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Writing for Social Scientists

How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article: Second Edition (Chicago Guides to Writing, Ed…

By Howard S. Becker, Pamela Richards (Contributor)

(1)

| Paperback | 9780226041322

Book Description

Students and researchers all write under pressure, and those pressures—most lamentably, the desire to impress your audience rather than to communicate with them—often lead to pretentious prose, academic posturing, and, not infrequently, writer’s block.

Sociologist Howard SContinue

Students and researchers all write under pressure, and those pressures—most lamentably, the desire to impress your audience rather than to communicate with them—often lead to pretentious prose, academic posturing, and, not infrequently, writer’s block.

Sociologist Howard S. Becker has written the classic book on how to conquer these pressures and simply write. First published nearly twenty years ago, Writing for Social Scientists has become a lifesaver for writers in all fields, from beginning students to published authors. Becker’s message is clear: in order to learn how to write, take a deep breath and then begin writing. Revise. Repeat.

It is not always an easy process, as Becker wryly relates. Decades of teaching, researching, and writing have given him plenty of material, and Becker neatly exposes the foibles of academia and its “publish or perish” atmosphere. Wordiness, the passive voice, inserting a “the way in which” when a simple “how” will do—all these mechanisms are a part of the social structure of academic writing. By shrugging off such impediments—or at the very least, putting them aside for a few hours—we can reform our work habits and start writing lucidly without worrying about grades, peer approval, or the “literature.”

In this new edition, Becker takes account of major changes in the computer tools available to writers today, and also substantially expands his analysis of how academic institutions create problems for them. As competition in academia grows increasingly heated, Writing for Social Scientists will provide solace to a new generation of frazzled, would-be writers.

1 Review

  • Writing for Social Scientists by Howard Becker is much more than a guide to writing; it is a guide to becoming a prolific (and thus successful) academic. Whereas many books on writing focus on style and grammar, Becker takes a broader view, covering everything from the writing process ("writi ... (continue)

    Writing for Social Scientists by Howard Becker is much more than a guide to writing; it is a guide to becoming a prolific (and thus successful) academic. Whereas many books on writing focus on style and grammar, Becker takes a broader view, covering everything from the writing process ("writing is a form of thinking") to common pitfalls (the "One Right Way") to writing's place in research (think "working draft"). Becker illustrates his ideas with examples from his career as a professor of sociology, and his sociological perspective is refreshing, even liberating. If you're an academic looking for ways to put off writing that next paper, I highly recommend this book

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Book Details

  • Rating:
    (1)
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  • English Books
  • Paperback 208 Pages
  • Edition: 2
  • ISBN-10: 0226041328
  • ISBN-13: 9780226041322
  • Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
  • Pub date: Dec 15, 2007
  • Dimensions: 21 cm x 14 cm x 2 cm Just how big is that?
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Prices Change currency & sellers

ISBN Edition List Sale Seller
9780226041322 Paperback $12.00 $8.64 Amazon US
£8.50 £6.86 Amazon UK
$14.50 $12.28 Amazon CA

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