The Craft of Research, 2nd edition (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)

"The Craft of Research" offers researchers practical and clear suggestions for organizing papers. Although somewhat geared for professional writers, it can also be used by high school students writing their first research paper. The authors offer step-by-step formulas for making and evaluating proposed 'claims.' They also include tips that relate to the prior chapter. Another important area covered by Booth, Colomb and Williams is drafting and revision. More clear, step-by-step techniques make this section an important tool for writers. Using their techniques, a writer easily identifies possible problems with arguements or organization. However, the discussion of warrants in "The Craft of Research" is difficult to follow. Since warrants are many times infered but not stated in day-to-day conversations, it is difficult topic to comprehend by novice writers. The authors attempt to explain warrants through examples, clear terms and illustrations. Although the explanation of a warrant (evidence supporting a claim) is successful, the illustrations of warrants is muddied and the logic sometimes hard to comprehend. "The Craft of Research" is an excellent tool for writers of all ages and experience levels. Its guidelines and suggestions, when followed, will produce clearer, cohesive papers and books. Writers should find a spot on the shelf for this book next to 'Miss Kate' (Turabian) as an essential writing and style guide.

Covers research methods in general, but with the main emphasis on writing (not how to write correct english, but more on "semantics" and argumental structure/retoric in scientific writing). For those who may think it sounds similar to typical "Scientific Writing" courses, you're only partially right. Courses are often more into how to write correct and have academic style and structure, the book gives better coverage regarding semantic structure of papers.

This book is suitable for those who've got non-well-defined research topics/problems and are trying to prune down to one, or those who would like to sharpen the argumentation of their papers and thesis.

I used this book as the text for a freshman-sophomore course, Introduction to Christian Academics. It is very clearly written, and the information it presents will help anyone understand what they are reading. It is not just for people writing dissertations. To understand and to be able to analyze what you read, you need to know how arguments are constructed -- what constitutes evidence, what are the steps of reasoning, what is the role of the warrant of an argument. My students liked the book a lot. We later used it as a reference in a graduate course. It was worthwhile there, too. This book is one of the half dozen or so that belong on the desk of every person who is serious about what he reads and about what he writes.

This is a great book on writing a research report, useful for both beginners and seasoned researchers. It walks you through all the phases of your research project, starting from picking up your topic, through the actual research, note-taking, to writing up your findings, down to sentence level structure and style. For me a most useful part of the book was the beginning: finding a topic, defining your research problem, qualifying it, and determining your warrants; especially revealing was the relationship between your research problem and a wider body of theory, and how you must be explicit about your "warrants" to make a real contribution to "knowledge" or to "solving a practical problem." Even though I had read many other books on writing such as "The Clockwork Muse" or "Writing Your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day" none was as explicit as this one on how to combine both Research and Writing (the other books assume that writing a research project entails a progressive, smooth process: you pick a topic, you research it, and you write up your conclusions/findings), nothing farther from the truth; as I learned from painful experience and as was made explicit by this book, to my relief, a research project is a dynamic process in which research and writing go together; they complement and reinforce each other. This book teaches you just how to do this and it was the greatest lesson I learned.

The authors of The Craft of Research, Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb and Joseph M. Williams, presented a scholarly, practical guide to mastering the art of research. They provided a book with tested programmes for turning rough drafts and clumsy prose into clear, powerful and effective writing. The authors presented their propositions, arguments and solutions in a logical, thorough and convincing manner.

The authors produced a unique guide that shows that real research loops back and forth. They explain how each part of the process influences all the others. The authors showed that asking a question about a topic can prepare the researcher to draft a paper, how the process of drafting can reveal problems with an argument, and how the elements of a good introduction can reveal the need for additional research.

The authors encourage researchers to put themselves into the shoes of the readers. They explained how that can be done, by explaining how readers read. Understanding how readers read enables the researcher to know better how to meet their expectations and help readers to see things the researcher's way.

The book teaches skills that are essential to the success of any research project. These include finding a topic, generating research questions, constructing arguments, creating a first draft, and revising that draft for a final report that meets the needs of a community of readers.

The book reflects the way researchers work, proceeding from a complex loop of thinking, writing, revising, refining and rethinking. The book teaches that a successful research project is a carefully orchestrated conversation between researcher and reader.

The book is essential reading before one goes to a library or begin collecting data, presenting evidence or doing an outline, as its expertise is essential in giving direction to the research efforts.

I read this book because I needed guidance on carrying out a research project. I needed to learn about the distinctive nature, values and protocols of research. The book enabled me to learn how to select a research topic, and how to discover one in a wide range of sources, including my personal interests. The book showed me how to create a research agenda, by framing the right questions, finding and using the right materials for a solid base of knowledge.

I also needed to learn about the essentials of argument, that is, how to make a claim and support it. I also learnt how to outline a draft, revise, and rewrite and polish the final report.