Synopses & Reviews
A little more than seventy-five years ago, Kate L. Turabian drafted a set of guidelines to help students understand how to write, cite, and formally submit research writing. Seven editions and more than nine million copies later, the name Turabian has become synonymous with best practices in research writing and style. Her
Manual for Writers continues to be the gold standard for generations of college and graduate students in virtually all academic disciplines. Now in its eighth edition,
A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations has been fully revised to meet the needs of todayand#8217;s writers and researchers.
The Manual retains its familiar three-part structure, beginning with an overview of the steps in the research and writing process, including formulating questions, reading critically, building arguments, and revising drafts. Part II provides an overview of citation practices with detailed information on the two main scholarly citation styles (notes-bibliography and author-date), an array of source types with contemporary examples, and detailed guidance on citing online resources.
The final section treats all matters of editorial style, with advice on punctuation, capitalization, spelling, abbreviations, table formatting, and the use of quotations. Style and citation recommendations have been revised throughout to reflect the sixteenth edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. With an appendix on paper format and submission that has been vetted by dissertation officials from across the country and a bibliography with the most up-to-date listing of critical resources available, A Manual for Writers remains the essential resource for students and their teachers.
Review
and#8220;The work of a master researcher who recalls in illuminating detail how he and his students over the last thirty years went about solving a large number of empirical and theoretical research problems. He systematizes these memories into usable advice and lays out a multistage plan for successful scholarship that meets very rigorous demands. Without a hint of trendiness, this manual will reliably guide novice scholars into a new world of materials for study and will help their mentors keep up as well. An indispensable guide for serious humanistic study in the future.and#8221;
Review
"On the list of things that I love most, books take a very close second to crafting. So, if you too are just as likely to be found in a library reading room as you are in your local yarn and fabric store, BiblioCraft: A Modern Crafter’s Guide to Using Library Resources to Jumpstart Creative Projects, a new book from STC Craft, written by New York Public Library rare book librarian Jessica Pigza, will definitely be right up your alley!"
Review
"When I discovered that it is no ordinary craft book…but one that encourages creative projects inspired by vintage or long forgotten books from the library (or even your own bookshelf), I was captivated!"
Review
"Rarely does a decorating or DIY book make my heart flutter, but Jessica Pigza really knows how to charm a bibliophile whose passion is crafting and decorating."
Review
and#8220;There is justified concern today about information overload, poor writing skills, and the decline of library research in the digital age. We are fortunate that Andrew Abbott comes to the rescue with a manual for writing a research paper using the tools of the modern library. Avoiding hype and cutting to the essential qualities of good research design, he shows the reader how to harness new technology while upholding the highest standards of research. The result is a joy to read and will be a boon for students. Even veterans of the trade will find much to like.and#8221;
Review
"I can honestly say that every student, professor, and intellectual needs to read [Digital Paper]. Itand#8217;s a superb and#8216;how toand#8217; guide about writing a long research paper or thesis. But itand#8217;s more than that. Itand#8217;s an entire theory of how scholars pursue scholarship. Itand#8217;s a memoir of Abbottand#8217;s own research. Itand#8217;s a pessimistic and slightly misanthropic ode to a quiet world of well-ordered card catalogs destroyed by the garish vulgarity of online databases. Itand#8217;s an epigrammatic summary of a careerand#8217;s worth of knowledge. It isand#8212;yes, I really mean thisand#8212;life-affirming."
Review
"In addition to featuring new templates for citing e-books, websites, blogs, social networks, discussion groups, online videos, and podcasts, the eighth edition offers new general advice to help students make good decisions about what information to include for online sources that may not have all the traditional elements useful in citing a print source. . . . Recommended."
Review
“Crafty library lovers must check out BiblioCraft . . . If you consider yourself a bookworm and enjoy time spent in the stacks, treat yourself to this book.”
Review
“Making beautiful things from books.”
Review
“Jessica Pigza’s BiblioCraft is beautifully designed and full of both doable and aspirational projects by some of the hugest names in the craft world . . . I’m positively drooling.”
Review
“Pigza showcases an array of designs by master craftspeople and artists that were all inspired by the holdings at the New York library—referencing the originals, of course—and includes instructions so you can make your own.”
Review
“Libraries are full of inspiration and resources and there’s a new book that tells exactly how to mine them.”
Review
“A Top Read.”
Review
“Moms looking to get crafty need look no further.”
Review
“Combining books and crafts? Sign me up.”
Review
“What we all liked about this book is that it had what I call ‘meat’ or maybe you might call substance. In the beginning of Bibliocraft, [Pigza] explains things about libraries that I didn’t know existed. From the library system (branch, research, special collections), to how to find the right library for you (mindblowing info here), to how to plan a library visit (yes—there is a proper way), to how to search. Bibliocraft explains things that I think only librarians know and she does it in a way normal people can understand.”
Review
and#8220;A well-constructed, articulate reminder of how important fundamental questions of style and approach, such as clarity and precision, are to all research.and#8221;and#8212;
Times Literary SupplementReview
and#8220;An easy-to-read guide with helpful hints for almost anyone who puts words to paper.and#8221;and#8212;
San Francisco Bay GuardianReview
and#8220;Accessible, readable and jargon-free. . . . The Craft of Research pays close attention to readersand#8217; needs and anxieties.and#8221;and#8212;Teaching in Higher Education
Review
andquot;With illuminating examples from social science and humanities research, and with self-deprecating humor, Abbott develops an economic model describing tradeoffs between searching and reading. . . . Essential.andquot;
Synopsis
Now fully updated, this popular guide offers clear and helpful advice on how to conduct research and report it effectively. The book shows how to select a topic, create a research agenda, and how to outline a report.
Synopsis
With more than 400,000 copies now in print, The Craft of Research is the unrivaled resource for researchers at every level, from first-year undergraduates to research reporters at corporations and government offices.and#160;Seasoned researchers and educators Gregory G. Colomb and Joseph M. Williams present an updated third edition of their classic handbook, whose first and second editions were written in collaboration with the late Wayne C. Booth. The Craft of Research explains how to build an argument that motivates readers to accept a claim; how to anticipate the reservations of readers and to respond to them appropriately; and how to create introductions and conclusions that answer that most demanding question, and#8220;So what?and#8221;and#160;The third edition includes an expanded discussion of the essential early stages of a research task: planning and drafting a paper. The authors have revised and fully updated their section on electronic research, emphasizing the need to distinguish between trustworthy sources (such as those found in libraries) and less reliable sources found with a quick Web search. A chapter on warrants has also been thoroughly reviewed to make this difficult subject easier for researchersand#160;Throughout, the authors have preserved the amiable tone, the reliable voice, and the sense of directness that have made this book indispensable for anyone undertaking a research project.
Synopsis
Todayand#8217;s researchers have access to more information than ever before. Yet the new material is both overwhelming in quantity and variable in quality. How can scholars survive these twin problems and produce groundbreaking research using the physical and electronic resources available in the modern university research library? In
Digital Paper, Andrew Abbott provides some much-needed answers to that question.
Abbott tells what every senior researcher knows: that research is not a mechanical, linear process, but a thoughtful and adventurous journey through a nonlinear world.and#160;He breaks library research down into seven basic and simultaneous tasks: design, search, scanning/browsing, reading, analyzing, filing, and writing. He moves the reader through the phases of research, from confusion to organization, from vague idea to polished result. He teaches how to evaluate data and prior research; how to follow a trail to elusive treasures; how to organize a project; when to start over; when to ask for help. He shows how an understanding of scholarly values, a commitment to hard work, and the flexibility to change direction combine to enable the researcher to turn a daunting mass of found material into an effective paper or thesis.
More than a mere and#160;how-to manual, Abbottand#8217;s guidebook helps teach good habits for acquiring knowledge, the foundation of knowledge worth knowing. Those looking for ten easy steps to a perfect paper may want to look elsewhere. But serious scholars, who want their work to stand the test of time, will appreciate Abbottand#8217;s unique, forthright approach and relish every page of Digital Paper.
Synopsis
Voted a Best Book of 2014 by Library Journal There is untold wealth in library collections, and, like every good librarian, Jessica Pigza loves to share. In BiblioCraft, Pigza hones her literary hunting-and-gathering skills to help creatives of all types, from DIY hobbyists to fine artists, develop projects based on library resources. In Part I, she explains how to take advantage of the riches libraries have to offer—both in person and online. In Part II, she presents 20+ projects inspired by library resources from a stellar designer cast, including STC Craft authors Natalie Chanin, Heather Ross, Liesl Gibson, and Gretchen Hirsch, and Design*Sponge founder Grace Bonney. Whatever the quest—historic watermarks transformed into pillows, Japanese family crests turned into coasters, or historic millinery instructions worked into floral fascinators—anyone can utilize library resources to bring their creative visions to life.
About the Author
Kate L. Turabian (1893andndash;1987) was the graduate school dissertation secretary at the University of Chicago from 1930 to 1958. She is also the author of The Studentandrsquo;s Guide to Writing College Papers. Wayne C. Booth (1921andndash;2005) was the George M. Pullman Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago. His many books include The Rhetoric of Fiction and For the Love of It: Amateuring and Its Rivals. Gregory G. Colomb (1951andndash;2011) was professor of English at the University of Virginia and the author of Designs on Truth: The Poetics of the Augustan Mock- Epic. He is coauthor, with Wayne C. Booth and Joseph M. Williams, of the best-selling guide The Craft of Research. Joseph M. Williams (1933andndash;2008) was professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago and the author of Style: Toward Clarity and Grace.
Table of Contents
Preface: The Aims of This Edition
Our Debts
I RESEARCH, RESEARCHERS, AND READERS
PROLOGUE:and#160;BECOMING A RESEARCHER
1 Thinking in Print: The Uses of Research, Public and Private
1.1 What Is Research?
1.2 Why Write It Up?
1.3 Why a Formal Report?
1.4and#160;Writing Is Thinking
and#160;
2 Connecting with Your Reader: (Re)Creating Yourself and
Yourand#160;Readers
2.1 Creating Roles for Yourself and Your Readers
2.2 UnderstandingYour Role
2.3and#160;Imagining Yourand#160;Readerandrsquo;s Role
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: A Checklist for Understanding Your Readers
II ASKING QUESTIONS, FINDING ANSWERS
PROLOGUE: PLANNING YOUR PROJECTandndash; AN OVERVIEW
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: Creating a Writing Group
3 From Topics to Questions
3.1 From an Interest to a Topic
3.2 From a Broad Topic to a Focused One
3.3 From a Focused Topic to Questions
3.4 From a Question to Its Significance
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: Finding Topics
4 From Questions to a Problem
4.1 Distinguishing Practical and Research Problems
4.2 Understanding the Common Structure of Problems
4.3 Finding a Good Research Problem
4.4and#160;Learning to Work withand#160;Problems
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: Disagreeing with Your Sources
5 From Problems to Sources
5.1 Knowing How to Use Three Kinds of Sources
5.2 Locating Sources through a Libraryand#160;
5.3and#160;Locating Sources on the Internet
5.4and#160;Evaluting Sources for Relevance and Reliability
5.5 Following Bibliographic Trails
5.6 Looking beyond Predictable Sources
5.7 Using People as Primary Sources
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: The Ethics of Using People as Sources of Data
6 Engaging Sources
6.1 Knowing What Kind of Evidence to Look For
6.2 Read Complete Bibliographical Data
6.3 Engaging Sources Actively
6.4 Using Secondary Sources to Find a Problem
6.5 Using Secondary Sources to Plan Your Argument
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: Manage Moments of Normal Anxiety
III MAKING A CLAIM AND SUPPORTING IT
PROLOGUE: ASSEMBLING A REASEARCH ARGUMENT
7 Making Good Arguments: An Overview
7.1 Argumentand#160;as aand#160;Conversation with Readersand#160;
7.2 Supporting Your Claim
7.3 Acknowledging and Responding toand#160;Anticipated Questions and Objectionsand#160;
7.4 Warranting the Relevance of Your Reasons
7.5 Building a Complex Argument Out of Simple Ones
7.6 Creating an Ethos by Thickening Your Argumentand#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: A Common Mistake andndash; Falling Back on What You Knowand#160;
8 Claims
8.1and#160;Determining the Kind ofand#160;Claim You Should Makeand#160;
8.2 Evaluating Your Claim
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: Qualifying Claims to Enhance Your Credibility
9 Reasons and Evidence
9.1 Using Reasons to Plan Your Argument
9.2 Distinguishing Evidence from Reasons
9.3 Distinguishing Evidence from Reports of It
9.4 Evaluating Evidence
10 Acknowledgments and Responses
10.1 Questioning Your Argument as Your Readers Will
10.2and#160;Imaginingand#160;Alternatives to Your Argument
10.3 Deciding What to Acknowledge
10.4 Framing Your Responses as Subordinate Arguments
10.5 The Vocabulary of Acknowledgment and Response
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: Three Predicatble Disagreements
11 Warrants
11.1 Warrantsand#160;in Everyday Reasoningand#160;
11.2and#160;Warrants in Academic Arguments
11.3 Understanding the Logic of Warrants
11.4 Testingand#160;Whether aand#160;Warrant Is Reliable
11.5 Knowing When to State a Warrant
11.6 Challenging Others' Warrants
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: Two Kinds of Arguments
IV PLANNING, DRAFTING, AND REVISING
PROLOGUE: PLANNING AGAIN
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: Outlining and Storyboarding
12 Planning
12.1 Avoid Three Common but Flawed Plans
12.2 Planning Your Report
13 Drafting Your Report
13.1 Draft in a Way That Feels Comfortable
13.2 Use Key Words to Keep Yourself on Track
13.3 Quote, Paraphrase, and Summarize Appropriately
13.4 Integrating Direct Quotations into Your Text
13.5 Show Readers How Evidence Is Relevant
13.6 Guard against Inadvertent Plaigarism
13.7 The Social Importance of Citing Sources
13.8 Four Common Citation Styles
13.9 Work through Procrastination and Writer's Block
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;Quick Tip: Indicating Citations in Your Text
14 Revising Your Organization and Argument
14.1 Thinking Like a Reader
14.2 Revising the Frame of Your Report
14.3 Revising Your Argument
14.4 Revising the Organization of Your Report
14.5 Check Your Paragraphs
14.6 Let Your Draft Cool, Then Paraphrase It
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: Abstracts
15 Communicating Evidence Visually
15.1 Choosing Visual or Verbal Representations
15.2 Choosing the Most Effective Graphic
15.3 Designing Tables, Charts, and Graphs
15.4 Specific Guidlines for Tables, Bar Charts, and Line Graphs
15.5 Communicating Data Ethically
16 Introductions and Conclusions
16.1 The Common Structure of Introductions
16.2 Step 1: Establish Common Ground
16.3 Step 2: State Your Problem
16.4 Step 3: State Your Response
16.5 Setting the Right Place for Your Introduction
16.6 Writing Your Conclusion
16.7 Finding Your First Few Words
16.8 Finding Your Last Few Words
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: Titles
17 Revising Style: Telling Your Story Clearly
17.1 Judging Style
17.2 The Firstand#160;Two Principlesand#160;of Clear Writing
17.3 A Third Principle: Old before Newand#160;
17.4 Choosing between Active and Passive
17.5 A Final Principle: Complexity Last
17.6 Spit and Polish
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Quick Tip: The Quickest Revision Strategy
V SOME LAST CONSIDERATIONS
The Ethics of Research
A Postscript for Teachers
Appendix: Bibliographical Resources
General Sources
Index