The Craft of Research

{{Infobox book

| name = The Craft of Research

| image = The Craft of Research.jpg

| caption = First edition

| authors = Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. Fitzgerald

| country = United States

| language = English

| subject = research methods

| publisher = University of Chicago Press

| pub_date = 1995 (2nd ed. 2003, 3rd ed. 2008, 4th ed. 2016, 5th ed. 2024)

| 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.{{efn|Joseph Bizup and William T. Fitzgerald became contributing authors with the fourth edition.}} 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.{{cite web |last=Bromley |first=Anne E. |date=October 13, 2011 |title=In Memoriam: Greg Colomb |url=https://news.virginia.edu/content/memoriam-greg-colomb |website=news.virginia.edu |access-date=2025-04-09 |archive-date=2025-04-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250409174506/https://news.virginia.edu/content/memoriam-greg-colomb |url-status=live}} 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.

= Preface: The Aims of This 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

class="wikitable"

|+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)