 Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article, Second Editionreviewed by James H. Collier — July 02, 2008  Title: Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article, Second Edition Author(s): Howard S. Becker Publisher: University of Chicago Press, Chicago ISBN: 0226041328, Pages: 197, Year: 2007 Search for book at Amazon.com Coming to the second edition of Writing for Social Scientists, I speculated on what occasioned the University of Chicago Press to re-issue this book after twenty-one years. Market readiness and potential sales, almost certainly. Perhaps Howard Becker felt moved to answer the urgent calls of academics confronting daunting transformations wrought by social software, digital media, the “crisis in scholarly publishing” (Waters, 2004), and innumerable threats to academic inquiry — illustrated by Bruno Labor’s (2004) plaintive mediation on “wars” and the possibilities of critique. In light of these changes, how would Becker revise his approach to writing? Well comme-ci, comme ca. The second edition’s preface offers: “Many things haven’t changed since this book first appeared. But some have …” (viii). In a characteristically low-key manner, Becker notes how computers have affected “… our situations as writers” (viii). Becker describes briefly both the unpredictable influence of computers (Chapter 9) and of university reorganization... (preview truncated at 150 words.) To view the full-text for this article you must be signed-in with the appropropriate membership. Please review your options below:
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