The Craft of Research: (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing and Publishing)

This manual offers practical advice on the fundamentals of research to college and university students in all fields of study. It aims to teach much more than the mechanics of fact gathering, explaining how to approach a research project as an analytical process. The authors chart every stage of research, from finding a topic and generating research questions about it to marshalling evidence, constructing arguments, and writing everything up in a final report. Their advice is designed for use by both beginners and seasoned practitioners, and for projects from class papers to dissertations. This book is organized into four parts. Part One is an introduction to the distinctive nature, values and protocols of research. Part Two demystifies the art of discovering a topic. It outlines a wide range of sources, among them personal interests and passions. Parts Three and Four cover the essentials of argument - how to make a claim and support it - and ways to outline, draft, revise, rewrite and polish the final report. Part Three is a short course in the logic, structure, uses and common pitfalls of argumentation. The writing chapters in Part Four show how to present verbal and visual information effectively and how to shape sentences and paragraphs that communicate with power and precision.

Table of Contents:
Preface 1: Thinking in Print: The Uses of Research, Public and Private 2: Connecting with Your Reader: (Re)Creating Your Self and Your Audience 3: From Topics to Questions 4: From Questions to Problems 5: From Questions to Sources 6: Using Sources 7: Making Good Arguments: An Overview 8: Claims and Evidence 9: Warrants 10: Qualifications 11: Pre-Drafting and Drafting 12: Communicating Evidence Visually 13: Revising Your Organization and Argument 14: Revising Style: Telling Your Story Clearly 15: Introductions Index

About the Author :
Wayne C. Booth (1921-2005) was the George M. Pullman Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago. His many books include The Rhetoric of Fiction and For the Love of It: Amateuring and Its Rivals, both published by the University of Chicago Press. Gregory G. Colomb (1951 2011) was professor of English at the University of Virginia and the author of Designs on Truth: The Poetics of the Augustan Mock-Epic. He iscoauthor, with Wayne C. Booth andJoseph M. Williams, of the best-selling guide The Craft of Research, published by the University of Chicago Press. Joseph M. Williams (1933-2008) was professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago and the author of Style: Toward Clarity and Grace. He is also coauthor, with Wayne C. Booth and Gregory G. Colomb, of the best-selling guide The Craft of Research, also published by the University of Chicago Press.