Student's Guide to Writing College Papers: Fourth Edition (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)
Here is the latest edition of a guide that “repurposes the ideas, principles, and practical wisdom” found in The Craft of Research (3rd ed., 2008) and A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (7th ed., 2007). The editors have simplified and updated many of the ideas and principles for beginning college students. Starting with an introduction (“Why Research?”), the book is divided into three parts. Part 1 (“Writing Your Paper”) explains the research process, finding a question, planning an argument, taking notes, preventing plagiarism, and writing and then revising a draft. Part 2 (“Citing Sources”) covers the need to cite sources and describes the three most popular citation styles in detail, and Part 3 (“Style”) includes the usual rules for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. Three appendixes include a glossary of grammatical terms, specific tips on formatting a paper, and resources for research and writing. An excellent index provides page numbers instead of the more cumbersome outline numerals.   Blue boxes highlight important or helpful tips (“Verbs for Introducing a Quotation or Paraphrase”; “Write for Target Readers, Not Your Teacher”). Excellent up-to-date analogies and specific examples also make this very user-friendly. The newest MLA style is used (no URLs for material cited from the Web). However, advice about using recordable CDs (not flash drives) when using a public computer already seems outdated.   Librarians will love reading that the purpose of learning to research is “finding information we can trust” and students should “watch out for Wikipedia.” Instructors may appreciate online suggestions at http://www.turabian.org/turabian_instructor_guide.pdf. This guide should be in every high-school, college, and public library. --Susan Gooden