The Craft of Research

The Craft of Research

First edition
Authors	Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. Fitzgerald
Language	English
Subject	research methods
Publisher	University of Chicago Press
Publication date	1995 (2nd ed. 2003, 3rd ed. 2008, 4th ed. 2016, 5th ed. 2024)
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print
Pages	368
ISBN	978-0226826677
OCLC	1411307366

The Craft of Research is a book by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. Fitzgerald. ^[a] 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. ^[1] 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	ISBN   978-0226065847	No
Second	2003	ISBN   978-0226065670	No
Third	2008	ISBN   978-0226065656 (Cloth) ISBN   978-0226065663 (Paperback)	Yes
Fourth	2016	ISBN   978-0226239736	Yes
Fifth	2024	ISBN   9780226826677	Yes

Translations

• Swedish: Forskning och skrivande: konsten att skriva enkelt och effektivt, ISBN   978-9144129327 (from 4th ed. 2019)
• Japanese: Risachi no giho, ISBN   978-4802611527 (from 4th ed. 2018)
• Korean: Haksul nonmun chaksongbop, ISBN   978-8993712889 (from 4th ed. 2017)
• Chinese: Yan jiu shi yi men yi shu, ISBN   978-7501189045 (from 2nd ed. 2009)
• Portuguese: A arte da pesquisa, ISBN   978-8533621572 (from 2nd ed. 2008)
• Spanish: Cómo convertirse en un hábil investigador, ISBN   978-8474328172 (from 1st ed. 2001)

See also

• Research design
• Research question

Notes

1. Joseph Bizup and William T. Fitzgerald became contributing authors with the fourth edition.

References

1. Bromley, Anne E. (October 13, 2011). "In Memoriam: Greg Colomb". news.virginia.edu. Archived from the original on 2025-04-09. Retrieved 2025-04-09.

External links

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