College Composition and Communication Jun 2008

“Mistakes Are a Fact of Life”: A National Comparative Study

Andrea A. Lunsford ; Karen J. Lunsford

Abstract

This essay reports on a study of first-year student writing. Based on a stratified national sample, the study attempts to replicate research conducted twenty-two years ago and to chart the changes that have taken place in student writing since then. The findings suggest that papers are longer, employ different genres, and contain new error patterns.

Journal
College Composition and Communication
Published
2008-06-01
DOI
10.58680/ccc20086677
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation context

Cited by in this index (23)

  1. Nadra et al. (2026)
    Is genAI a good editor of academic writing?
    Computers and Composition
  2. Baker et al. (2025)
    Business Communication and Editing Students’ Evaluations of Written Error: An E…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  3. Rudniy (2024)
    Artificial Intelligence for Automated Scoring and Feedback in Chemistry Courses
    Journal of Writing Analytics
  4. Finkenstaedt-Quinn et al. (2023)
    Undergraduate Writing Fellow Conceptions of Writing-to-Learn and Quality of Writing
    Across the Disciplines
  5. Eckstein et al. (2022)
    How Does the Language Control of L1 and L2 Writers Develop Over Time in First-Y…
    Written Communication
Show all 23 →
  1. Niu et al. (2021)
    Complementation of multiple sources of feedback in EFL learners’ writing
    Assessing Writing
  2. Raucci (2021)
    A Replication Agenda for Composition Studies
    College Composition and Communication
  3. Phelps (2020)
    Modernization Updates to the Common Rule: Recommendations for Researchers Worki…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Xie (2019)
    Error analysis and diagnosis of ESL linguistic accuracy: Construct specificatio…
    Assessing Writing
  5. Boettger et al. (2018)
    Analyzing Error Perception and Recognition Among Professional Communication Pra…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  6. Anson et al. (2017)
    Assessing peer and instructor response to writing: A corpus analysis from an ex…
    Assessing Writing
  7. Graham (2017)
    Data and lore in technical communication research: guest editorial
    Communication Design Quarterly
  8. Diab (2015)
    Effectiveness of written corrective feedback: Does type of error and type of co…
    Assessing Writing
  9. Brandenburg (2015)
    Testing the Recognition and Perception of Errors in Context
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  10. Doolan (2014)
    Comparing Language Use in the Writing of Developmental Generation 1.5, L1, and …
    Written Communication
  11. Dixon et al. (2013)
    Everything is illuminated: What big data can tell us about teacher commentary
    Assessing Writing
  12. Dryer (2013)
    Scaling Writing Ability: A Corpus-Driven Inquiry
    Written Communication
  13. Johnson et al. (2012)
    Linguistic discrimination in writing assessment: How raters react to African Am…
    Assessing Writing
  14. Medzerian (2010)
    Style and the Pedagogy of Response
    Rhetoric Review
  15. Purdy (2009)
    Anxiety and the Archive: Understanding Plagiarism Detection Services as Digital…
    Computers and Composition
  16. Dean (2009)
    Developing and Assessing an Online Research Writing Course
    Across the Disciplines
  17. Lunsford (2009)
    Introduction: SI: Writing Technologies and WAC: Current Lessons and Future Trends
    Across the Disciplines
  18. Zawacki et al. (2009)
    Voices at the Table: Balancing the Needs and Wants of Program Stakeholders to D…
    Across the Disciplines

References (0)

No references on file for this article.

CrossRef global citation count: 70 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related articles

  1. Prompt: A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments Aug 2026
    Employing Different Writing Tasks to Support Genre Awareness in a Nursing Writing Emphasis Course ↗
    Lateefah A. Collingwood; Aimee C. Mapes
    genre theory writing pedagogy empirical research multimodality
  2. Journal of Writing Research Jun 2026
    Teaching grammar and writing: A randomised controlled trial and implementation process evaluation of Englicious ↗
    Dominic Wyse; Bas Aarts; Jake Anders; Alice De Gennaro; Julie Dockrell; Yana Manyukhina; Sue Sing; Carole Torgerson
    teacher development assessment empirical research grammar and mechanics
  3. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Jun 2026
    Strategic CSR Communication: A Comparative Study of Legitimation in Chinese and American Energy Companies ↗
    Changhong Li; Yingqiu Wang
    rhetorical criticism genre theory discourse analysis empirical research
  4. Journal of Response to Writing Apr 2026
    Examining Automated Writing Evaluation Error Coverage in Relation to Uptake and Retention ↗
    Mehrzad, Mohaddeseh; Rahimi, Mohammad; Link, Stephanie
    genre theory writing pedagogy teacher development revision assessment artificial intelligence multilingual writers grammar and mechanics
  5. College Composition and Communication Sep 2025
    Syntactic Complexity of AI-Generated Argumentative and Narrative Texts: Implications for Teaching and Learning Writing ↗
    Apisak Sukying; Jessie S. Barrot
    rhetorical criticism genre theory teacher development artificial intelligence grammar and mechanics