexperienced writers need more explanation, and, as before, examples. The content is fairly neutral. It is perfect for my teaching situation where I am helping support students in their credit-bearing classes and would be ideal in a writing center or in a tutoring situation where an instructor was supporting a student in their academic coursework. Terms and terminology remain consistent throughout. It would make a great companion to lectures and in-class activities, and it would be most useful to students with a good understanding of writing. This guide, though not a handbook, covers all of the essentials of college writing and the writing process. The topics in this guide are presented logically and clear with the exception, as noted prior, that in several places they are very brief, too brief as noted, specifically, for a writing instructor. In particular, I found that the grammar sections were helpful in breaking down grammatical concepts that often confuse and frustrate... As this book focuses on the nuts and bolts of writing rather than the substance, it does not have much opportunity to be culturally relevant.' It obviously depends on the size font that the reader, but on my computer, the charts were sometimes hard to read and would break up across pages. For example, "How to: Write a Summary" succinctly presents the... There are also several useful charts and visuals.That said, teachers in disciplines other than writing will appreciate this as a quick, go-to source for helping students. Academic writing is, essentially, the writing you have to do for your university courses. The “chapter” on creating an outline, for example, is less than a page and merely gives some tips in an outline format. The audience for the book (Basic Writers, Freshman Composition students, Advanced writers?) ", Reviewed by Nancy Rowe, Instructor, Loyola University New Orleans on 6/20/17, The text feels more like an outline or a powerpoint presentation than a comprehensive guide to writing. dangling modifiers) are some of the most useful elements in the book. Otherwise, the interface problems (below) interrupt reading flow. I would use this as a supplement only, however, as the topics don't have the depth my students need. This text includes what is needed for students to understand, evaluate, and create essays. Without further in-class instruction, some of the chapters leave holes in knowledge or would be hard for a student to follow. There is much more discussion in this section than elsewhere (for instance, than in those related to purpose and audience), but there is still no sample essay, and this makes the section a bit too abstract.

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