New! Writing An A+ Research Paper

Hello, PWH Blog Readers! It’s been far too long since our last post, so I’ve taken over where Keith left off back in September. So, without further ado, this newly graduated, fresh-faced copywriter will be writing more frequently to keep you updated on all things Prestwick House. Sit back, relax, and enjoy as I share some of my favorite books, a few fun PWH photos, all of our newsworthy happenings, and a whole lot more.

All the Best,

Annie Rizzuto, Copywriter Extraordinaire

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Back when I was writing my first research paper on the Holocaust for Mrs. Reilly’s AP English Lit class, the process was all about book research at the local college library, hundreds of handwritten note cards rubber-banded together (and exploding out of every pocket of my backpack), and avoiding plagiarism like the plague. With the ever-expanding reach of the Internet and the modernization of libraries, some of the things that I had had ingrained in my head a mere five years ago have changed. Today’s students will never know what a physical card catalog looks like (much less how to use one), but they now have seemingly unlimited sources for gathering information.

Along with this veritable flood of useful information comes a barrage of questions that many research handbooks are simply not equipped to handle. Because of this deficiency, Prestwick House has created Writing an A+ Research Paper to help out these poor kids who no longer have to turn in 200 handwritten note cards by Friday.

Instead of just giving some “helpful hints” and then moving right into the citations, Writing an A+ Research Paper works through the entire process in definitive steps — from choosing a topic all the way through turning in a final copy of the finished paper. Before completing a step of their own research paper, students actively help two fictional peers: Ella, whose work provides the models; and Rob, whose work students will analyze, critique, and help develop.

Similarly, instead of just throwing out the usual warnings about plagiarism, this book actually explains the rationale behind avoiding it and adds well-thought-out suggestions on the best ways to do so. And just in case that wasn’t enough, Prestwick House added a bonus CD filled with extra practice for every step, and over 200 pages of supplemental material.

So, from an English student who’s just a little jealous that such a book didn’t exist back in the 2003-2004 school year, I highly recommend Writing an A+ Research Paper for your high school classroom.