The Craft of Research

The Craft of Research Summaries
1. The Craft of Research stresses the importance of writing for an audience. It says that a writer must anticipate their reader’s arguments with their writing topic. As well as inviting a reader into the “conversation,” addressing readers’ arguments also gives the writer credibility because it shows that their writing topic is sound and that they have thought all aspects of it through.

2. The Craft of Research identified three different types of sources and how to use them. They are primary sources, secondary sources, and tertiary sources. A primary source is a pure source such as a book or “map” that provides information about a writing topic. This should not be confused with a secondary source which is an article or other writing by another author who supports or disagrees with the same or similar subject you are writing about. The tertiary source is an overview of a topic or secondary source. Both secondary sources and tertiary sources can help a writer come up with ideas: by looking at others’ arguments in secondary sources or getting a general idea about a topic in a tertiary source. Yet, the book says that Primary sources are the real evidence that supports a writer’s argument and must be used as much as possible.

3. The Craft of Research also defines the make-up of a successful argument. They assert that it should contain a “claim,” that is supported by “reasons,” that are backed-up by “evidence.” The “claim” is a thesis in which a writer supplies “reasons” for supporting. Further, The Craft of Research also says that the “evidence” is most effective if it comes from primary sources.


3 Ways The Craft of Research can help my writing:
1. I have addressed my audience's arguments in past papers. I wouldn't say that I have done it in every paper but I have been assigned to write a commentary and used that technique then. I think reading about this aspect of writing in such detail will make me much more aware of it in my future papers.

2. I never realized the difference between sources. I think I may have over used secondary sources in past papers. If I found an expert arguing something similar to myself, I would use them as back-up for my own argument. Now I will take the time to review their sources so I can round out my argument better.

3. I think that I usually write with a claim, reasons, and evidence. It is something that just gets drilled in, however subtly, when you are an English major. I think, however, that my writing will become better if I become conscious of this design. I will have an easier time staying on track. My recent paper, the academic critique, was suffering from such organization that I eventually fixed because of peer review. I could have save myself a lot of revisions, however, if I had been conscious of the "claim/reason/evidence" model.