A Brief Guide to Writing From Readings will appeal to freshman composition instructors as well as instructors across the curriculum who require a writing-from-sources text in their introductory, general education classes. A Brief Guide to Writing From Readings is comprehensive enough to serve as a primary text yet compact enough to serve as a supplement. It teaches students how to read texts critically, quote and paraphrase material, summarize, respond to, critique, and synthesize readings, avoid plagiarism, document essays, and keep a writing journal. At the end of every chapter is a summary chart students can consult as they work on assignments, and at the end of the text is a series of checklists for revising and proofreading. MLA, APA and CBE styles of documentation are covered, including numerous sample reference citations for each stylebook. A Brief Guide to Writing From Readings is a valuable teaching and reference tool that students of many disciplines will find useful for class work and for independent study.

Table of Contents:
Each chapter contains “Definition and Purpose.” Preface. Acknowledgments. 1.  Critical Reading. Asking Questions about What You Read. Questions to Ask Before You Begin a Close Reading of the Text. Questions Concerning the Author Questions about the Publication Questions Concerning Your Own View of the Topic. Questions to Ask While You Read and Reread Material. Questions Concerning the Audience of the Piece Questions about Purpose Questions about Content Questions about Organization Questions about the Author's Sources Questions about Graphics Questions about Your Reactions and Responses. Marking Texts. Highlighting Texts Annotating Texts. Marginal Annotations End Annotations. Sample Annotated Text: Hard Choices, Patrick Moore. Note Taking. Additional Reading: Establishing the Environmental Priority, Walter A. Rosenbaum. Summary Chart—Critical Reading: Asking Questions. Summary Chart—Critical Reading: Marking Texts. 2.  Quotation. Guidelines on When to Quote Material. Guidelines on When Not to Quote Material. Integrating Quotations into Your Writing. Two Basic Types of Quotations Reading: Missing Link The Block Quotation. APA Guidelines CBE Guidelines MLA Guidelines. The Integrated Quotation. Altering Quoted Material and Avoiding Misquotations. Summary Chart: Guidelines on Quotations. Summary Chart: Integrating Quotations into Your Writing. 3.  Paraphrase. Qualities of a Good Paraphrase. How to Paraphrase Material. Documentation. Summary Chart: How to Write a Paraphrase. Summary Chart: Qualities of a Good Paraphrase. 4.  Summary. Types of Summaries. Qualities of a Good Summary. How to Summarize a Text. Documentation. AIDS and Population “Control,” Gerard Piel. Sample Informative Summary. Sample Exploratory Summary. Additional Reading: Population Pressure, Marguerite Holloway. Additional Reading: The Solution to a Global Crisis, Gro Harlem Bruntland. Summary Chart: How to Write a Summary. 5.  Response Essays. Qualities of a Good Response Essay. Writing the Response Essay. Sample Response Essay. Summary Chart: How to Write a Response Essay. 6.  Critique. The Film Review as Critique. Writing a Critique. Reading: Clear Message to Teens: 'It's OK to Have Sex,' Joan Beck. Sample Critique. Additional Reading: Condom Availability Promotes Health, Saves Lives, Margaret Pruitt Clark. Additional Reading: Apply Peer Pressure, Not Latex, Against Casual Sex, Edwin J. Delattre. Summary Chart: Writing a Critique. 7.  Synthesis. Types of Synthesis Essays. The Fool on the Hill, Brian D. Johnson. Forrest Gump, David Ansen. Forrest Gump, Peter Travers. Informative Synthesis. Definition Writing an Informative Synthesis. Argumentative Synthesis. Definition Writing an Argumentative Synthesis. Sample Informative Synthesis. Sample Argumentative Synthesis. Summary Chart: Synthesis Essays. 8.  Plagiarism. Forms of Plagiarism. How to Avoid Plagiarism. Summary Chart: Plagiarism. 9.  Documentation. Types of Documentation. Primary Academic Style Manuals. APA Guidelines. In-Text Documentation Footnotes and Endnotes. CBE Guidelines. In-Text Documentation. Name-Year System Citation-Sequence System. Footnotes and Endnotes. MLA Guidelines. In-Text Documentation Footnotes and Endnotes. 10.  Reference Lists and Works Cited Entries. APA Format. Sample Reference List Entries Reference Page Sample Reference Page. CBE Format. Sample Reference List Entries Reference List Guidelines Sample Reference List: Citation-Sequence Format Sample Reference List: Name-Year Format. MLA Format. Sample Works Cited Entries Works Cited List Sample Works Cited List. 11.  Journals. Types of Entries. Entry Formats. Final Considerations. Appendix 1:  Primary Style Manuals. Appendix 2:  Documenting Electronic Sources of Information. Types of Electronic Sources. Portable Sources. Sample Bibliographic Entries. APA Format CBE Format MLA Format. Online Databases. Sample Bibliographic Entries. APA Format CBE Format MLA Format. E-mail. APA Format CBE Format MLA Format. Appendix 3:  Revision Checklist. Quotation Checklist. Paraphrase Checklist. Summary Checklist. Response Essay Checklist. Critique Checklist. Synthesis Checklist. Plagiarism Checklist.