| Term |
Definition |
Chapters |
| Audience |
The group of
readers a writer addresses in a document, whether real (those who actually
read it) or imagined (those the writer thinks will read it). |
1 |
| Genre |
A
group of documents that share similar features and respond to a recurring
rhetorical situation (e.g. film review, recommendation report). |
1 |
| Genre toolkit |
Three
questions you can use to better understand a genre: What is it? Who reads it?
What’s it for? |
1 |
| Literacy narrative |
A
first-person story about learning to read or write that often highlights the
power the narrator gains from literacy. |
1 |
| Narrative |
A
story or account of an event. (See also narration). |
1 |
| Narrative, literacy |
A
first-person story about learning to read or write that often highlights the
power the narrator gains from literacy. |
1 |
| Purpose |
The
need or goal that a document addresses. For example, a menu’s purpose is to
inform diners about food items available at a restaurant. |
1 |
| Examples |
Examples
may refer to… |
2 |
| Journal entry |
A
short, reflective piece, usually written for a class. A typical journal entry
reflects a two-step sequence. First, the author describes or observes
something, and then the author reflects upon that description or observation. |
2 |
| Rhetorical situation |
The
context in which an act of writing occurs. |
2 |
| Role |
The
position a writer takes on within a certain genre. For example, when writing
a letter to the editor one may take on the role of “citizen,” while when
writing a research paper one may take on the role of “researcher.” |
2 |
| Timing |
The
impact of time constraints (deadlines, for instance) but also opportunity on
the effectiveness of a document. |
2 |
| Response essay |
Essays
that respond to a reading assignment or prompt, sometimes called reader
response essays, reaction papers, or simply “response papers” or “response
essays.” |
3 |
| Draft |
A
draft is a rough or incomplete version of a written document. |
4 |
| Drafting |
Drafting
refers to the set of actions you use to shape a document into the final form
that it will take by putting words on the page or screen. |
4 |
| Editing |
The
act of fine-tuning a draft by focusing on sentence-level or stylistic
concerns. |
4 |
| Personal essay |
An
essay that on personal experience, uses the first-person voice (“I”), and
usually does not rely on research or other kinds of “library sources.” |
4 |
| Proofreading |
The
act of polishing a document by focusing on grammar, spelling, mechanics, and
other points of correctness. |
4 |
| Revising |
The
set of actions you take in an in-depth reconsideration of your draft and its
content, organization, and ideas. |
4 |
| Revision |
The
act of revising a work; or, a revised draft may be called a revision. |
4 |
| Writing process |
The
set of actions that you used to complete your project, from the time you
begin thinking about the project to the time you finish it. |
4 |
| Profile |
A
verbal portrait of a person, a group, a place, or a thing. |
5 |
| Profile article |
A
document profiling an individual or event using descriptive text and images,
in the form of an article appearing on a website, in a magazine, etc. |
5 |
| Program profile |
A
profile of an entity like a government program, a research institute, or a
university department. |
5 |
| Social network profile |
Short,
digital snapshots or outlines of an individual, company, or group |
5 |
| Factsheet |
A
short informative document on a topic that provides information, describes
how something works, or offers solutions to a problem. |
6 |
| How-to Tip |
Short
instructions for how to solve a problem. |
6 |
| Informative article |
Documents
that provide information about a topic, including plenty of facts and details
drawn from research, for a popular (non-scholarly) audience. |
6 |
| Informative genre |
A
document that helps people to learn about something new or to perform a new
task. |
6 |
| Tutorial |
A
document with instructions, often in words and pictures, for how to perform a
task or solve a problem. |
6 |
| Blog entry |
A
response to a text, concept, or topic from a course, usually in an informal
style, that is posted online on a personal or group blog. |
7 |
| Class notes |
A
series of point-form notes (such as key dates, definitions, concepts, etc.)
from a class lesson or lecture. |
7 |
| Inquiry |
An
informal investigation into or a record of anything you encounter in the
world. |
7 |
| Observation notes |
Informal
responses to an event or site the writer has observed. |
7 |
| Reading notes |
A
document including main ideas from a reading, plus the author’s response or
interpretation. |
7 |
| Analysis |
A
document that helps readers to interpret information. The goal of an analysis
is to break down complex information into its components and then
interpreting how those parts work together. |
8 |
| Keyword analysis |
An
image in which a long text is broken down by the words it contains most
often, or its keywords; the words used most often appear larger. |
8 |
| Literary analysis |
A
document that breaks down a work of literature (a novel, poem, short story,
etc.) into its component parts and studies them in essay form. |
8 |
| Rhetorical analysis |
A
document that identifies key concepts or features of its chosen text, and
then gives examples and interprets those examples using rhetorical concepts. |
8 |
| Scene analysis |
A
document that breaks down a scene of a film into its parts and studies them
using the tools of filmmaking. |
8 |
| Art review |
A
document that evaluates an art exhibit based on a set of criteria. |
9 |
| Book review |
A
document that evaluates a book based on a set of criteria. |
9 |
| Film review |
A
document that evaluates a film based on a set of criteria. |
9 |
| Performance review |
A
document that evaluates a performance (such as a play or concert) based on a
set of criteria. |
9 |
| Product review |
A
short evaluation of a product, posted by a consumer or user, on either an
e-commerce site or a consumer information site |
9 |
| Review |
A
critical appraisal or evaluation of something (such as a book, film, or
product). All reviews are based on criteria by which the reviewed item is
measured. |
9 |
| Website review |
An
evaluation of a website for its effectiveness, usability, and visual appeal. |
9 |
| Argumentative genre |
Genres
that aim to persuade. Writers of arguments use logic, evidence, emotions, and
other means of persuasion to encourage an audience to support a claim or
thesis. |
10 |
| Candidate speech |
A
spoken text delivered by a candidate for political office. |
10 |
| Column |
A
short written document published in a newspaper or magazine that seeks to
persuade readers to support a claim. |
10 |
| Letter to the editor |
A
short written document published in a newspaper or magazine that seeks to
persuade readers to support a claim. |
10 |
| Op-ed |
A
short written document published in a newspaper or magazine that seeks to
persuade readers to support a claim. |
10 |
| Print advertisement |
A
short, persuasive printed document that appears in print publications,
usually image-heavy. |
10 |
| Satire |
An
written document, usually printed in a newspaper or magazine, that persuades
an audience by using irony. |
10 |
| Abstract |
A short
document, usually a single paragraph, that accompanies a research article or
student research paper and includes the main findings and claims. |
11 |
| Academic
research genres |
The documents
through which scholars share their research with other scholars. |
11 |
| Annotated
Bibliography |
A list of many
sources, cited properly for the style of the field, with short summaries of
each source. |
11 |
| Literature
review |
A summary of
previous research in essay form that interprets the previous research’s
significance in a given field. |
11 |
| Research article |
A
written report on original research conducted by the author and written for
publication in an academic journal. |
11 |
| Research genre |
A
document that presents the results from a research study, usually written for
other researchers. |
11 |
| Research paper |
A
written report on original research conducted by the author; may include a
literature review and abstract; includes a bibliography. |
11 |
| Book pitch |
A
short document intended to sell a book to publishers. |
12 |
| Business letter |
A
formal, printed letter used to conduct workplace affairs. |
12 |
| Email |
A
short electronic letter. |
12 |
| Film pitch |
A
short document intended to sell a film to producers. |
12 |
| Grant proposal |
A
well-researched, persuasive document that requests financial support for a
project. |
12 |
| Letter |
A
formal, printed communication addressed to a specific recipient. |
12 |
| Letter, business |
A
formal, printed communication directed to a specific recipient, usually a
client, partner, or other professional contact. |
12 |
| Résumé |
A
document that conveys a jobseeker’s skills, education, and experience |
12 |
| Slogan |
A
short phrase or sentence that companies use to capture the public’s attention
and draw attention to their brand. |
12 |
| Student proposal |
A
document that requests approval for a new campus organization, event, course,
or activity. |
12 |
| Television pitch |
A
short document intended to sell a show to producers. |
12 |
| Workplace genre |
A
genre that a writers compose in a professional setting, including emails,
letters, proposals, plans, and résumé. |
12 |
| Elevator pitch |
A
short speech (usually 30 seconds to two minutes long) that you prepare in
order to quickly summarize a proposal. |
13 |
| Proposal |
A
document that asks for something from someone. |
13 |
| News report |
An
account of a recent event. |
14 |
| Progress report |
An
update on the writer’s accomplishments on an ongoing project. |
14 |
| Recommendation report |
A
long document that reports on the status of something and provides
recommendations for future action. |
14 |
| Report |
A
communication that answers this question: what is happening? or what
happened? The report may provide the results of an activity, investigation or
study. |
14 |
| Social network status update |
Short
(1-2 sentence) reports on recent news and events in the poster’s life. |
14 |
| Status update |
Short
(1-2 sentence) reports on recent news and events in the poster’s life. |
14 |
| Topic |
A
topic simply refers to what you will be writing about. For example, if you
are assigned to write an evaluation of a movie, your topic will be the movie
you have chosen to write about. |
15 |
| Audio-brainstorming |
A
freewrite that you do out loud, instead of on paper, using a cell phone or
laptop to record ideas. |
16 |
| Concept mapping |
A
visual method of freewriting. |
16 |
| Freewriting |
A
technique used for prewriting in which you simply sit down and start writing
for a predetermined length of time (usually a few minutes.) |
16 |
| Question-dialogue |
A
form of pre-writing that involves posing questions and writing down answers |
16 |
| Collaborative writing |
Writing
as a team or in groups, where members share responsibility for prewriting,
drafting, revising, and editing a single document. |
17 |
| Digital composing |
Composing
using electronic tools, such as word processors, blogging platforms, etc . |
17 |
| Analogy |
A
rhetorical figure that helps readers to understand a new problem or situation
in terms of a more familiar one. |
18 |
| Anecdote |
An
extended example, usually told as a story or real incident. |
18 |
| Argument |
A
statement or text that makes a claim or thesis that is then supported with
reasons and evidence. |
18 |
| Claim |
The
main statement of which a writer seeks to persuade readers. |
18 |
| Counter-arguments |
An
argument put forward in response to a claim or thesis (usually by an actual
or imagined audience or interlocutor). |
18 |
| Ethos |
The
credibility and authority of the writer. |
18 |
| Evidence |
Facts
or details that support a reason for a claim. |
18 |
| |
instances
of a genre that you collect to analyze and understand it |
18 |
| Fallacy |
An
unethical or manipulative form of argument that does not hold up to logical
analysis. |
18 |
| Logos |
Appeals
to logic, including claims, reasons, and evidence. |
18 |
| Manipulation |
The
use of unethical arguments, or fallacies, to sway an audience unfairly. |
18 |
| Opinion |
A
statement of a belief that is not necessarily supported by an argument. |
18 |
| Pathos |
Appeals
to the emotions or values of the audience. |
18 |
| Reason |
A
statement that supports or backs up a claim/thesis. |
18 |
| Reason chain |
A
series of reasons that build on each other. |
18 |
| Rhetorical appeals |
Strategies
writers use to persuade audiences. |
18 |
| Stasis questions |
A
set of questions that help you to pinpoint the key arguments at stake in any
issue. |
18 |
| Thesis |
A
statement that expresses the main point of a paper, or, the claim to which
the writer seeks to persuade readers. |
18 |
| Cause |
Explaining
what factors lead to a particular event or outcome. |
19 |
| Classification |
Placing
something in a category, or sorting categories into various subcategories. |
19 |
| Comparison |
Explaining
how two or more things are similar. |
19 |
| Contrast |
Explaining
how two or more things are different. |
19 |
| Definition |
Elucidating
the meaning of a term that your audience might not already understand, or
when you are using a general term in a specific way. |
19 |
| Description |
Portraying
people, places, and things in concrete language. |
19 |
| Effect |
Explaining
what factors result from a particular event or outcome. |
19 |
| Modes |
Strategies
or patterns writers use to examine a topic, such as description, definition,
classification, etc. |
19 |
| Narration |
Recounting
events that have happened in the past, often using lively, descriptive
language. |
19 |
| Rhetorical modes |
Strategies
or patterns writers use to examine a topic, such as description, definition,
classification, etc. |
19 |
| Conclusions |
The
ending of a document, which usually sums up the main points or key ideas. |
20 |
| Introductions |
The
beginning of a document, which usually sets out the main questions, topics,
or goals for the text. |
20 |
| Outline |
A
list of the main parts in a document, often used for planning or revising
purposes. |
20 |
| Organization |
The
act of arranging elements or parts of a document in a purposeful or logical
order. |
20 |
| Paragraph |
A
distinct section of a document, usually indicated by a line break and/or
indent. A paragraph usually features one main idea with supporting evidence
or details. |
20 |
| Alliteration |
A
rhetorical figure in which the writer repeats several words that start with
the same letter or sound. |
21 |
| Antithesis |
A
rhetorical figure that expresses a contradiction or relation of opposites. |
21 |
| Metaphor |
A
rhetorical figure in which a word is used to describe a thing or action to
which the word doesn’t normally apply, often to create a mental image in an
audience. |
21 |
| Parallelism |
Using
similar phrase or sentence structure for emphasis or clarity. |
21 |
| Rhetorical figures |
Special
language patterns writers can use to express an idea in an original,
eloquent, or persuasive way |
21 |
| Terminology |
Specific
terms a writer may use to indicate membership in the field or discourse
community in which her or she is participating. |
21 |
| Tone |
The
attitude the writer takes with relation to the subject or topic. |
21 |
| Vocabulary |
The
kinds of words a writer chooses. |
21 |
| Formality |
The
choice of words, sentence patterns, and visual elements to convey the
relationship between the reader, writer, and situation. (For example, a
letter addressed to the President of the United States would employ a formal
style to indicate that the author is addressing someone of greater status; a
letter to a friend would use a more causal style to indicate a closer
relationship). |
22 |
| Peer review |
The
act of seeking or giving feedback on a text from a classmate, group member,
or friend. |
22 |
| Persona |
How
the writer presents themselves with relation to the subject or topic and
audience. |
22 |
| Repetition |
Repeating
key words or phrases for emphasis. |
22 |
| Simile |
A
comparison between two things using the “like” or “as”; e.g., “strong as an
ox” |
22 |
| Style |
The
choice of words and phrases in a document. |
22 |
| Research plan |
A
detailed description of research tasks to complete for a project, with key
deadlines and dates provided. |
23 |
| Archival research |
Research
involving rare, old, and/or unique documents housed in a special library
collection. |
24 |
| Database research |
Research
that relies on published documents, usually available through library
databases. |
24 |
| Digital research |
Research
that involves digital documents and tools. |
24 |
| Empirical research |
Research
that explores a research question through experiments, surveys, observations,
etc., rather than relying on published (or database) research. |
24 |
| Experimental research |
Research
that involves testing a hypothesis in a setting controlled by the researcher. |
24 |
| Journal |
An
academic publication in which scholars publish articles for other scholars to
read. |
24 |
| Observational research |
Research
that involves testing a hypothesis by watching behavior or events in a
natural setting, not one manipulated by the researcher. |
24 |
| Qualitative research |
Research
involving analysis of patterns, themes, and ideas from a data set (such as a
set of survey responses). |
24 |
| Quantitative research |
Research
involving analysis of data or statistics from a data set (such as a set of
survey responses). |
24 |
| Search terms |
Keywords
researchers use to find information in a database. |
24 |
| Authoritative sources |
Sources
that are published by leading scholars in a field, are timely, and published
in prestigious venues. |
25 |
| Credible sources |
Well
researched books and articles that have been written by experts in a field. |
25 |
| Scholarly source |
A
source written by an expert or scholar, usually for other scholars. |
25 |
| Paraphrase |
Rephrasing
a specific passage in the writer’s own words (as opposed to rephrasing the
general idea of a text, as in a summary). |
26 |
| Quotation |
Using
the exact words from a source text in a written document. |
26 |
| Summarizing |
Putting
the general idea of another author’s work in your own words. |
26 |
| Plagiarism |
The
use of the words or ideas of another without proper attribution. |
27 |
| Wholesale plagiarism |
When
a writer turns in a document produced by another, claiming that the work is
his own. |
27 |
| APA Style |
A
style guide used for formatting papers and citing sources according developed
by The American Psychological Association (APA). This guide has become one of
the most commonly used style guides for the social sciences and health
sciences. |
28 |
| Bibliography |
A
list of sources cited in a paper or book. See also Works Cited list and
Rerferences. |
28 |
| Citation |
The
act of referring to a specific source in a document, usually using a citation
style (such as MLA or APA). |
28 |
| MLA Style |
A
style guide used for formatting papers and citing sources according developed
by Modern Language Association (MLA). This guide has become one of the most
commonly used style guides for the humanities. |
28 |
| Patchwork plagiarism |
Plagiarism
that occurs when a writer intersperses words written by someone else with his
or her own words, without properly citing the source. |
28 |
| Reference |
A
citation or mention of a source in an academic research genre. |
28 |
| References |
A
list of all sources used in a research or academic genre. (“References” is
the term used in APA Style). |
28 |
| Works cited list |
A
list of all sources used in a research or academic genre. (“Works Cited” is
the term used in MLA Style). |
28 |
| Design |
The
set of choices writers make regarding the visual appeal of a document, such
as fonts, colors, etc. |
29 |
| Figure |
A
visual element in a document. |
29 |
| Font |
The
typeface or style of type chosen for a document. |
29 |
| Layout |
The
arrangement of document elements, including visual elements, text, white
space, etc. on a page or screen. |
29 |
| Visual elements |
Elements
of a document that are primarily processed through sight (not reading), such
as images, graphs, diagrams, etc. |
29 |
| Multimedia presentation |
A
presentation delivered with the aid of a video or screen, such as a
slideshow, video, or podcast. |
30 |
| Oral presentation |
A
presentation given in front of a live audience. |
30 |
| Presentation |
A
formal presentation of ideas for an audience. In college classes, this is
usually a summary of research presented to classmates. |
30 |
| Convention |
Similarities
that arise in a genre response to situations in which a certain kind of
author needs to communicate a certain kind of a message to a certain kind of
audience. |
1,
2 |
| Research |
The
act of investigating a scholarly question or topic. |
23,
24 |
| Format |
The
layout of a document, often following a specific style or set of guidelines
(such as MLA or APA format). |
28,
29 |
| Prewriting |
The
set of actions you do before you actually sit down to write. Prewriting
actions help you to generate ideas, to clarify points, or to address problems
you encounter. |
4,
16 |
| Publishing |
The
act of submitting your work so that others can read it; for example, you
might publish your work on a blog or submit it to an undergraduate journal. |
4,
30 |
| Portfolio |
An
in-depth profile of a person or group that provides detailed information
about its subject, along with a sampling of the subject’s work. |
5,
30 |
|
|
|
| Brainstorming |
See prewriting. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
examples
you provide in writing to illustrate a point |
|
| |
|
|
| Needs |
The
goals of readers and/or the uses to which they will put a document. For
instance, readers of a menu may need (or expect) to know prices. |
|
| Rhetoric |
The
art of communication; the study of effective communication. |
|
