Learning List has reviewed The University of Chicago’s The Craft of Research –a supplemental print resource for Advanced Placement (AP) Seminar and AP Research courses. The book helps students identify and frame research questions, construct and support logical arguments, and draft and revise effective written reports.
The Craft of Research is divided into five sections that address the progressive components of the research process (e.g., “Asking Questions, Finding Answers”; “Making a Claim and Supporting It”) and the complementary roles of reading and writing in the process. Instruction emphasizes the value of knowing how to find, evaluate, and use information in a broad range of academic and professional contexts. The final section covers research ethics, including plagiarism, the use of inaccurate data, and the misrepresentation of alternate or opposing views. This section includes a “Postscript for Teachers” that discusses the importance of teaching research skills and provides guidance in creating meaningful research projects and assignments.
In conducting its review, Learning List interviewed university faculty who have used The Craft of Research in the classroom with students. Faculty underscored the product’s value in developing students’ ability to think critically about information, its sources, and its uses. They particularly valued the text’s treatment of argument, explaining that it helps students evaluate claims, collect reliable evidence, clarify the logic of their thinking, and respond to objections and alternate views.
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*The content in this section is provided by or adapted from The University of Chicago Press.
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