全书用**人称写成，充分体现了人文精神，让使用者以平等的身份参与问题讨论，增强写作道地英语论文的自信心。一些写作理论和技巧，从课文阐述转到了练习之中，从而减轻了说教式的讲解带给读者的枯燥感；同时，读者通过练习去探索，提取某种理论或技巧，会兴致勃勃，因为接下来的是一种成就感。
《英语论文写作》这本书刚一问世，我们便有了修订的打算。两年中，我们注意观察英语专业和大学英语教学的教学改革，留意同学们在英语学习过程中新的要求和需要，不停地寻找、研读新的教学科研成果，思量着去充实、完善这本已经不薄的教材，给读者多一分帮助，少一分含糊。这次修订，大节上增加了CBE参考文献规范和论文写作技巧的介绍，优化了提纲格式，置换了作用欠佳的范文；细节上严密了可能给读者留下疑问的阐述，力求传达作者不断深化的对理论和语言现象“所以然”的认识，包括对标点符号运用情况的变迁与倾向的探讨。
本书的主要对象是大学本科高年级学生，对其他英文学习和工作者而言，不乏为一部指导性的专著。

Chapter 1 An Overview of the Essay
Ⅰ What Is an Essay?
1. The Basic Structure of an Essay
2. Essays in Different Types of Writing
Ⅱ What Is a Research Paper?
Chapter 2 Writing an Essay
Ⅰ Planning and Shaping the Essay
1. Choosing and Limiting a Topic
2. Determining Our Purpose and Audience
3. Gathering Material
4. Formulating a Thesis Statement
5. Organizing and Outlining the Essay
Ⅱ Drafting the Essay
1. Writing the Introductory Paragraph
2. Writing the Concluding Paragraph
3. Gaining Unity and Coherence
4. Developing the Essay by Different Patterns of Organization
5. Essay Checklist
Ⅲ Revising the Essay
1. Revising the Essay
2. Editing the Essay
3. Dealing with the Final Draft
4. Proofreading
Chapter 3 Writing a Research Paper
Ⅰ Learning About the Central Information System of Modern Academic Library
Ⅱ Doing Prewriting Work
1. Choosing and limiting a Topic
2. Doing Preliminary Reading
3. Writing a Preliminary Bibliography
4. Writing a Prelimminary Outline and Thesis
5. Reading and Taking Notes
6. Revising the Outline and Thesis
Ⅲ Writing the First Draft
Ⅳ Rewriting the Paper
1. Revising the Draft
2. Editing and Documenting the Paper
……
Chapter 4 Making Good Use of the Language
Ⅰ Strving for Clarity
Ⅱ Striving for Accuracy
Ⅲ Practicing Economy
Ⅳ Gaining Appropriateness
Chapter 5 Using Punctuation Marks Correctly
Ⅰ End Punctuation Marks
Ⅱ Internal Punctuation Marks
Ⅲ Enclosing Marks
Ⅳ Punctuationof Idividual Words and of Terms
AppendixⅠ Two-Letter Abbreviations for US States
AppendixⅡ Proofreaders' Marks
AppendixⅢ Correction Symbols
Bibliography