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24 August 2001

Research and Writing for Publication

Reviewed by Sheldon Greaves

Martin Maner. The Research Process. A Complete Guide and Reference for Writers. Second Edition, (Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publications), 2000. 386 pages, includes CD-ROM. $29.85. ISBN 0-7674-1139-0.

One of the stated goals of the Society for Amateur Scientists is to help amateurs take the results of their work and prepare it for submission to professional, refereed journals. Although few amateurs have thus far sought such help, perhaps the volume reviewed here will help some of you get started. The presentation of research results is one of the most important aspects of the scientific process. Even if you never plan to submit your work to the likes of Nature or Physical Review Letters, the process of writing about your work has the effect of forcing you to take a hard look at your work versus what is already in print.

This brings us to the process of writing. Although it is often enjoyable, it can also be a chore. For me, getting started is the toughest part. This usually involves sitting down in front of the keyboard and cursing quietly for a few minutes. Next, I stare at a blank computer screen until my forehead bleeds. After that, I'm fine.

Of course, writing–good writing–is more than just shoveling words into a document. It involves planning, defining the subject, researching what is already out there, organization, and once you actually begin to write, you must follow certain conventions both to avoid confusing the reader and to reassure others that you know how to write.

Despite the title, Martin Maner's The Research Process is not so much about research per se as it is about research in the service of writing. It describes itself as a "complete guide and reference for writers." It comes very close to satisfying this claim by combining the features of a grammar and style guide, logic primer, research and study guide. Although it is clearly aimed at college students in undergraduate writing courses, it is an excellent guide and sourcebook for amateur scientists, especially those who have not done serious writing for awhile.

The first two main chapters ("The Nature of Research Writing" and "Finding and Narrowing the Topic") explain the problems a research paper seeks to address, and how to select and narrow the topic. If you don't write often, this process can be suprisingly difficult. If you already have a topic, this chapter is still useful, as it walks you through the process of refining the topic in terms of the arguments and evidence you need to back your thesis. The third chapter, "Generating an Argument", consists of a short but very useful treatise on logic and argumentation and the fallacies one should avoid. Another section of this chapter is called "Can I Really Challenge the Experts?" This will appeal to amateurs for obvious reasons. Maner believes that one can challenge and question conventional wisdom as long as your arguments are good and you present them in a way that does not make you look like just another crank. Maner offers some good strategies and wisely insists on consultation with experts as you develop your arguments.

The chapter that follows ("Finding Sources") covers the process of actually going out and finding the information you need for the paper. If you are an amateur scientist (and I assume you are), much of your information will probably be experimental data. However, if you want to be thorough and make it completely clear that you have done your homework, some outside research will be necessary. This section has good hints on using the internet as well as libraries. This is important because current search engines give the mistaken impression that anyone can do professional-quality research using only the net. In fact, although you can do some remarkable things with a search engine, to get really stunning results you must employ the same kind of thinking that reference librarians use to work their magic. Maner is attempting the impossible in this chapter; the subject of library or internet research cannot be adequately conveyed in the space he allots. His chapter here is only a superficial introduction. It will get you started but it won't take you to information Nirvana. However, another book which I will review next week will more than make up that shortfall.

"Writing a Short Plan" and "Gathering Information" follow, which respectively follow the process of writing a prospectus and turning your raw information into usable data with hints on note-taking, active reading, and paraphrasing as a method of learning. Maner explains how to intelligently digest data and turn it into original research.

The next two chapters discuss how to apply research formats, specifically MLA, APA, CBE, and Chicago. These chapters address style considerations as well as footnote and bibliography conventions. These chapters include examples of the most common formatting questions, with additional examples in the final chapter, "Mechanics." This information can save you the time and trouble of finding (and using) the guides for the style formats listed. If this book removes the necessity of purchasing a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style (and it probably will), it will more than pay for itself on that basis alone.

After all this, we come to the chapters concerning the actual writing. The titles are "Writing the Rough Draft," "Revising the Rough Draft" and "Editing." Here is where Maner guides you through the process of taking your notes and writing for brevity, clarity, and strength.

Like many textbooks these days, this one includes a CD-ROM with extra goodies in a .pdf format. Most of these are templates and examples of formats and students papers the reader can use as models for their own work. Of particular interest to the amateur scientist is the section on peer-review guidelines for reviewing a colleague's work. The CD also has links to a web site based on this book with additional links to additional research and formating sites.

Maner's book attempts to provide a "one stop shop" for those unfamiliar (or rusty) with writing a research paper, a very difficult task. However, this book succeeds admirably in giving the researcher a good collection of helps that can save a great deal of time and frustration. It may not always be the last place you need to look, but it should definitely be the first.