Basic College Research Skills (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Basic College Research Skills Walter P. Rankin Basic College Research Skills. Steven Bookman and Christopher Warburton. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, Inc., 2007, 114 pages, $19.95 (softcover) In the introduction to Basic College Research Skills, authors Steven Bookman and Christopher Warburton claim rather ambitiously that their text "gives students a comprehensive background in the art and science of scientific research, as well as providing instruction on common writing assignment requirements encountered in research-based and general writing classes" (p. 1). The authors further claim that the text is suitable for all levels of undergraduate and graduate study. Unfortunately, this brief text does not fully warrant these claims for a variety of reasons, nor does it distinguish itself from more comprehensive college study guides like Kathleen McWhorter's College Reading & Study Skills (now in its tenth edition) or Debbie Longman and Rhonda Atkinson's CLASS: College Learning and Study Skills (now in its seventh edition). Conceptually, Basic College Research Skills is awkwardly organized with disparate concepts (such as setting goals which is grouped with vocabulary learning) loosely gathered together. While the text is comprised of just five chapters, the authors have oddly chosen to divide those chapters into three distinct parts; thus, part II, titled "Research and Data Estimation," ends up being comprised solely of chapter 3, titled "Research and Data Estimation." The fundamental weakness of the text, however, is that the authors attempt to cover far too much material in too brief an amount of space. Instructors teaching students how to write research papers or conduct statistical analyses will no doubt require their students to use detailed reference guides, such as the official MLA Handbook, and other textbooks that truly specialize in those areas. This text simply lacks the necessary scope to make it a practical supplement to those kinds of academic works, nor is it comprehensive enough to stand on its own. Unfortunately, even the general chapters devoted to the broad skills needed for success in college lack the depth required to benefit students in a substantial way. Chapter 1, for example, ostensibly covers study skills, an area that should address students' different learning styles as well as instructors' varying methods of teaching. At a scant nine-and-a-half pages, this chapter spends three paragraphs total on goal setting; two paragraphs on vocabulary learning; and the final few pages defining types of college lectures and examinations that students might encounter. It would have been helpful if the authors had provided a few sample questions in this section to show students what kinds of questions and test formats they might encounter. Additionally, the authors fail to provide practical advice – such as encouraging students to talk to their instructors during office hours about their lectures and exams – instead offering stilted commentary like, "Listening, in terms of a college lecture, involves hearing what sentences the instructor is saying (also called utterances) while, at the same time, trying to understand the utterances" (pp. 7-8). Basic College Research Skills includes a troubling number of typos, grammatical errors, and factual misinformation that could actually hinder a student's academic performance. In chapter 1, the statement "Open-book examinations are not intended to be easy" is immediately [End Page 388] followed by the contradictory claim, "Take-home examinations are not intended to be easy like open-book examinations" (p. 10). Regardless, most instructors will likely agree that no exam is intended to be "easy" or "hard"; rather, the intent of any exam is that it adequately cover the material students need to have mastered for that course. In chapter 4, the authors briefly address the dangers and consequences of plagiarism. They incorrectly state, "At best, students who plagiarize will receive an 'F' for that course. If the student is lucky, the instructor might let the student redo the assignment" (p. 54). The authors fail to recognize that every institution has its own type of honor system and judicial code that should be followed by its students and faculty. At some institutions, students may receive a failing grade on a plagiarized assignment, yet still pass that course. Instructors should be encouraged to follow the policies and procedures of their institution when...