Customer Reviews

MODERN RESEARCHER 5ED CL

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3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
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Barzun and Graff offer a guide to writing and research that is much more than a nuts and bolts how-to guide, which is a good thing because Turabian eclipses them on the technical aspects of scholarly writing. What they offer is concise, useful direction on how to effectively research, analyze and write about a topic. Warnings against bias, misinformation and fallacies are given in the first part of the work, Principles and Methods of Research, which is the better half of the book. In general, they instruct the researcher what to look out for and pitfalls to avoid. The second half of the book is concerned with the presentation of your research. Particularly useful is the section on jargon and cliches as well as their emphasis on clarity and liveliness in writing. As has been mentioned, the sections on footnotes, bibliography, manuscript prep, etc. are less helpful. Overall, the work, when taken in its entirety, is full of wisdom and insight.

If there ever was a book that teaches you how to be a scholar in 600 pages or less, this is it. Very clearly written. And Barzun has proven many times that he has a fine mind and good judgement. Hence this book violates the witticism "Those who can't do, teach." Every serious university student of humanities or social theory should read this book carefully.

I read this book (cover to cover) in the midst of Master's thesis work. The authors' words often reassured and heartened me. I appreciated their sensitivity and thoroughness. On several projects since, I've wished I had a copy at hand. I look forward to the 2002 edition to include much more about computerized research considerations.

This book has guided more Ph.D. theses into successful completion and more decent, serious academic works through research and writing and into print than any other single work available.

Those who might not find this book to their liking bring a story to mind about two young people walking through an art gallery and commenting loudly on what they did and did not like. A guard approached them and said, "Gentlemen, the art is not on trial here." Sometimes an opinion says much more about the person rendering the judgment than about that which is being evaluated.

This classic work is not on trial. It proved itself long, long ago.

Point: The intent The Modern Researcher is to provide the reader with a helpful guide to the formation and publication of a literary work. In order to accomplish their goal, the authors divide the book in two parts. First, the authors detail the principles and methods of research. Second, they discuss the aspects of writing, speaking, and publishing. These two parts are further explained through chapters addressing each main topic.
The Modern Researcher contributes to the literary field by giving the reader a manual to consult. The material is diverse enough to be a stand alone work. It also is one which would be helpful to consult on a topic by topic basis, answering questions in moments of difficulty.
One of the strengths of this work is the layout. Subcategories can be easily seen when looking for a specific illustration or idea. A detailed table of contents will facilitate the reader in finding the information needed.
Along side the usefulness of this work, there are several main drawbacks. The first of these is that the authors provide too many extended illustrations. While helpful in some situations, many of those provided only contributed to the confusion. Shorter illustrations, or perhaps a distinction through formatting would help to correct this problem.
A second drawback is the antiquity of references concerning the computer. The obvious problem is the speed at which technology is moving, making it nearly impossible to keep a printed work current. However, with the given title, I was expecting something more modern.
The strength of this work is found in helping the reader to grasp the big picture of planning, reading, writing, and presenting his ideas.

It was helpful but others are better.

This book is a very useful tool for the researcher. It gives you all the insight necessary to conduct an investigation. The narratives is written in a very easy to understand language. Highly recommended.

masters or Ph.D. students are in a continuos quest for TIME ... reading this book takes a lot of it! (about 400 pages). however, it could be a good book for relaxed researchers, with many useful tips( it addresses historians mostly), so a researcher of another discipline might find himself passing many pages like i did. good chapters on: ORGANIZING: PARAGRAPH, CHAPTER, AND PART / THE ART OF QUOTING AND TRANSLATING / THE RULES OF CITING: FOOTNOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY. it is a well known book in it's fifth edition, but the truth is: I did not enjoy reading it very much !