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. 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 fourth edition.

The Craft of Research

First edition
Authors	Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. Fitzgerald
Language	English
Publisher	University of Chicago Press
Publication date	1995 (2nd ed. 2003, 3rd ed. 2008, 4th ed. 2016)
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print
Pages	336
ISBN	978-0226239736

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	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

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

External links

• The Craft of Research, Fourth Edition at the University of Chicago Press
• Interview with the authors
• Yale Library Research Guide