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Keys for Writers, 9th Edition

Susan K. Miller-Cochran, Ann Raimes

  • Copyright 2025
  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Published', '2024-08-07T00:00:00+0000')}}
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Keys for Writers 9th Edition by Susan K. Miller-Cochran/Ann Raimes
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Overview

Miller-Cochran/Raimes' KEYS FOR WRITERS, 9th Edition, is packed with examples and renowned for its concise explanations, strong ESL coverage, outstanding student writing samples and student-friendly design. Updated to include coverage of artificial intelligence applications (such as ChatGPT) for academic writing -- including an updated discussion of academic integrity, plagiarism and citation of new types of sources -- the new edition’s Key Examples and signature Critical Thinking Framework to reading, source evaluation, source synthesis and revision gives students the tools to common genres they may encounter in their academic and professional careers. End-of-part exercises enable students to check their understanding as they progress through the text while focusing on writing in the disciplines helps them carry the framework for critical thinking into a variety of academic contexts.

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Meet the Authors

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Susan K. Miller-Cochran

Susan K. Miller-Cochran, now Executive Director of General Education at The University of Arizona, helped shape the writing programs at The University of Arizona from 2015–2020 and North Carolina State University from 2007–2015. Prior to that, she was a English/ESL faculty member at Mesa Community College in Arizona. Dr. Miller-Cochran served as president of the Council of Writing Program Administrators (2015–2017). Her work focuses on the intersections of technology, second-language writing and writing program administration. A widely published and popular presenter, Dr. Miller-Cochran is also a co-author with Rochelle L. Rodrigo on the CENGAGE GUIDE TO RESEARCH (Cengage Learning). She received both her Master of Teaching English as a Second Language (MTESL) and her Ph.D. in English, with a concentration in Rhetoric/Composition and Linguistics, from Arizona State University.

Ann Raimes

Ann Raimes, a respected authority on writing, research, grammar and ESL, created the KEYS FOR WRITERS family of handbooks (Cengage Learning) to be the most accessible, user-friendly handbooks available.

What's New

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  • The text includes discussions of new technologies for academic writing and research, including easy-to-follow discussions of how artificial intelligence impacts considerations of academic integrity and plagiarism. Examples of how to use artificial intelligence in an ethical way to generate and build upon ideas for writing are also featured.
  • Enhanced discussions of evaluating credibility and accuracy of information found online are provided, as well as consideration of the way the information is updated and who has access to updating that information.
  • The text includes updated discussions of academic integrity, plagiarism and citation of new types of sources, including enhanced discussion of the cultural differences in academic integrity guidelines, especially appropriate for international students and multilingual writers.
  • Up-to-date MLA and APA documentation guidelines and examples is included.

Features

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  • Popular Source Shots for citation appear in Parts 3–4 and show students where they are likely to find elements needed to cite common research sources in MLA, APA, CSE and Chicago styles. Clearly labeled citation models illustrate at a glance what types of information students need to include and how to format, arrange and punctuate that information when documenting sources.
  • Thorough Coverage of Style: The entire Part 6, Style: The Five C's is devoted to the important area of style, covering sentence- and word-related style issues with a straightforward and easy-to-remember approach that teaches students to Cut, Check for Action, Connect, Commit, and Choose the Best Words.
  • Thorough, streamlined and clear coverage of grammar in Part 7, Common Sentence Problems, gives students one central place to turn to when they have grammar questions. While other handbooks often confuse students by dividing grammar coverage over several parts, the reader-friendly KEYS FOR WRITERS summarizes answers to students' frequently asked grammar questions in Part 7.
  • Its distinctive "difference, not deficit" emphasis is presented within Language and Culture boxes, an extensive "Editing guide to multilingual transfer patterns," an "Editing guide to vernacular Englishes" and Notes for Multilingual Writers are integrated throughout the text.
  • Exercises on Writing, Research and Grammar at the ends of these sections of the text (including Writing across Languages and Cultures) give students plenty of opportunities to put what they learn into practice.
  • The text prepares students for a range of writing and communicating tasks they may encounter in college and as they make their way in the community and workplace. Part 1 and the Assignment Guides in the appendix support students' writing efforts in different academic disciplines, while Part 5 provides model documents, Web pages, presentations and other resources for writing, communicating and document design in a variety of media for diverse audiences.
  • Practical Key Points boxes provide quick-reference summaries of essential information, including What Every Librarian Wishes You Knew (Part 2), How to Cite and List Sources in MLA Style (Part 3), DOIs and URLs: Locating and Citing Electronic Sources (Part 4) and Guidelines for College Essay Format (Part 5).

Table of Contents

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Part I: THE WRITING PROCESS.
1. Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing.
2. Drafting in Stages.
3. Revising, Editing, and Proofreading.
4. Writing and Analyzing Arguments.
5. Writing in Academic Disciplines.
ASSIGNMENT GUIDE: KEYS TO COMMON GENRES.
Part II: THE RESEARCH PROCESS.
6. Research: A Conversation with Sources.
7. Searching for Sources.
8. How to Evaluate Sources.
9. How to Avoid Plagiarizing.
10. How to Use, Integrate, and Document Sources.
Part III: MLA DOCUMENTATION.
11. Citing Sources in Your Paper, MLA Style.
12. MLA List of Works Cited.
13. A Student's Research Paper, MLA Style.
Part IV: APA, CSE, AND CHICAGO DOCUMENTATION.
14. Citing Sources in Your Paper, APA Style.
15. APA List of References.
16. A Student's Research Paper, APA Style.
17. CSE Style of Documentation.
18. Excerpt from a Student's Research Paper, CSE Style.
19. Chicago Manual of Style: Endnotes, Footnotes, and Bibliography.
20. Excerpt from a Student's Research Paper, Chicago Style.
Part V: DESIGN, MEDIA, AND PRESENTATION.
21. Document Design.
22. Visuals.
23. Online Communication Forums.
24. Oral and Multimedia Presentations.
25. Portfolios.
26. Resumes and Letters of Application.
27. Business Letters and Memos.
Part VI: STYLE: THE FIVE C'S.
28. First C: Cut.
29. Second C: Check for Action.
30. Third C: Connect.
31. Fourth C: Commit.
32. Fifth C: Choose the Best Words.
33. Revising for Style: A Student's Drafts.
34. Style Tips.
Part VII: COMMON SENTENCE PROBLEMS.
35. Trouble Spots and Terms.
36. Fixing a Sentence Fragment.
37. Run-ons and Comma Splices.
38. Sentence Snarls.
39. Verbs.
40. Passive Voice.
41. Subject-Verb Agreement.
42. Pronouns.
43. Adjectives and Adverbs.
44. Relative Clauses and Relative Pronouns.
Part VIII: PUNCTUATION, MECHANICS, AND SPELLING.
45. Commas.
46. Apostrophes.
47. Quotation Marks.
48. Semicolons and Colons.
49. Other Punctuation Marks.
50. Italics/Underlining.
51. Capitalization.
52. Abbreviations.
53. Numbers.
54. Hyphens.
55. Online Guidelines.
56. Spelling.
Part IX: WRITING ACROSS LANGUAGES AND CULTURES.
57. Language Diversity and Edited American English: Challenges for Multilingual Writers.
58. Nouns and Articles.
59. Verbs and Verb Forms.
60. Sentence Structure and Word Order.
61. Prepositions and Idioms.
62. Language Learners' FAQs.
Part X: GLOSSARIES.
63. Words to Watch For: Glossary of Usage.
64. Glossary of Grammatical Terms.
Index.

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Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

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MindTap for Miller-Cochran/Raimes' KEYS FOR WRITERS, is the digital learning solution that powers students from memorization to mastery. It gives you complete control of your course to provide engaging content, challenge every individual and build their confidence. Empower students to accelerate their progress with MindTap. MindTap: Powered by You. MindTap gives you complete ownership of your content and learning experience. Customize the interactive syllabi, emphasize the most important topics and add your own material or notes in the eBook.

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ISBN: 9780357656631
MindTap for Miller-Cochran/Raimes' KEYS FOR WRITERS, 9th Edition, is the digital learning solution that powers students from memorization to mastery. It gives you complete control of your course to provide engaging content, challenge every individual and build their confidence. Empower students to accelerate their progress with MindTap. MindTap: Powered by You. MindTap gives you complete ownership of your content and learning experience. Customize the interactive syllabi, emphasize the most important topics and add your own material or notes in the eBook.