The Wadsworth Guide to Research, 2009 MLA Update Edition

by Susan K. Miller-Cochran, Rochelle L. Rodrigo

Develop the research skills you need for success in academic, career, and everyday situations with THE WADSWORTH GUIDE TO RESEARCH. Recognizing that technology is a part of your daily life, the authors will show you how to apply the research skills you use every day (buying a car, choosing a movie, etc.) to academic and professional settings. Annotated student samples, Research in Action scenarios, and Techno Tips show you the "how" and "why" of researching, and the key research technologies important to success. This edition has been updated to reflect guidelines from the 2009 MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition.

432 pages, Spiral-bound

First published September 5, 2008

Reviews

[Nan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The approach to teaching students how to research is well-thought out and well-explained. At times, it is painfully simplistic, as students will have encountered thesis statements well before approaching a research project of this complexity. However, it does serve to reinforce what's been taught in other classes, so that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Unfortunately, the section on MLA format is atrocious. They create their own language for the documentation styles (concerned with whether or not an online source is "dynamic" or "stable," for instance). This language then becomes confusing as it does not match the vocabulary used in The MLA Handbook. They fail to explain things like what to do when a source has more than three authors (there is no mention of "et al," and not a single example features its use!).

While I liked parts of the book, especially the assignments, I am not certain that I would reuse it if given a choice.