The Writing Process

Types of Assignments

Resources by Discipline

Humanities

Sciences

Social Sciences

Documentation/Citation

Grammar, Style and Language

Writing Resources Guide

Resources By Discipline: Humanities

The following humanities disciplines are included in this section:

General Humanities | Art & Art History | Film
History | Literature | Music | Philosophy

General Humanities

Print Resources

• Researching and Writing in the Humanities and Arts -- D.H. Hill Stacks: AZ186 .H85 1996

Excellent introduction to the writing of a humanities paper, this short guide covers the evaluation of library resources, research methods, argument and style. An appropriate place to begin for the first undergraduate research paper.

• Writing Essays: A Guide for Students in English and the Humanities -- D.H. Hill Stacks: PE1408 .T87 2000 (also available as an NCSU Libraries' e-book)

Very readable and useful book presenting essay writing as a set of distinct skills that can be easily learned. Also includes sections on revision and using library resources.

Online Resources

• Humanities Resources (Brown University)
• Writing in the Humanities (Dartmouth College)

Art & Art History

Print Resources

• A Short Guide to Writing About Art -- D.H. Hill Stacks: N7476 .B37 2011

Tenth edition of this classic guide to analyzing pictures, sculpture and architectures and how to effectively present it in writing.

• Writing About Art -- Design Library Stacks: N7476 .S29 2002

Fourth edition of a very useful text for writing critically about the historical context of art -- features an appendix on style and a sample essay by Erwin Panofsky.

Online Resources

• Art History Handout (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
• Writing About Art (Marjorie Munsterberg)

Film

Print Resources

• Blueprint for Screenwriting: A Complete Writer’s Guide to Story Structure and Character Development -- D.H. Hill Stacks: PN1996 .B37 2005

Intended to take you from concept to finished screenplay, this emphasizes process and the craft of writing: character development, structure, theme.

• A Short Guide to Writing About Film -- D.H. Hill Stacks: PN1995 .C66 2004

Enduring and accessible introduction to the writing of film criticism, featuring explanations of terminology and student/professional writing samples.

Online Resources

• Writing About Film (Dartmouth College)
• Yale Film Analysis 2.0 (Yale University)

History

Print Resources

• Pocket Guide to Writing in History -- D.H. Hill Reference Stacks: D13.R295 2004

Very concise and approachable introduction to historical research, with clear chapter themes including writing and citation, methods and avoiding plagiarism, as well as a useful section on historical sources.

• Writing History: A Guide for Students -- D.H. Hill Stacks: D16 .S864 2004

A short and practical guide to using primary sources, creating effective arguments, and expressing them concisely in a revised and well-written history essay.

Online Resources

• History Writing Handout (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
• Writing About History (University of Toronto)

Literature

Print Resources

• The Poetry Handbook: A Guide to Reading Poetry for Pleasure and Practical Criticism -- D.H. Hill Stacks: PR502 .L38 1996

Metre, form, rhyme, diction, and more: a lucid description of how poems work, with every chapter ending with an important concept applied to the same poem. Also features a very substantial bibliography.

• Literature for composition: reading an writing arguments about essays, fiction, poetry, and drama -- D. H. Hill Stacks: PE1417. L633 2007

Very accessible anthology of writing guides that teaches critical thinking and writing strategies through case studies, with an emphasis on argument.

Online Resources

• Writing About Literature (LitWeb)
• Writing In Literature (Purdue University)

Music

Print Resources

• A Short Guide to Writing About Music -- D.H. Hill Stacks: ML3797 .B4 2000

Covering the many different schools of music criticism, this is both a beginner's guide for undergraduates new to music literacy and for more advanced musicians seeking to improve their writing skills. Also features a very useful chapter on professional contexts of music writing: program/liner notes, summaries, press releases.

• Music In Words: a guide to researching and writing about music -- e-book (2009)

While very useful as a research and writing guide, this also contains much useful information reagrding citations, musical terms and phrases, the use of illustrations and sources.

Online Resources

• Writing the Music Paper (Dartmouth College)

Philosophy

Print Resources

• Doing Philosophy: A Guide to the Writing of Philosophy Papers -- D.H. Hill Stacks: B52.7 .F45 2008

Recently updated to cover new technologies and sources for writers of undergraduate philosophy papers, Feinberg covers logic and language, as well as concise recommendations of style and citation.

• Writing Philosophy Papers -- D.H. Hill Stacks: B52.7 .S44 2009

Written for those confident in their writing but who need more guidance for a philosophy paper, this focuses on the kinds of papers one might write, as well as language and reasoning, along with useful appendices on editing and formal logic

Online Resources

• Guidelines on Writing a Philosophy Paper (Jim Pryor, Associate Professor - NYU)
• Philosophy Writing Handout (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Librarian Contact Information

• Anne Burke, Undergraduate Instruction and Outreach Librarian
• (919) 513-7426
• anne_burke@ncsu.edu