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The Curious Researcher: A Guide to Writing Research Papers
For courses in Research Writing, Documentation Writing, and Advanced Composition.
Featuring an engaging, direct writing style and inquiry-based approach, The Curious A Guide to Writing Research Papers emphasizes that curiosity is the best reason for investigating ideas and information. An appealing alternative to traditional research texts, this popular research guide stands apart for its motivational tone, its conversational style, and its conviction that research writing can be full of rewarding discoveries. Offering a wide variety of examples from student and professional writers, this popular guide shows that good research and lively writing do not have to be mutually exclusive. Students are encouraged to find ways to bring their writing to life, even though they are writing with “facts.” A unique chronological organization sets up achievable writing goals while it provides week-by-week guidance through the research process. Full explanations of the technical aspects of writing and documenting source-based papers help students develop sound research and analysis skills. The text also includes up-to-date coverage of MLA and APA styles.
Featuring an engaging, direct writing style and inquiry-based approach, The Curious A Guide to Writing Research Papers emphasizes that curiosity is the best reason for investigating ideas and information. An appealing alternative to traditional research texts, this popular research guide stands apart for its motivational tone, its conversational style, and its conviction that research writing can be full of rewarding discoveries. Offering a wide variety of examples from student and professional writers, this popular guide shows that good research and lively writing do not have to be mutually exclusive. Students are encouraged to find ways to bring their writing to life, even though they are writing with “facts.” A unique chronological organization sets up achievable writing goals while it provides week-by-week guidance through the research process. Full explanations of the technical aspects of writing and documenting source-based papers help students develop sound research and analysis skills. The text also includes up-to-date coverage of MLA and APA styles.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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709 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 15, 2022
this was once "required reading" i had in a "textbook" sense and it was truly one of the most boring, useless, and annoying books i have ever encountered in an academic setting.
it's almost impressive, to be all three.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago
it's almost impressive, to be all three.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago
August 7, 2017
I've skim and scanned this book and praised Bruce Ballenger's approach for a few years now, but I can now say I've read through this entire textbook (about 250 pages or so) in order to tighten my senior English project. And no joke...this is one of the most accessible and engaging English textbooks I've ever read.
If you are a teacher, don't make the mistake of flipping through this book and thinking he has nothing new to offer. No, Ballenger's emphasis on the research essay rather than the research paper or research report (not to mention the many lessons and tips) is a lot more cutting edge than you might think, especially at the high school level.
This book has sat on my teaching essentials bookshelf next to the wonderful Birkenstein-Graff text They Say / I Say for years, and it isn't going anywhere—except when I'm carrying it back and forth from school.
If you are a teacher, don't make the mistake of flipping through this book and thinking he has nothing new to offer. No, Ballenger's emphasis on the research essay rather than the research paper or research report (not to mention the many lessons and tips) is a lot more cutting edge than you might think, especially at the high school level.
This book has sat on my teaching essentials bookshelf next to the wonderful Birkenstein-Graff text They Say / I Say for years, and it isn't going anywhere—except when I'm carrying it back and forth from school.
April 27, 2014
In reading this, I was quite pleased to see that I already use many of the methods the author recommends: the importance of a Research Question, engaging with texts as if in a conversation, using dialectical notes. Of course, that's not because I'm a genius or anything; they're pedagogical practices that I simply stole from my peers, one of whom strongly recommended this book. There are also at least a few tidbits that I took away from the book, and I will be incorporating those (and probably a couple of the exercises therein) into my classes.
A good read for anyone teaching students to write a research paper. However, while it is written for students, I can't see ever making every student buy this as a required text for a course.
A good read for anyone teaching students to write a research paper. However, while it is written for students, I can't see ever making every student buy this as a required text for a course.
August 11, 2018
I’d honesty give this 4.5 stars, but that’s not an option. Good book that promotes everything I’ve been trying to teach for a while DESPITE what the textbooks say; it promotes more humanity, more personality, and more writing to find (versus writing to prove a pre-determined, often poorly researched point). Great resource for my classes.
August 23, 2017
One of the best guidebooks for writing research papers...
November 13, 2022
Lots of practical instruction on writing a research paper. Gets a bit repetitive at times, but that's a 101 textbook for ya.
August 6, 2016
This was my textbook for my English 201 class at the American College of Healthcare Sciences. It was so helpful, and I am still referencing it, months after completing the course. This is a book that I will be keeping close at hand on my desk for future classes and writing. Allow me to break it down with my favorite parts and most helpful parts.
The book is broken up into 5 weeks of writing a research paper, and is full of resources. It gives advice on how to choose a topic, and lists subject encyclopedias to look into. It also teaches how to use databases and search engines for optimum results, including a page specifically of Google tips and tricks. It explains what kinds of sources are best for research papers, and helps teach the researcher to think critically and evaluate the sources for quality.
The book helps you develop a research question, a tentative thesis with suggested prompts, and then the final thesis out of five possible prompts that can go in many directions. There is a section that discusses plagiarism, and then a section called The Notetaker's Triad: Quotation, Paraphrase, and Summary with explanations of each. I found the suggested notetaking techniques to be very helpful. I liked the Double-Entry Journal, especially when using a Table in a Word document. It gives advice on writing the draft and then polishing the manuscript; it describes different ways of beginning a paper, including a delayed-thesis structure.
I especially found the Endings to Avoid section to be helpful, which was the opposite of what I had been taught in my high school English classes. I also found the section about weaving in your sources with your own commentary to be useful. For example, I never would've thought to use different colors for my voice and my sources in my rough draft to determine if my paper was balanced or if it relied too much on my sources or if I was yakking too much. There was a suggestion to actually print out the paper and cut it up with scissors to play around with order of paragraphs and what should stay and what should be edited out, but I didn't particularly like that idea. I made an outline instead and played around with my outline.
There is a helpful section on finding quick facts on the internet with links to American Factfinder, FedStats, Refdesk, CDC, and other sites. I appreciated the paragraphs about active voice vs. passive voice in writing and varying sentence length to avoid choppiness. A table was included to help use strong, powerful verbs instead of weaker, more passive verbs. I also found the paragraph about avoiding stock phrases to be helpful, especially because it listed suggestions for alternatives. The book included sections on how to include images, graphs, subheadings, bulleted lists, block quotes, and underlining for emphasis for a reader-friendly format. There was also a section of 10 Common Things to Avoid in Research Papers. I appreciated the section on avoiding sexist language.
Finally, the best and most helpful parts of this book were in the appendices. Appendix B was a Guide to MLA style. Appendix C was a Guide to APA Style. Since my college uses APA style, I will describe Appendix C. It has a checklist of things to look for before handing in, right in the very beginning of the appendix, and has a table listing key differences between MLA and APA format. Then, there is a directory (or table of contents for the appendix) of what is in the APA guide. It has a detailed section on citing sources in the body of the paper, a detailed section on how to prepare the references list, and sections on how to cite articles in print and online, and other sources, such as a film/online video/DVD, a TV program, an audio podcast, a blog, a wiki, online discussion lists, and musical recordings. This appendix is what I turn to most frequently and has been enormously helpful to me. The appendix concludes with an example student paper in APA format, from the title page to the references page, which is a helpful example of how a research paper could look like.
Overall, I highly recommend this book, and I'm thrilled that it was a required text for my English class, because it taught me so much.
The book is broken up into 5 weeks of writing a research paper, and is full of resources. It gives advice on how to choose a topic, and lists subject encyclopedias to look into. It also teaches how to use databases and search engines for optimum results, including a page specifically of Google tips and tricks. It explains what kinds of sources are best for research papers, and helps teach the researcher to think critically and evaluate the sources for quality.
The book helps you develop a research question, a tentative thesis with suggested prompts, and then the final thesis out of five possible prompts that can go in many directions. There is a section that discusses plagiarism, and then a section called The Notetaker's Triad: Quotation, Paraphrase, and Summary with explanations of each. I found the suggested notetaking techniques to be very helpful. I liked the Double-Entry Journal, especially when using a Table in a Word document. It gives advice on writing the draft and then polishing the manuscript; it describes different ways of beginning a paper, including a delayed-thesis structure.
I especially found the Endings to Avoid section to be helpful, which was the opposite of what I had been taught in my high school English classes. I also found the section about weaving in your sources with your own commentary to be useful. For example, I never would've thought to use different colors for my voice and my sources in my rough draft to determine if my paper was balanced or if it relied too much on my sources or if I was yakking too much. There was a suggestion to actually print out the paper and cut it up with scissors to play around with order of paragraphs and what should stay and what should be edited out, but I didn't particularly like that idea. I made an outline instead and played around with my outline.
There is a helpful section on finding quick facts on the internet with links to American Factfinder, FedStats, Refdesk, CDC, and other sites. I appreciated the paragraphs about active voice vs. passive voice in writing and varying sentence length to avoid choppiness. A table was included to help use strong, powerful verbs instead of weaker, more passive verbs. I also found the paragraph about avoiding stock phrases to be helpful, especially because it listed suggestions for alternatives. The book included sections on how to include images, graphs, subheadings, bulleted lists, block quotes, and underlining for emphasis for a reader-friendly format. There was also a section of 10 Common Things to Avoid in Research Papers. I appreciated the section on avoiding sexist language.
Finally, the best and most helpful parts of this book were in the appendices. Appendix B was a Guide to MLA style. Appendix C was a Guide to APA Style. Since my college uses APA style, I will describe Appendix C. It has a checklist of things to look for before handing in, right in the very beginning of the appendix, and has a table listing key differences between MLA and APA format. Then, there is a directory (or table of contents for the appendix) of what is in the APA guide. It has a detailed section on citing sources in the body of the paper, a detailed section on how to prepare the references list, and sections on how to cite articles in print and online, and other sources, such as a film/online video/DVD, a TV program, an audio podcast, a blog, a wiki, online discussion lists, and musical recordings. This appendix is what I turn to most frequently and has been enormously helpful to me. The appendix concludes with an example student paper in APA format, from the title page to the references page, which is a helpful example of how a research paper could look like.
Overall, I highly recommend this book, and I'm thrilled that it was a required text for my English class, because it taught me so much.
February 7, 2012
Bruce Ballenger's take on the research process goes where other books on the topic do not. His approach models an authenic writing experience for the student writer, but professional writers and teachers would benefit just as much from taking his engaging exercises to heart. The book promotes the tenet that curiosity drives academic reserach. Although marketed as a college-level text, I have used many of the techniques with high school English students. The tone of the book is personal, so that tends to rub some people the wrong way, but the text serves as an extension of the pedagogical beliefs to which the author adheres. The examples of professional writing do not adhere to MLA guidelines, but they do help make the point that people incorporate research into their lives in numerous ways. It's a given that academic writing will follow citation guidelines and the book provides guidance on MLA and APA. Ballenger's book will help any writer go beyond writing old-school research reports to producing a research paper where the writer is using information to make meaning. High schools across the nation should adopt his books for use in the classroom.
JeriWB.com Teacher Writer Traveler
Let's learn together.
JeriWB.com Teacher Writer Traveler
Let's learn together.
February 12, 2011
In fatuation w/ this text. Pedagogical approach to fostering curiosity and inquiry about topics and life w/ helpful ways to navigate the research process v. imposing research requirements, restrictions and assignment objectives that choke the inquiry before it's begun. Thanks to Tim Orme for the loan.
September 17, 2015
Excellent book for my English 1102 college writing class. I believe I'll use it next semester. The lessons and examples are more relevant to teaching the research paper than the books about "argument" that seem to be the latest thing. Ballenger's practical text covers skills such as note-taking and paraphrasing, with exercises like the ones that I have been making up myself until now.
January 13, 2018
This might be the book that got me permanently hooked on research. Ballenger's whole premise is that research papers really could be fun, given the right topic and enough curiousity. Contains lots of helpful, hands on excercises.
August 20, 2013
An outstanding and practical approach to breaking down the research paper into manageable sections. This book has really challenged the way that I have approached teaching research and the research paper.
September 4, 2014
Written to university students as a college text, but I'm finding it extremely useful in modifying research methods and developing continued inquiry with my high school students. A good mix between scholarly advice and relevant activities along the research path.
November 21, 2009
This will be a permanent fixture on the bookshelf close to me desk--a great reference for facts and ideas!
April 30, 2012
This is not a book that I would sit down and read straight through. It is very basic and only found myself skimming it. I think there are more beneficial books for research writing out there.
October 4, 2013
A good resource for learning how to write research papers.
February 28, 2015
This is for people who hate research papers. You may not like reading the book, but it is very insightful. It is written very casually and does move by very quickly
February 20, 2016
Had to read and use this book for Comp II in college this semester. Very handy book when it comes to writing papers! Highly recommend it!
November 27, 2020
I had to read this for a college english course and it helped me out a lot. would recommend it for research writing but isnt something I would have chose to read on my own
July 8, 2008
Great for teaching freshmen how to research & write great papers.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews