David Acres, Passing Exams Without Anxiety, Oxford: How to Books, 5th edn, 2000, ISBN: 1857032691
Study skills tips for examinations up to undergraduate level. Includes advice on writing under pressure.
Full review HERE
Robert Allen, Punctuation, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002, pp.128 , ISBN 0198604394
Beginner's guide, covering all the basics. Shows how common marks of punctuation should be used.
Full review HERE
Robert Allen, Spelling, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002, pp.128, ISBN 0198603835
Cheap and cheerful beginner's guide, covering all the basics. Explains why spelling is complex in English, and offers lists of 'difficult' words.
Full review HERE
Gerald J. Alred et al,
The Professional Writer, New York: St Martin's Press, 1992.
Daniel Anderson, Bret Benjamin, Bill Paredes-Holt, Connections: a guide to on-line writing, Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1998, pp.331, ISBN: 0205268471
How to write effectively using the Internet - a classroom manual for students, with advice on everything from email to writing your own web pages.
Full review HERE
Jonathan Anderson and Millicent Poole, Thesis and Assignment Writing, London: John Wiley, 1994.
Naomi S. Baron, Alphabet to Email: How Written English Evolved and Where It's Heading, London/New York: Routledge, 2000, pp.316, ISBN: 0415186854
Scholarly study of the relationship between technology and the written language. Particularly strong on Renaissance period. Covers authorship, copyright, punctuation, and typewriters.
Full review HERE
Robert Barrass, Students Must Write: A Guide to Better Writing in Coursework and Examinations, London: Routledge, second edition 1995, pp.194, ISBN 0415132223
Academic writing skills guide which covers notes, coursework essays, and writing in exams. Also features presenting information via maps, charts, diagrams, and graphs.
Full review HERE
Stylewriter is a software program which offers help with writing skills such as summarising, editing, and proof-reading your work. It also offers a selection of writing styles to choose from - academic writing, journalism, formal prose, and so on. Mistakes and suggestions for improvement are highlighted and implemented with a click of the button. Immediate download. Very popular program.
Robert Barrass, Writing at Work: A guide to better writing in administration, business and management, London: Routledge, 2002, pp.201, ISBN 0415267536
Writing skills guide for business users - covers planning and editing letters and reports, plus efficiency in communication - including interviews.
Full review HERE
Alison Baverstock, Publicity, Newsletters, and Press Releases, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002, pp.96, ISBN 0198603843
How to generate publicity and promotional materials through effective writing. Covers email, letters, press releases, newsletters, and company reports.
Full review HERE
Judith Bell, Doing Your Research Project: A Guide for First-Time Researchers in Education and Social Science, Buckingham: Open University Press (2nd edn) 1993, pp.176, ISBN: 0335190944
Best-selling UK guide which covers planning and record-keeping, interviewing, reviewing 'the literature', questionnaires, and producing the final report. [Highly recommended]
Full review HERE
Howard S. Becker, Tricks of the Trade: how to think about our research while you're doing it, University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Hy Bender, Essential Software for Writers: a complete guide for everyone who writes with a PC, Cincinnati, OH: Writer's Digest Books, 1993, pp.486, ISBN: 0898796679
Compendium of programs and resources for all kinds of writing - from scriptwriting and journalism to business, medicine, and engineering. [Marvellous book - Out of print, but worth finding]
Full review HERE
Ralph Berry, The Research Project: how to write it, Routledge, third edition, 1994.
Jo Billingham, Editing and Revising Text, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002, pp.144 , ISBN 0198604130
Beginner's guide which covers all aspects of re-writing and improving text - from choice of individual words, through sentence construction, to creating good structure.
Full review HERE
Lorraine Blaxter et al, How to Research, Buckingham: Open University Press, (second edition) 2001, pp.286, ISBN 0335209033
Comprehensive manual of research skills - from choosing a topic to writing up the results. Aimed at students in social sciences, as well as in related subjects such as education, business studies, and health and social care.
Full review HERE
Rita S. Brause, Writing your Doctoral Dissertation: Invisible Rules for Success, London and New York: Falmer Press, 2000, pp.163, ISBN 0750707445.
New US guide to writing at post-graduate level which uses practical examples, is strong on planning, and offers tips from former students. Popular.
Full review HERE
Charles T. Brusaw et al, Handbook of Technical Writing, Fifth Edition, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997.
Judith Butcher, Copy-Editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Authors and Publishers, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, (3rd edn) 1992, pp.471, ISBN: 0521400740
Classic UK guide and major source of reference to editing and text-presentation, which covers every possible bibliographic detail. [Highly recommended]
Full review HERE
Christopher Callahan, A Journalist's Guide to the Internet: the net as a reporting tool, Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999, pp.126, ISBN 0205282156
Guide to using the Net for research and fact-checking - strong on search techniques and evaluation of results.
Full review HERE
C.V. Carey, Mind the Stop: A brief guide to punctuation and a note on proof-correction, first published Cambridge University Press, 1939.
The Chicago Manual of Style, Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press, 14th edn, 1993, ISBN: 0226103897
Details at -
http://www.amazon.co.uk
John Clancy and Brigid Ballard, How to Write Essays: A practical guide for students, Longman Cheshire, 1983.
Collins Electronic Dictionary & Thesaurus V1.5 on disk and CD-ROM, Harper-Collins: 1995.
Full review HERE
William Condon and Wayne Butler, Writing the Information SuperHighway, Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1997, pp.318, ISBN: 020519575X
Instruction guide for students and teachers - concentrates on word-processing, email conventions, collaborative writing, and putting your results onto the Web.
Full review HERE
Claire Kehrwald Cook, Line by Line: How to improve your own writing, Houghton Mifflin, 1986, pp219, ISBN 0395393914
Details at -
http://www.amazon.co.uk
Phyllis Creme and Mary R.Lea, Writing at University: a guide for students, Buckingham: Open University Press, 1997, pp.152, ISBN: 033519642X
Popular UK guide to understanding questions, planning assignments, reading and note-taking, and developing arguments.
Full review HERE
Martin Cutts, Oxford Guide to Plain English, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004, pp.202, ISBN: 0198610114
Pocket-book guide to writing simple, clear English. How to avoid jargon and cliche. Before and after examples of editing for clarity and good style. How to present information visually to make its meaning clear. Recommended.
Full review HERE
John W. Davies, Communication for Engineering Students, London: Longman, 1996, pp.167, ISBN: 0582256488
Straightforward advice on clear writing, grammar, presenting technical information, and even writing job applications.
Full review HERE
Christian W. Dawson, The Essence of Computing Projects - A Student's Guide, London: Prentice Hall, 2000, pp.176, ISBN 013021972X
Covers what's required in writing a project - surveying the literature, report writing skills, documenting software, time management, project management, and presentation skills.
Full review HERE
Part Two
Improve your Writing Skills shows you how to develop the quality and effectiveness of your writing. Packed with good examples and handy hints, it features clear advice written in non-technical language, and quick solutions to common problems. Suitable for anybody writing reports, business proposals, memos, or academic documents. This will help you to clarify and sharpen your written communication skills.
