ABSTRACT
The purpose of this book was to focus on what makes research writing difficult across all social science disciplines and how to overcome these challenges with an argumentative mindset. And this is what it did. It did not, however, cover all the skills and theories related to research and writing a thesis or a paper. Thus, this textbook’s generalised focus is important in that it provides an approach to argumentative writing across all subject matter. However, its lack of specificity means that, ideally, this book should be used in conjunction with more conventional research methodology textbooks that are specific to your discipline. For example, chapter 1 did not discuss specific databases or the conventions of each. Likewise, chapter 7 did not discuss specific research designs. The emphasis was always on the general challenges and the argumentative work that is expected, regardless of discipline. While I tried to be as general as possible in chapters 5–7, there are, nevertheless, differences between disciplines and journals in each of these areas. As I mentioned throughout the book, even if you are equipped with the techniques of this book, there is no substitute for knowledge of your particular discipline. The two working in conjunction should, however, forge the prospect of a formidable argument.
