Ideal for beginning writers, this guide explains how to use source material—from the library, personal experience, the Internet, and field research—to form the basis of a composition. From the author of the discipline's definitive research paper guide, this new writing text teaches students how to find, evaluate, and incorporate valid source material, examining the differences between good sources and those that offer insufficient or suspect evidence. Helping students frame their thesis, it offers methods for finding an argument and avoiding common fallacies. In addition to explaining how and where to discover valuable source material, the text demonstrates techniques for critical reading and for choosing the best sources for quotation and paraphrase. Numerous readings, including two complete student sample papers, appear throughout the text in various stages of completion, demonstrating the techniques covered in the lessons. The performance stage is covered in depth—framing the text, documenting it accurately, and polishing it for the reader.

Table of Contents:
1. Why We Compose from Sources. Using Personal Experience as a Source for Writing: Zoya's Story. Prologue to Zoya's Story. Researching and Composing from Sources: Analysis and Interpretation. William Speed Weed, “Circles of Life.” Writing to Combine Personal Experiences and Outside Sources. Latoya Waller, “Freedom of Speech on Campus.” 2. Finding and Choosing Your Sources. Searching the Library and Its Sources. Searching the Internet and Its Sources. Collecting Data Beyond the Library and the Internet. Interview by Peggy Langstaff, “When the West Was New: Annie Dillard's `The Living'.” Interview of Alice Walker by Ellen Kanner, “The Same River Twice: Honoring the Difficult.” Student Survey: “Mandatory Car Pooling and Shuttle-Bus Parking: A Survey.” Chapter Review. Chapter 2 Assignment: Gathering a Mix of Sources. Tracing the Work of Two Students: Listing Sources for Your Paper. 3. Strategies for Critical Reading. Highlighting. Annotating with Marginal Notes. James Carville and Paul Begala, from “Miz Nippy and the Bass Boat”. Being Selective. James Campbell, from Travels with R. L. S. Questioning with a Critical Eye. Robert J. Samuelson, “A Sad Primer in Hypocrisy.” Outlining a Source to Discover Its Key Ideas. From The Birth of Pleasure by Carol Gilligan. Discovering the Writer's Intentions. Thomas Harrison, “Keats's `To Autumn'.” John Gray, “Good Intentions Aren't Enough.” Bernard Goldberg, “They Think You're a Traitor.” David L. Evans, “If You're Tired of Jesse and Al, Get Involved.” Testing the Validity of an Article or Essay. Drawing Inferences. Margaret Loftus, “But What's It Like?” Finding and Evaluating a Writer's Argument. Understanding Logic. Identifying Fallacies. Robert Weinberg, “Of Clones and Clowns.” 4. Writing a Summary. Writing a Summary to Capture an Idea. Victor Davis Hanson, from Carnage and Culture. Writing a Summary of a Paragraph. Jacques Barzun, from From Dawn to Decadence. Summarizing a Paragraph that Contains Irony. Mark Twain, from “The Damned Human Race.” Writing a Summary of an Entire Article, Essay, or Book. Willie Nelson, from The Facts of Life. Albert Schweitzer, “What Does It Mean to Be Good?” Rachel Naomi Remen, “From the Heart,” from My Grandfather's Blessings. Writing the Specialized Summary. Writing the Brief Review. Writing an Annotated Bibliography. Writing a Plot Summary or a Book Summary. Writing an Abstract. Wendell Berry, “Health Is Membership.” Robert K. Goldman, “Certain Legal Questions and Issues Raised by the September 11th Attacks.” William Saffire, “Four Score and Seven.” 5. Writing a Paraphrase. Writing an Effective Paraphrase in Two Steps. Paraphrasing Cumbersome, Archaic, or Technical Passages. Paraphrasing Passages that Require Your Subjective Response. Blending Several Paraphrases into Your Passage. 6. Using Quotations. Using Quotations for a Variety of Reasons. Selecting Effective Sources and Blending Them into the Paper. Bob Berman, “Wrong Time, Wrong Place.” Following the Conventions for Quoting Others in Your Text. Punctuating by the Rules. Using Quotations in a Nonacademic Article. Carol Gilligan, from The Birth of Pleasure. Keith S. Thomson, “Dinosaurs, the Media and Andy Warhol.” Citing Quotations in One of the Academic Styles. Using Scholarly Citations Throughout an Article. Roger Platizky, from “Poe's `The Cask of Amontillado'.” Krista West, “Lion versus Lamb.” 7. Practicing Academic Integrity. Explaining and Sharing the Literature on a Subject. Rina Chandarana, from “Canada's CyberSnooping Plans Raise Ire.” Placing a Source in its Proper Context. Thomas Friedman, from “Cuckoo in Carolina.” Honoring Property Rights. Avoiding Plagiarism. Understanding the Common Knowledge Exceptions. Using Scholarly Citations. Modern Language Association (MLA) Style. The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS footnote style). American Psychological Association (APA) Style. Nancy Hellmich, from “Caught in the Catty Corner.” Seeking Permission to Publish Material on Your Web Site. Laura Madson and Robert M. Hessling, “Readers' Perceptions of Four Alternatives to Masculine Generic Pronouns.” 8. Writing the Single-Source Essay. Writing a Personal Response Essay. Fenella Saunders, “Chaotic Warnings from the Last Ice Age.” Student Paper: Ramona Parker, “Don't Ignore the Small Stuff.” William Raspberry, “Our Problems vs. Enemies.” Dave Barry, “Farm Security: The Mohair of the Dog That Bites You.” Interpreting a Work, Performance, or Event. John F. Kennedy, “Inaugural Address.” Student Paper: Ralph Conover, “John F. Kennedy: The Inaugural Address.” George W. Bush, “Inaugural Address.” Writing a Rebuttal. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “English-Only Work Rule Is Dumb in Any Language.” Jim Boulet Jr., “Expect Host of Problems When Languages Collide.” Ellen Goodman, “Family Counterculture.” Student Draft: Lamar Clift, “The Children Are the Counterculture.” Kay Hawes, “Gender Research Shows Mixed Results for Women.” Jay Walljasper, “Why Johnny and Jana Can't Walk to School.” Writing an Evaluation or Review. The New Yorker, Review of Oklahoma! The New Yorker, Review of Leopards in the Temple by Morris Dickstein. Student Review: Roland Stamps, “Doonesbury on Corporate Greed.” Chapter 8 Assignment: Writing the Single-Source Essay. Tracing the Work of Two Students: Kaci Holz: Developing Research Paper. 9. Writing the Multi-Source Essay. Choosing Your Sources. Shirley J. Wilcher, “Racism Is Still Alive throughout the United States.” Suzanne Fields, “Bad Raps: Music Rebels Revel in Their Thug Life.” Establishing Your Own Point of View. Reading Critically to Discover Shades of Meaning in Various Sources. Grouping Multiple Sources for Analysis and Synthesis. Student Paper: Robert Sanders, “Mountain Climbing: It's Not Just a Sport.” Chapter 9 Assignment: Writing the Multi-Source Essay. Nashville Tennessean, “Should the United States End Affirmative Action?” Tracing the Work of Two Students: Halley Fishburn: Developing Research Paper. 10. Writing a Paper Using MLA Style. Considering an Academic Approach to the Subject Matter. Selecting an Appropriate Design for Your Paper. Handling Text Citations in MLA Style. Formatting the MLA Paper. Writing Entries for the Works Cited Section. Chapter 10 Assignment: Evaluating Use of MLA Style. Tracing the Work of Two Students: Research Paper in MLA Style. 11. Writing a Paper Using CMS Note Style. R.H. Matthews, “The Dhudhuroa Language of Victoria.” Considering an Academic Approach to the Subject Matter. Selecting an Appropriate Design for Your Paper. Handling Text Citations in CMS Note Style. Writing the Note Entries. Formatting the Notes Section. Writing a References List or Bibliography. Chapter 11 Assignment: Evaluating Writing in the Humanities. Ronald Tager, “Tool and Symbol: The Success of the Double-Bitted Axe in North America.” Tracing the Work of Two Students: Research Paper in CMS Note Style. 12. Writing a Paper Using APA Style. Considering an Academic Approach to the Subject Matter. Designing a Paper in APA Style. Handling Text Citations in APA Style. Formatting the APA Paper. Writing the References Entries in APA Style. Chapter 12 Assignment: Writing a Paper in APA Style. Appendix A: Writing an Essay Examination Answer. Appendix B: Writing a Scientific Paper: CSE Style. Appendix C: Readings.