The Craft of Research

The Craft of Research is a book by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. Fitzgerald.Template:Efn The work is published by the University of Chicago Press. The book aims to provide a basic overview of how to research, from the process of selecting a topic and gathering sources to the process of writing results. The book has become a standard text in college composition classes and is now in its fifth edition.

The first edition of The Craft of Research was a winner of the 1995–1996 Critics' Choice Award. Material from The Craft of Research has also been adapted to form the first part of Kate L. Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.

Structure

Below is the structure of the work, as outlined in the fourth edition.

Part 1: Research, Researchers, and Readers

• Thinking in Print: The Uses of Research, Public and Private
• Connecting with Your Reader: Creating a Role for Yourself and Your Readers

Part 2: Asking Questions, Finding Answers

• From Topics to Questions
• From Questions to Problems
• From Problems to Sources
• Engaging Sources

Part 3: Making an Argument

• Making Good Arguments: An Overview
• Making Claims
• Assembling Reasons and Evidence
• Acknowledgments and Responses
• Warrants

Part 4: Writing Your Argument

• Planning and Drafting
• Organizing Your Argument
• Incorporating Sources
• Communicating Evidence Visually
• Introductions and Conclusions
• Revising Style: Telling Your Story Clearly

Part 5: Some Last Considerations

• The Ethics of Research
• A Postscript for Teachers
• Appendix: Bibliographical Resources

Editions

Editions of The Craft of Research

Edition	Year	ISBN	In Print?
First	1995	Template:ISBN	No
Second	2003	Template:ISBN	No
Third	2008	Template:ISBN (Cloth) Template:ISBN (Paperback)	Yes
Fourth	2016	Template:ISBN	Yes
Fifth	2024	Template:ISBN	Yes

Translations

• Swedish: Forskning och skrivande: konsten att skriva enkelt och effektivt, Template:ISBN (from 4th ed. 2019)
• Japanese: Risachi no giho, Template:ISBN (from 4th ed. 2018)
• Korean: Haksul nonmun chaksongbop, Template:ISBN (from 4th ed. 2017)
• Chinese: Yan jiu shi yi men yi shu, Template:ISBN (from 2nd ed. 2009)
• Portuguese: A arte da pesquisa, Template:ISBN (from 2nd ed. 2008)
• Spanish: Cómo convertirse en un hábil investigador, Template:ISBN (from 1st ed. 2001)

See also

• Research design
• Research question

External links

• Interview with the authors of The Craft of Research, 2008