Includes index.

Research as argument -- Understanding the basic research skills in the light of argument -- Finding an original contribution -- Writing argumentatively -- How to get started and write introductions -- Writing an original and argumentative literature review -- Principles of writing argumentatively about your research design and methodology.

"This book guides novice researchers through the major challenges of research writing that most of them face and that professors find difficult to teach. It teaches the principles of thinking through an argumentative orientation and shows how novices can use this orientation and skills to overcome only the major challenges (or bottlenecks) in research writing in different parts of a thesis or paper. It is a concise text that does not overload the novice, employing a number of techniques to make clear the principles of argumentative skill, such as: metaphors that have been found to capture the essence of argumentative writing; step-by-step approaches; templates, and many diagrams and visuals. It includes online instructor resources to aid in teaching, and is ideal for courses in research methods at beginning postgraduate and upper undergraduate level"-- Provided by publisher.