Mastering Workplace Writing (Second Edition): Developing the critical-thinking and writing skills you need to craft highly useful, readable documents for paper and screen

This new edition of Mastering Workplace Writing from Drs Harvey Lillywhite and Kevin Dungey is excellent. I took Lillywhite's class at Towson in 2013 and was blown away by the simple, yet powerful methods for writing and thinking. I was able to apply the techniques immediately to documents I created for work but also to my thinking process for all of life.This is one of the few college textbooks that I have not only kept, but refer to over and over again. I wish it was required reading for my coworkers! I keep a copy close to my desk for easy reference. Each year, I find myself rereading sections of the book. My favorite parts are the 5cs (p 43) and the chapter on Sentences (p 113).The new graphics in this edition help illuminate the concepts in the text. The paper quality is fantastic and I love there is room for plenty of notes. If you are studying this book for a college class or for your workplace, you will not be disappointed.

So helpful for my class. I still use it for studying purposes so I don’t get behind. I would have failed if i wouldn’t have gotten this book. It is truly a great buy.

I had to read this book for a class on professional writing. While reading, I began noticing that this text repeats definitions and concepts A LOT. And it’s not as if it always reframes each definition or topic in a different way, no, it repeats nearly verbatim, most of the time. In chapter 2, it defines the word “issue” over 8 times. In chapter 3, it discusses how to format a piece of writing based off of the readers big 3 questions. It repeats the 3 big questions definition from the previous chapter, and reframes it in light of Intro, discussion, and conclusion paragraphs- with the same definitions. This happens at least 3 times and I’m only on page 2 of chapter 3. It gets to the point where the purpose of the book (how to write so the reader is kept in mind, and how to write in a concise manner) doesn’t seem to be followed by the writers of the book itself. It gets annoying to read as you realize that the entire chapter could have been summed up in 1-2 pages. The information is sort of helpful, but a lot of it is common sense as well. A professor could easily turn this information into a rubric and their students would be able to figure out this information just fine. It is a waste of time to read, and as a student, I find it very aggravating.

I purchased this book for a class, and I am not disappointed! The text is very informative, and I've learned many skills that I've already utilized in the workplace. Highly recommend!