The Craft of Research (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)
by By Williams, Joseph M., Booth, Wayne C., and Colomb, Gregory G.
Category: Language Arts & Disciplines , Reference

Like its predecessor, this new edition reflects the way researchers actually work, in a complex circuit of thinking, writing, revising, and rethinking. It shows how each part of this process influences the others and how a successful research report is a carefully orchestrated conversation between researcher and reader. Among many topics, The Craft of Research explores how to build an argument that motivates readers to accept a claim; how to anticipate the reservations of thoughtful, yet critical readers and respond to them appropriately; and how to create introductions and conclusions that answer that most demanding question, "So what?"Celebrated by reviewers for its logic and clarity, this popular book retains its five-part structure. Part 1 provides an orientation to the research process and begins the discussion of what motivates researchers and their readers. Part 2 focuses on finding a topic, planning the project, and locating appropriate sources. This section is brought up to date with new information on the role of the Internet in research, including how to find and evaluate sources, avoid their misuse, and test their reliability.Part 3 explains the art of making an argument and supporting it. The authors have extensively revised this section to present the structure of an argument in clearer and more accessible terms then in the first edition. For example, new distinctions are made among reasons, evidence, and reports of evidence; and the concepts of qualifications and rebuttals, from the first edition, are here recast as acknowledgment and response. Part 4 covers drafting and revising, and offers new information on the visual representation of data. Part 5 concludes the book with an updated discussion of the ethics of research, as well as an expanded bibliography that includes many electronic sources.