UPDATED SUMMER 2024

Cover: The Bedford Researcher, 8th Edition by Mike Palmquist

The Bedford Researcher

Eighth Edition  ©2024 Mike Palmquist Formats: Achieve, E-book, Print

Authors

  • Headshot of Mike Palmquist

    Mike Palmquist

    Mike Palmquist is a professor of English and a University Distinguished Teaching Scholar at Colorado State University, where he has also served as Associate Provost for Instructional Innovation and Director of the Writing Center. He is recognized internationally for his work in writing across the curriculum, the effects of computer and network technologies on writing instruction, and new approaches to scholarly publishing. He is the founding editor of the WAC Clearinghouse (http://wac.colostate.edu), the leading site for communication across the curriculum, and is the author of numerous articles and essays on writing across the curriculum and writing and teaching with technology. He served as an at-large member of the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum, which named him a Distinguished Fellow in 2021, and is a trustee of the University Press of Colorado and a member of the editorial boards of several journals. In 2004, he received the Charles Moran Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Field, which recognizes "exemplary scholarship and professional service to the field of computers and writing." In 2006, the CCCC Committee on Computers in Composition and Composition named him Outstanding Technology Innovator. He served as chair of the National Council of Teachers of English College Section Steering Committee and as a member of the NCTE Executive Committee from 2009 to 2011. He also served as the chair of the NCTE College Section Working Group on the Status and Working Conditions of Contingent Faculty. He is the author of Joining the Conversation: A Guide and Handbook for Writers; In Conversation: A Writer’s Guidebook; and The Bedford Researcher.

Table of Contents

I: Joining the Conversation  
1. Getting Started        
2. Exploring and Focusing  
3. Developing Your Research Question     


II: Working with Sources       
4. Reading Critically and Actively  
5. Assessing and Evaluating Sources                    
6. Taking Notes  
7. Engaging with Information, Ideas, and Arguments       
8. Managing Information      
9. Avoiding Plagiarism    

III: Collecting Information      
10. Searching for Information             
11. Collecting Information with Field Research

   
IV: Creating Your Document  
12. Developing Your Thesis Statement
13. Developing and Organizing Your Argument      
14. Drafting       
15. Using Sources Effectively          
16. Understanding Document Design            
17. Working with Genres and Design            
18. Revising and Editing    

          
V: Documenting Sources        
19. Using MLA Style        
20. Using APA Style     
21. Using Chicago Style   
22. Using CSE Style

Product Updates

Summer 2024 Updates:

New! Exclusive Palmquist Content: AI Guides for Instructors and Students.
Boost AI literacy with How Can I Use Generative AI in My Writing Classroom?, a brief resource by Mike Palmquist that helps college writers understand the opportunities and challenges of AI use in academic settings. Separate instructor and student guides offer support for using AI ethically and responsibly, with assessment to help reinforce concepts. Now available in the Achieve courses for In Conversation, Joining the Conversation, and The Bedford Researcher.

Eighth Edition Updates (2024):

  • New Chapter 17, Working with Genre and Design extends the discussion of design principles and elements to considerations of genre selection and presentation.
  • Documentation Chapters (Section 5) now provide system-specific guidance on using tables and figures.
  • New Student Essays including a problem-solving essay on environmental issues (Chapter 22) and an argumentative essay on the U.S. voting system (in Achieve). Examples from each work can be found throughout the book.
  • Attention to Ethical and Effective Use of AI-Powered Chatbots with new discussions of the potential uses and abuses of these new tools. Teaching with The Bedford Researcher and Achieve for The Bedford Researcher include further resources to increase students’ literacy around these developments.

Authors

  • Headshot of Mike Palmquist

    Mike Palmquist

    Mike Palmquist is a professor of English and a University Distinguished Teaching Scholar at Colorado State University, where he has also served as Associate Provost for Instructional Innovation and Director of the Writing Center. He is recognized internationally for his work in writing across the curriculum, the effects of computer and network technologies on writing instruction, and new approaches to scholarly publishing. He is the founding editor of the WAC Clearinghouse (http://wac.colostate.edu), the leading site for communication across the curriculum, and is the author of numerous articles and essays on writing across the curriculum and writing and teaching with technology. He served as an at-large member of the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum, which named him a Distinguished Fellow in 2021, and is a trustee of the University Press of Colorado and a member of the editorial boards of several journals. In 2004, he received the Charles Moran Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Field, which recognizes "exemplary scholarship and professional service to the field of computers and writing." In 2006, the CCCC Committee on Computers in Composition and Composition named him Outstanding Technology Innovator. He served as chair of the National Council of Teachers of English College Section Steering Committee and as a member of the NCTE Executive Committee from 2009 to 2011. He also served as the chair of the NCTE College Section Working Group on the Status and Working Conditions of Contingent Faculty. He is the author of Joining the Conversation: A Guide and Handbook for Writers; In Conversation: A Writer’s Guidebook; and The Bedford Researcher.

Table of Contents

I: Joining the Conversation  
1. Getting Started        
2. Exploring and Focusing  
3. Developing Your Research Question     


II: Working with Sources       
4. Reading Critically and Actively  
5. Assessing and Evaluating Sources                    
6. Taking Notes  
7. Engaging with Information, Ideas, and Arguments       
8. Managing Information      
9. Avoiding Plagiarism    

III: Collecting Information      
10. Searching for Information             
11. Collecting Information with Field Research

   
IV: Creating Your Document  
12. Developing Your Thesis Statement
13. Developing and Organizing Your Argument      
14. Drafting       
15. Using Sources Effectively          
16. Understanding Document Design            
17. Working with Genres and Design            
18. Revising and Editing    

          
V: Documenting Sources        
19. Using MLA Style        
20. Using APA Style     
21. Using Chicago Style   
22. Using CSE Style

Product Updates

Summer 2024 Updates:

New! Exclusive Palmquist Content: AI Guides for Instructors and Students.
Boost AI literacy with How Can I Use Generative AI in My Writing Classroom?, a brief resource by Mike Palmquist that helps college writers understand the opportunities and challenges of AI use in academic settings. Separate instructor and student guides offer support for using AI ethically and responsibly, with assessment to help reinforce concepts. Now available in the Achieve courses for In Conversation, Joining the Conversation, and The Bedford Researcher.

Eighth Edition Updates (2024):

  • New Chapter 17, Working with Genre and Design extends the discussion of design principles and elements to considerations of genre selection and presentation.
  • Documentation Chapters (Section 5) now provide system-specific guidance on using tables and figures.
  • New Student Essays including a problem-solving essay on environmental issues (Chapter 22) and an argumentative essay on the U.S. voting system (in Achieve). Examples from each work can be found throughout the book.
  • Attention to Ethical and Effective Use of AI-Powered Chatbots with new discussions of the potential uses and abuses of these new tools. Teaching with The Bedford Researcher and Achieve for The Bedford Researcher include further resources to increase students’ literacy around these developments.

Comprehensive research and writing guidance for today’s students.

The conversations we are encouraging our students to join and the challenges they face have never been more complex. The Bedford Researcher gives them the tools to contribute to research conversations with thoughtfulness and integrity. Structured around students’ most common writing questions, it guides them in thinking critically about the information they encounter every day, from scholarly papers to social media and chatbots, and in designing any type of research project. Paired with Achieve, an engaging and powerful digital platform,  The Bedford Researcher provides practical strategies to develop and structure arguments, create documents, and cite sources.

 

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