Writing Handbooks
Listed below are a selection of writing handbooks to help you get started.
For a list of additional books, try one of the following subject searches in the Library Catalog:
- Sociology -- Authorship
- Sociology -- Authorship -- Style manuals.
- Sociology -- Authorship -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
- Sociology -- Research -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
- Social sciences -- Authorship.
- Report writing -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
- Dissertations, Academic -- Authorship.
General Writing Handbooks
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The Elements of Style
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Call Number: PE 1408 .S93 2000ISBN: 0205313426Publication Date: 1999-08-24Additional copies/editions available.
Out-of-copyright online editions are available: 1918 edition, 1920 edition.
This classic text has been in print for over 50 years. Includes chapters on usage, composition, formatting, commonly misused words and expressions, and developing an approach to style (for example: "do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity" and "use figures of speech sparingly").
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Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)"The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects."
Sociology Student Writing Handbooks
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A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers
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Call Number: Hatcher Graduate — 1A North - HM 585 .G78 2008ISBN: 9780716776260Publication Date: 2007-09-21"Ideal for instructors and students in a wide range of sociological courses, this guide makes the case that thinking and writing are integrally related and that writing, therefore, exercises the sociological imagination. Written in a clear and conversational style, A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers examines a wide range of writing assignments for sociology courses at all levels of the curriculum. Employing a variety of writing samples as a means to illustrate effective writing, this brief and inexpensive text teaches students how to deftly research and write about sociology." [publisher description] -
The Sociology Student Writer's Manual
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Call Number: Shapiro Undergraduate — Basement - HM 585 .S6381 2006ISBN: 0131928511Publication Date: 2005-06-16"The most comprehensive book available that deals specifically with writing sociology papers, this updated reference/manual helps both beginning and advanced sociologists learn how to research and write in sociology, and how to improve their writing ability in general. Teaches the basic skills of writing—formatting, source citations, grammar, sentence structure, research, and utilizing available sources—in sociology. For practicing sociologists and those in training." [publisher description] -
Writing in Sociology
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Call Number: Shapiro Undergraduate — Basement - HM569 .E39 2015ISBN: 9781483351292Publication Date: 2015"Writing in a conversational tone for undergraduate and graduate students, Edwards (sociology, Oregon State U.) reviews strategies for different types of writing in sociology courses, including qualitative and quantitative papers and other projects. The guide begins with material on turning ideas into researchable questions, then offers an overview of writing a research paper, using the literature, and citing sources, with an example of a complete paper provided. The next section focuses on specific parts of the quantitative research paper, from the introduction and literature review to the conclusion. A section on writing qualitative papers describes techniques for ethnographic interviewing and storytelling, case studies, and the internship journal. Other sociology writing tasks covered include applied research projects, book reviews, and theory papers. An extensive appendix lists commonly misused or misspelled words, with examples." [publisher description] -
Writing for Emerging Sociologists
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Call Number: Hatcher Graduate — 1A North - HM569 .H37 2013ISBN: 9781412991797Publication Date: 2013"A writing guide designed for upper-level sociology undergraduate students and graduate students, this instructional text introduces students to the variety of writing projects that sociologists undertake, while also providing instruction on grammar and composition." -
Making Sense: a student's guide to research and writing: social sciences
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Call Number: Hatcher Graduate — Basement A North - H 62 .N735 2007ISBN: 9780195425901Publication Date: 2007"Designed especially for students in the social sciences, Making Sense in the Social Sciences outlines general principles of grammar, punctuation, usage, and style, and contains guidelines for (and examples of) three different reference styles. ... Covering such issues as how to conduct sociological research, how to write reports, and how to document sources, it also offers valuable material on current trends in the field and on research ethics." [publisher description]
Writing, Research, & Publishing Guides
See also the Sage Research Methods database, which includes a large number of books about writing and research techniques.
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Writing for Social Scientists: How to start and finish your thesis, book, or article
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Call Number: Hatcher Graduate — Basement A North & Shapiro Undergraduate — Basement - H 61.8 .B43 2007ISBN: 9780226041308Publication Date: 2007 -
Salsa Dancing into the Social Sciences
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Call Number: Shapiro Undergraduate Library: H 62 .L7995 2008ISBN: 9780674031579Publication Date: 2008Also available as an e-book -
Tricks of the Trade: How to think about your research while you’re doing it
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Call Number: Hatcher Graduate Library & Shapiro Undergraduate Library: H 91 .B381 1998ISBN: 0226041239Publication Date: 1998 -
Getting It Published
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Call Number: Hatcher Graduate — 1 North - PN 161 .G46 2008ISBN: 9780226288529Publication Date: 2008 -
A Practical Guide to Behavioral Research
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Call Number: Hatcher Graduate — Basement A North - H 62 .S712 2002ISBN: 019514208XPublication Date: 2001Previous editions also available. -
Writing and Presenting Research
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ISBN: 9780857020307Publication Date: 2006Available in both print and electronic formats.
Literature Review Resources
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Literature Reviews: An Overview for Graduate Students (video tutorial)This video is provides an overview of the literature review process aimed at graduate students. Produced by North Carolina State University Libraries.
Articles
- Boote, D. N., & Beile, P. (2005). Scholars Before Researchers: On the Centrality of the Dissertation Literature Review in Research Preparation. Educational Researcher, 34(6), 3–15. doi:10.3102/0013189X034006003
- Dunne, C. (2011). The place of the literature review in grounded theory research. International Journal Of Social Research Methodology, 14(2), 111-124. doi:10.1080/13645579.2010.494930
- Reviewing the Literature. (2005). In Jerry J. Wellington, A. Bathmaker, C. Hunt, G. McCulloch, & P. Sikes (Eds.), Succeeding with Your Doctorate. (pp. 73-92). SAGE Publications Ltd. doi:10.4135/9781849209977.n5
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Doing a Literature Review: releasing the social science research imagination
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Call Number: Hatcher Graduate — Basement A North - H 62 .H25661 1998ISBN: 0761959742Publication Date: 1999"Doing a Literature Review is a practical and comprehensive guide to researching, preparing and writing a literature review, an essential component of research projects. It is an essential tool for postgraduate students but also for undergraduate and novice researchers across the social sciences and humanities." [publisher description] -
Conducting Research Literature Reviews
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Call Number: Shapiro Undergraduate — 2nd Floor - Q180.55 .M4 F56 2014ISBN: 9781452259499Publication Date: 2013Contents: Reviewing the literature : why? for whom? how? -- Searching and screening : the practical screen and methodological quality (part 1 : research design and sampling) -- Searching and screening : methodological quality (part 2 : data collection, interventions, analysis, results, and conclusions) -- Doing the review -- What did you find? : synthesizing results. -
Writing Literature Reviews (6th Ed)
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Call Number: Hatcher Graduate — Basement A North - H 61.8 .G34 2014ISBN: 9781936523375Publication Date: 2014Previous editions also available. Check the library catalog.
Academic Reading
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Reading StrategiesInterrogating Texts: Six Reading Habits to Develop in Your First Year at Harvard
- Chapter 5. Reviewing the Literature. In Luker, Kristin. Salsa Dancing into the Social Sciences. Harvard University Press, 2008.
- Discussion of "Harvarding" pp. 93-96.
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How to Read (and Understand) a Social Science Journal ArticleReading from ICPSR that explains the parts of an article and how to develop a reading strategy that saves reading time.
Last Updated: Dec 2, 2025 10:27 AM
Subjects: Social Sciences