KEY BENEFIT:The Little, Brown Handbook has always addressed both the most current and the recurrent needs of writers while remaining an accessible reference and a comprehensive book. The eighth edition continues that tradition by offering greatly expanded coverage of writing and researching with computers, smaller chapters for large subjects such as the writing process and research writing, and innumerable improvements in all other material.KEY TOPICS:A guide to writing with computers: NEW! Part III, "Using Computers Critically," includes 4 chapters on computer literacy, document design, Web composition, and online collaboration. 90 new computer tips, for 150 total, are integrated throughout the book. 400 links to Web resources supplement every topic covered by the handbook. More than three dozen computer terms now appear in the Glossary of Terms. A guide to researching with computers: NEW! Discussion and screen shot show how to find bibliographic information for online sources. NEW! Section on acknowledging online sources addresses issues of copyright and fair use. A guide to research writing: Unusually strong coverage includes detailed practical information and two sample MLA papers. Material is now reorganized into 4 chapters: planning, finding sources, working with sources, and writing and revising. Key concerns receive expanded coverage: formulating a research question, developing a research strategy, avoiding plagiarism, integrating quotations, documenting sources. A guide to the writing process: NEW! Opening material on the writing situation includes a checklist. NEW! Writer work-in-progress on Internet communication provides examples at every stage, including complete first, revised, and final drafts. Discussion of purpose is expanded. Solid, practical advice covers invention, the thesis, revision, and other elements of the writing process. 10 new collaborative exercises encourage writers to work together online or face to face in order to generate ideas and solve writing problems.