Critics’ Reviews

“Like any complex rhetorical art, good academic writing is less a matter of conforming to rules than of exercising judgment, informed by a sense of audience expectations and developed by disciplined practice. Academic Writing: An Introduction is one of those rare guides that knows this, and helps students help themselves. Its discussions of academic genres, styles, and knowledge-making processes explain the complex cognitive and social principles of academic discourse with remarkable clarity. As students work through the book’s many imaginative exercises, they will find themselves developing a new level of rhetorical judgment. Not only will they will they be better equipped to deal with writing assignments in a variety of disciplines; they will likely go on improving as writers after their introductory course has been completed.” – Brian Turner, Centre for Academic Writing, University of Winnipeg

“A remarkably rich resource for…practice, instruction, and research in academic writing.” – Olga Gladkova, University of Waterloo

“In no other composition text have I found as rich an explanation of qualitative research methods—a systematic approach to research and analysis.” – Nanci Burns-McCoy, University of Idaho

“Academic Writing is a superb book. It is steeped in contemporary rhetorical theory, packed with examples of writing in the disciplines, and full of unusual and effective exercises. The book is eminently practical: it helps the reader understand and enter into the discourse of academic life.” – Anthony Pare, Director, Centre for the Study of Teaching of Writing, McGill University

“All of the lessons in Academic Writing: An Introduction are illuminating and entirely useful. Students will love this introductory text for its relevance to their academic lives; instructors will love it for its theoretical coherence. The exercises are unique, the examples of scholarly prose broad and current, and the tone of the authors patient and hospitable.” – Sheila Ross, Douglas College