韋恩·c·布斯(Wayne C.Booth)芝加哥大學榮譽退休教授。 格雷戈裏·G·卡洛姆(Gregory G.Colomb) 弗吉尼亞大學英語語言文學教授。 約瑟夫·M·威廉姆斯(Joseph M.Williams) 芝加哥大學英語語言文學榮譽退休教授。 他們三位曾在芝加哥大學聯閤講授高級寫作課程。在經過認真討論確立本書的大綱及計劃後,他們分工撰寫各章,然後互換,每人對其他兩人的部分進行修改,幾輪過後纔形成定稿。本書因此達到瞭很高的水平而成為一部經典。他們的閤作也成為團隊研究的成功標本。

This manual offers practical advice on the fundamentals of research to college and university students in all fields of study. The Craft of Research teaches much more than the mechanics of fact gathering: it explains 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 that is a model of authority. 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 a spirited 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.

"A well-constructed, articulate reminder of how important fundamental questions of style and approach, such as clarity and precision, are to all research."—Times Literary Supplement