Summary: Thinking in Print (Chapter 1)

The first chapter of The Craft of Research, written by Booth, W. C.; Colomb, G. G.; and Williams, J. M., is defining and explaining the use of the research and the written formal report.

In everyday life, we benefit from the research which have been done by other people for centuries. Whenever we read a newspaper or read a book, we are reading the research reported in writing by others. According to the authors, research means "gathering information to answer a question that solves a problem,"(p.10) which everyone does everyday but not by writing. However, "we rely on those who write it up"(p.10) because they want to give answers to "someone would have a question that their data."(p.10) Because of this kind of research, the world improves everyday.

The benefits of writing up the research are that it helps researchers remember what they have done more clearly, have better understanding what they have found, and gain clearer view on what they think. If researchers write what they found their own way without adjusting them to readers’ expectation, they cannot learn more about their ideas by testing themselves against the standards and values of others, which is the most significant reason of research reporting. In order for the research to be understood and accepted by the research community, it is necessary to create communication, which is obtained by using traditional forms, plans, shared practices and values of the community.

In conclusion, we research to provide benefits of our readers, and in order to share the benefits more clearly, we need to write a research report with common forms and styles which can be accepted and understood by our readers.