A Guide to Professional Writing with 2020 APA Update
First Edition ©2020 Stephen Bernhardt; Nancy Sommers Formats: E-book
As low as $9.99
As low as $9.99
Authors
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Stephen A. Bernhardt
Stephen A. Bernhardt is Professor of English and the Andrew B. Kirkpatrick Chair in Writing at the University of Delaware, where he teaches composition, grammar, and technical writing. His professional interests include computers in composition/distance education, writing across the curriculum, professional and technical communication, and visual rhetoric. He has also taught at New Mexico State University and at Southern Illinois University. The author of many journal articles and technical reports, Bernhardt is also the author of Writing at Work (1997) and coeditor of Expanding Literacies: English Teaching and the New Workplace (1998). Bernhardt designed the research plan and reworked content for Writers Help.
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Nancy Sommers
Nancy Sommers, who has taught composition and directed composition programs for thirty years, now teaches in Harvard's Graduate School of Education. She led Harvard's Expository Writing Program for twenty years, directing the first-year writing program and establishing Harvard's WAC program. A two-time Braddock Award winner, Sommers is well known for her research and publications on student writing. Her articles “Revision Strategies of Student and Experienced Writers” and “Responding to Student Writing” are two of the most widely read and anthologized articles in the field of composition. Recently she has been exploring different audiences through publishing in popular media. Sommers is the lead author on Hacker handbooks, all published by Bedford/St. Martin’s, and editor of Tiny Teaching Stories on Macmillan Learning's Bits Blog.
Table of Contents
Introduction: A Guide to Professional Writing
Thinking like a professional writer
Questions professional writers ask
Kinds of evidence professional writers use
Ethics in professional communication
Researching professional writing
Strategies for researching professional writing
Distinguishing primary and secondary sources
Reading journals and online sources
Using databases to find sources
Finding books and other resources
Evaluating online resources
Reading the professional communication literature
Active reading
Evaluating the strength of claims
Reading theoretical articles
Reading research articles
Reading practice articles
The process of writing papers, projects, and presentations
Considering your purpose
Understanding your audience and their needs
Designing texts
Using in-house and organizational style guides
Writing conventions in professional writing
Writing style in professional communication
Phrasing for clarity, concision, and directness
Sentence structure
Preparing visuals
Vocabulary
Integrating, citing, and documenting sources in professional writing
Avoiding plagiarism and recognizing intellectual property
Quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing sources
In-text citations in APA style
Reference list in APA style
Genres of professional writing
Technical and scientific report
Literature review
Manual or help system
Procedural document
Proposal
Abstract and summary
Memo or other correspondence
Presentation or poster
Website or multimodal document
Glossary of vocabulary in professional writing
References
Additional resources for professional writing
Practice activities
Practice activity: Thinking about the ethics of professional writing
Practice activity: Considering the rhetorical situation
Practice activity: Learning about the field
Practice activity: A day in the life of professional writers
Practice activity: Reading the professional communication literature
Practice activity: Analyzing the rhetoric of a research study
Practice activity: Evaluating sources in professional writing
Practice activity: Finding sources in professional writing
Practice activity: Using Google Scholar
Practice activity: Writing technical instructions
Sample student writing: Professional writing
Instructions: How to Draw a Human Eye: A Tutorial
Recommendation report: Usability on a Budget: An Eye Tracker Recommendation Report
Research proposal: Implementing Rain Gardens to Reduce Flooding in Newark, DE
Procedural document: How to Propagate a Succulent
More help with documentation: APA style
APA-style reference list: Additional examples
Editing strategies
Subject-verb agreement
Pronoun agreement, reference, and case
Strong verbs
Sentence fragments
Run-on sentences
Distracting shifts
Parallel structure
Clear, uncluttered sentences
Sentence emphasis
Commas
Apostrophes
Quotation marks
Product Updates
Authors
-
Stephen A. Bernhardt
Stephen A. Bernhardt is Professor of English and the Andrew B. Kirkpatrick Chair in Writing at the University of Delaware, where he teaches composition, grammar, and technical writing. His professional interests include computers in composition/distance education, writing across the curriculum, professional and technical communication, and visual rhetoric. He has also taught at New Mexico State University and at Southern Illinois University. The author of many journal articles and technical reports, Bernhardt is also the author of Writing at Work (1997) and coeditor of Expanding Literacies: English Teaching and the New Workplace (1998). Bernhardt designed the research plan and reworked content for Writers Help.
-
Nancy Sommers
Nancy Sommers, who has taught composition and directed composition programs for thirty years, now teaches in Harvard's Graduate School of Education. She led Harvard's Expository Writing Program for twenty years, directing the first-year writing program and establishing Harvard's WAC program. A two-time Braddock Award winner, Sommers is well known for her research and publications on student writing. Her articles “Revision Strategies of Student and Experienced Writers” and “Responding to Student Writing” are two of the most widely read and anthologized articles in the field of composition. Recently she has been exploring different audiences through publishing in popular media. Sommers is the lead author on Hacker handbooks, all published by Bedford/St. Martin’s, and editor of Tiny Teaching Stories on Macmillan Learning's Bits Blog.
Table of Contents
Introduction: A Guide to Professional Writing
Thinking like a professional writer
Questions professional writers ask
Kinds of evidence professional writers use
Ethics in professional communication
Researching professional writing
Strategies for researching professional writing
Distinguishing primary and secondary sources
Reading journals and online sources
Using databases to find sources
Finding books and other resources
Evaluating online resources
Reading the professional communication literature
Active reading
Evaluating the strength of claims
Reading theoretical articles
Reading research articles
Reading practice articles
The process of writing papers, projects, and presentations
Considering your purpose
Understanding your audience and their needs
Designing texts
Using in-house and organizational style guides
Writing conventions in professional writing
Writing style in professional communication
Phrasing for clarity, concision, and directness
Sentence structure
Preparing visuals
Vocabulary
Integrating, citing, and documenting sources in professional writing
Avoiding plagiarism and recognizing intellectual property
Quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing sources
In-text citations in APA style
Reference list in APA style
Genres of professional writing
Technical and scientific report
Literature review
Manual or help system
Procedural document
Proposal
Abstract and summary
Memo or other correspondence
Presentation or poster
Website or multimodal document
Glossary of vocabulary in professional writing
References
Additional resources for professional writing
Practice activities
Practice activity: Thinking about the ethics of professional writing
Practice activity: Considering the rhetorical situation
Practice activity: Learning about the field
Practice activity: A day in the life of professional writers
Practice activity: Reading the professional communication literature
Practice activity: Analyzing the rhetoric of a research study
Practice activity: Evaluating sources in professional writing
Practice activity: Finding sources in professional writing
Practice activity: Using Google Scholar
Practice activity: Writing technical instructions
Sample student writing: Professional writing
Instructions: How to Draw a Human Eye: A Tutorial
Recommendation report: Usability on a Budget: An Eye Tracker Recommendation Report
Research proposal: Implementing Rain Gardens to Reduce Flooding in Newark, DE
Procedural document: How to Propagate a Succulent
More help with documentation: APA style
APA-style reference list: Additional examples
Editing strategies
Subject-verb agreement
Pronoun agreement, reference, and case
Strong verbs
Sentence fragments
Run-on sentences
Distracting shifts
Parallel structure
Clear, uncluttered sentences
Sentence emphasis
Commas
Apostrophes
Quotation marks
Product Updates
A Guide to Professional Writing, part of the Writer’s Help Guidebook Series, offers writing and research support for students writing in the discipline. This compact yet comprehensive guidebook provides the value students want with the essential instruction they need to get their writing tasks completed successfully. Students will find advice on how to think, read, research, design and write papers, projects and presentations like a professional writer.
Coverage includes the following topics, all focused on the specific needs of professional writers:
- Writing process
- Conventions in the discipline
- Integrating and evaluating sources
- Documentation style required in the discipline--with plenty of models
- Sample student writing
Looking for instructor resources like Test Banks, Lecture Slides, and Clicker Questions? Request access to Achieve to explore the full suite of instructor resources.
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If you’re a verified instructor, you can request a free sample of our courseware, e-book, or print textbook to consider for use in your courses. Only registered and verified instructors can receive free print and digital samples, and they should not be sold to bookstores or book resellers. If you don't yet have an existing account with Macmillan Learning, it can take up to two business days to verify your status as an instructor. You can request a free sample from the right side of this product page by clicking on the "Request Instructor Sample" button or by contacting your rep. Learn more.
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Sometimes also referred to as a spiral-bound or binder-ready textbook, loose-leaf textbooks are available to purchase. This three-hole punched, unbound version of the book costs less than a hardcover or paperback book.
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We can help! Contact your representative to discuss your specific needs for your course. If our off-the-shelf course materials don’t quite hit the mark, we also offer custom solutions made to fit your needs.
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FAQs
-
-
Are you a campus bookstore looking for ordering information?
MPS Order Search Tool (MOST) is a web-based purchase order tracking program that allows customers to view and track their purchases. No registration or special codes needed! Just enter your BILL-TO ACCT # and your ZIP CODE to track orders.
Canadian Stores: Please use only the first five digits/letters in your zip code on MOST.
Visit MOST, our online ordering system for booksellers: https://tracking.mpsvirginia.com/Login.aspx
Learn more about our Bookstore programs here: https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/contact-us/booksellers
-
-
-
Our courses currently integrate with Canvas, Blackboard (Learn and Ultra), Brightspace, D2L, and Moodle. Click on the support documentation below to find out more details about the integration with each LMS.
Integrate Macmillan courses with Blackboard
Integrate Macmillan courses with Canvas
-
-
-
If you’re a verified instructor, you can request a free sample of our courseware, e-book, or print textbook to consider for use in your courses. Only registered and verified instructors can receive free print and digital samples, and they should not be sold to bookstores or book resellers. If you don't yet have an existing account with Macmillan Learning, it can take up to two business days to verify your status as an instructor. You can request a free sample from the right side of this product page by clicking on the "Request Instructor Sample" button or by contacting your rep. Learn more.
-
-
-
Sometimes also referred to as a spiral-bound or binder-ready textbook, loose-leaf textbooks are available to purchase. This three-hole punched, unbound version of the book costs less than a hardcover or paperback book.
-
-
-
We can help! Contact your representative to discuss your specific needs for your course. If our off-the-shelf course materials don’t quite hit the mark, we also offer custom solutions made to fit your needs.
-
A Guide to Professional Writing with 2020 APA Update
A Guide to Professional Writing, part of the Writer’s Help Guidebook Series, offers writing and research support for students writing in the discipline. This compact yet comprehensive guidebook provides the value students want with the essential instruction they need to get their writing tasks completed successfully. Students will find advice on how to think, read, research, design and write papers, projects and presentations like a professional writer.
Coverage includes the following topics, all focused on the specific needs of professional writers:
- Writing process
- Conventions in the discipline
- Integrating and evaluating sources
- Documentation style required in the discipline--with plenty of models
- Sample student writing
Select a demo to view:
Sample Achieve