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With more than three-quarters of a million copies sold since its first publication, The Craft of Research has helped generations of researchers at every level – from first-year undergraduates to advanced graduate students to research reporters in business and government – learn how to conduct effective and meaningful research. Conceived by seasoned researchers and educators Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, this fundamental work explains how to find and evaluate sources, anticipate and respond to reader reservations, and integrate these pieces into an argument that stands up to reader critique.
The fourth edition has been thoroughly but respectfully revised by Joseph Bizup and William T. FitzGerald. It retains the original five-part structure, as well as the sound advice of earlier editions, but reflects the way research and writing are taught and practiced today. Its chapters on finding and engaging sources now incorporate recent developments in library and Internet research, emphasizing new techniques made possible by online databases and search engines. Bizup and FitzGerald provide fresh examples and standardized terminology to clarify concepts like argument, warrant, and problem.
Following the same guiding principle as earlier editions – that the skills of doing and reporting research are not just for elite students but for everyone – this new edition retains the accessible voice and direct approach that have made The Craft of Research a leader in the field of research reference. With updated examples and information on evaluation and using contemporary sources, this beloved classic is ready for the next generation of researchers.
Preface: The Aims of This Edition: xi
Our Debts: xv
I. Research, Researchers, and Readers: 1
1. Thinking in Print: The Uses of Research, Public and Private: 9
2. Connecting with Your Reader: Creating a Role for Yourself and Your Readers: 16
II. Asking Questions, Finding Answers: 27
3. From Topics to Questions: 33
4. From Questions to a Problem: 49
5. From Problems to Sources: 65
6. Engaging Sources: 85
III. Making an Argument: 105
7. Making Good Arguments: An Overview: 110
8. Making Claims: 122
9. Assembling Reasons and Evidence: 132
10. Acknowledgments and Responses: 141
11. Warrants: 155
IV. Writing Your Argument: 173
12. Planning and Drafting: 177
13. Organizing Your Argument: 189
14. Incorporating Sources: 200
15. Communicating Evidence Visually: 214
16. Introductions and Conclusions: 232
17. Revising Style: Telling Your Story Clearly: 248
V. Some Last Considerations: 269
The Ethics of Research: 271
A Postscript for Teachers: 275
Appendix: Bibliographical Resources: 281
Index: 313
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 included 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.
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: Lessons in Clarity and Grace.
Joseph Bizup is associate professor in the Department of English at Boston University. He is the coeditor of the thirteenth edition of the Norton Reader and editor of the eleventh edition of Joseph M. Williams's Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace.
William T. FitzGerald is assistant professor in the Department of English at Rutgers University.
"What sets The Craft of Research apart from these other resources is that it teaches the reader how to think deeply about research in a more general sense [...] The ample, updated examples of present-day research propositions used to illustrate such thought exercises help to keep the approach fresh and contemporary for a new generation of readers. Information professionals and experienced researchers will especially appreciate the expanded and updated sections on how to find resources in today's information-rich, digital environment."
– Reference Reviews
"This thorough but inexpensive book is foundational for understanding the research process from beginning to end, and the appendix lists sources for disciplinary-specific guidance that might be improved by including literature on particular research methods."
– Choice
