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Who is the book addressed to?
- For those in academic who want to have a better work-life balance while still produce work of which they can be proud and for those struggling to manage the demands of their academic schedules.
What topics are covered?
- Part 1: Principles for productivity: personal motivation, self-perception, prioritization, SMART goals
- Part 2: Plans that work, say 'Yes' to say 'No,' How to write a Literature Review in a week, spend less time on emails and meetings, spend less time online.
What is the conclusion?
- The author, Mark Reed, has an open and honest writing style. In the first chapter, he speaks openly about his panic attacks as a young researcher with imposter syndrome. He also writes about his struggles following specific 'productivity guidelines.' As a result of his experience, Reed provides the reader with a set of personal, value-based goals and principles. He then shows the reader how she can adapt and apply these principles to her specific situation. I appreciated that this book explores the reader's personal motivations and asks the reader to do a lot of self-reflection. I found this 'self-guided' approach more engaging than a set of hard rules would have been.
Strunk, William/ White, E.B. (1959): The Elements of Style. 1. ed., New York, Macmillan.
Who is the book addressed to?
- Struck originally wrote the Elements of style for his first semeter university students at Cornell University after he noticed that they often struggled with English grammar. This small book explains the most common grammar rules for the English language through simply examples. This is often the first book university students use when trying to improve their writing.
What topics are covered?
- Basic rules of usage.
- Principles of composition
- Form
- Words and expressions that are commonly misused.
- An approach to style.
- A list of common word errors
- Rules for
What is the conclusion? The conclusion thus summarizes the evaluation of the writing tutors regarding the use of the guidebooks in their studies.
- The book is written simply, rules are explained clearly, and each section is brief. This book will be most helpful to those with a C1 in English and those who are interested in understanding the details of grammar and usage.
Williams, Joseph M. (2000). Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace. Addison-Wesley Education Publishers, Inc.
Who is the book addressed to?
- The book is addressed to writers of prose with a slight leaning towards academics.
What topics are covered?
- Style as choice, clarity, grace, and ethics,.
What is the conclusion?
- I found the sections on gender usage and ethics most interesting. He touches on the writer's ethical obligation to write clearly and well such that a reader my get full benefit from the work. Williams pointed out that academia often overcomplicates its writing when trying to seem superintelligent - Williams argues this is an ethical flaw: we should communicate our research as clearly as possible such that the widest audience may benefit from our research. This book will be useful to anyone struggling with 'degrees of complexity' in her writing.