Schaum's Quick Guide to Writing Great Essays

Schaum's Quick Guide to Writing Great Essays is a superb reference for learning how to research and write essays. I have assigned this book for the past 5 years, and each year my undergraduates tell me it is the best resource of the class. The book teaches them how to identify a topic, develop a topic question, write a clearly identified thesis statement, and prove their argument through careful use of evidence. This book also describes how to outline the paper and begin writing, and thus should be required for any class trying to teach students how to construct a research paper. The authors take students through each step of the essay, explaining how to write an introduction, thesis paragraph, the body of the paper, and the conclusion. The authors also teach students how to improve their writing style through carefully constructed paragraphs, sentences and smooth transitions. The book is clearly and logically organized with many specific examples to help students follow the authors' points. This guide has my highest recommendation for anyone who wants to become a better writer of research papers and essays.