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

In a carefully crafted and succinct outline, Booth and company examine every step of the academic research process, from the “why” of research through forming the research question, formulating an argument, and revision. The book also includes helpful final chapters on the ethics of research, formulation of writing assignments for teachers, and an appendix of research tools for both off- and online. The book’s section on making an argument strong is especially helpful in an age of speciously argued claims. As the authors say in the first chapter, “Why should I adopt language and forms that are not mine? Aren’t you just trying to turn me into an academic like yourself? If I write as you expect me to, I risk losing my identity. Such concerns are legitimate (most teachers wish students would raise them more often). But it would be a feeble education that did not change you at all, and the deeper your education, the more it will change the ‘you’ that you are or want to be. That’s why it’s so important to choose carefully what you study and with whom. But it would be a mistake to think that learning to report sound research must threaten your true identity. It will change the way you think, but only by giving you more ways of thinking.” Careful attention to both the how and why of objective research-based writing is a sorely needed skill in our post-information age. I plan to teach my masters thesis students to do so, and hopefully many of you will do the same. In a carefully crafted and succinct outline, Booth and company examine every step of the academic research process, from the “why” of research through forming the research question, formulating an argument, and revision. The book also includes helpful final chapters on the ethics of research, formulation of writing assignments for teachers, and an appendix of research tools for both off- and online. The book’s section on making an argument strong is especially helpful in an age of speciously argued claims. As the authors say in the first chapter, “Why should I adopt language and forms that are not mine? Aren’t you just trying to turn me into an academic like yourself? If I write as you expect me to, I risk losing my identity. Such concerns are legitimate (most teachers wish students would raise them more often). But it would be a feeble education that did not change you at all, and the deeper your education, the more it will change the ‘you’ that you are or want to be. That’s why it’s so important to choose carefully what you study and with whom. But it would be a mistake to think that learning to report sound research must threaten your true identity. It will change the way you think, but only by giving you more ways of thinking.” Careful attention to both the how and why of objective research-based writing is a sorely needed skill in our post-information age. I plan to teach my masters thesis students to do so, and hopefully many of you will do the same.

Crafts and Research, 4th Edition is an excellent resource for anyone studying or working in crafts. This edition provides clear steps on how to conduct research and improve writing skills specifically for the crafts field. It’s practical and easy to follow, making it helpful for both students and professionals. Highly recommend for anyone looking to deepen their knowledge and skills in craft research and writing!

This book is the Bible of everything Research. A must read for all students, post graduate students will benefit from this a lot because of the clarity of form and essence - to include revision and diagnosis of one’s work. Truly a work of art and logic, this book is a keeper.

Good guide for writing a thesis or capstone paper. A bit hard to read otherwise it would get 5 stars.

A well written and useful book, I am writing a book for general audiences, not a research paper, but it's a science topic, so best to approach it through this lens. Well done, highly recommended.

It’s still the best, esp. for new or returning graduate students, or for new faculty who teach grad classes or work in a research lab. It’s very clear without dumbing down the information, and does an excellent job of putting research questions in context. I still refer my grad students to the first chapters, esp. because the author takes the reader by the hand through examples of how to construct a decent research question, from scope to validity. Hard to beat.

Working on a D.Min is a daunting task to say the least. There is always the challenge of learning what language you have to speak when working inthe “Academy”. This book helps break down all the barriers and gives practical helps. It is a must have for any grad student.

This book treats its subject matter very well and arguably warrants a better rating, but I deduct some points just because its more recent authors seems to ignore that it is a technical book and try to push a political agenda at every turn. The vast majority of illustrative arguments they use as examples push a hard left viewpoint on the reader, and they do so surreptitiously - violating some of their own instructions! I don't want a book on research written by PhDs in English to lecture me about global warming, income inequality, gun control or abortion. Stick to what you know.

Es un libro clásico que sí bien no nos da la pauta para investigación en temas particulares, sí es muy recomendable para realizar investigación a nivel general. En esta última edición se presentan buenas actualizaciones que están acorde al tipo de investigación que se realiza hoy en día.

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Well worth your attention. This comprehensive and well set out companion to the research process offers up insightful methods for staying closely aligned with what your research sets out to achieve. By enticing you to consider the view point of your readership, the authors take you through a robust process that resolves to keep your attention directed toward only that which will brings you closer to your end goal of convincing your reader. By master-designing a question-problem-resolution approach you can sharpen your research techniques and bring your efforts into a more disciplined focus. Giving this book your attention will reward you with tighter research habits and a better understanding of how to direct a more effective research process.

A much-needed book for anyone interested in conducting good research. I will suggest people new to research should read this first before diving into the research. This book explains every aspect of research, right from conceiving the idea to scouting the literature to identify the research gap, down to note-taking, creating an argument, and then writing about the research. As a Ph.D. student, I am glad I read this book because I can now use the knowledge gained from this book to improve my research and thesis. My suggestion is for you to buy it, read it, and apply it.