Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article: Second Edition [Paperback]

The stereotype abuses of academia come to mind: stale, formulaic, "a craven surrender to custom", staid, a case study in lethargy. All the concentration on ultra-definition of disciplines, protocol ad infinitum, political positioning, and methodologies presents a convenient hideout from ever having to really say anything. All the excess concentration on the medium and style of writing oft-times has sacrificed any real message, creating a gas law of writing: Having little to say, no matter how little, can be said in whatever length required, no matter how long.

All of this comes back to Becker and the orange cover. It is precisely one of his points in this book that the meticulously perfect and judicious assumptions surrounding intellectual life get in the way of good writing. The assumption that there is one correct way to do something, for example, does not aid intellectual curiosity. Academic thought may be the venue for the most creative and imaginative work to date. There are an infinite number of ways to view anything and an equally vast amount of corollaries to a million other subjects. Many of the great intellectuals have followed this trend in diversity demonstrating amusing and sometimes alarming personal eccentricities. They are manifestly unique in their thinking and personal lives, and have become beloved for it. Therefore, Becker's call to give up the need for "one right way" remains good advice for the introduction into academic writing (and the adult world, for that matter). Writing rules may not be as hard and as fast as some grammarians have suggested.

Fear also seems to be at the heart of the scholarly writing problem. Becker's chapter on personae and authority drives at the concept of fear in revealing one's humanity to others. People are slow to reveal fears, especially professionally. Openly emerging from scholarly facades of perfection requires humility. Titles of superiority and elitism diminish in such an environment. The status quo in academic writing is a convenient way to hide one's fear.

In his first chapter, "Freshman English for Graduate Students," Becker's call for simplicity in writing is valid, but he might be overstating the point. Anyone trying to actually apply the freshman English style of writing to academic sociological writing might find it difficult. It does not work very well. His point must be, then, to cut the verbiage that does not aid in understanding the essential message of the writing. His call for using less academic words, however, may be somewhat simplistic. Some concepts used in the sociological sciences cannot be explained well in layman's terms (for example: "weltanschauung," "epistomology," "ontology," etc.). Furthermore, the purpose of scholarship is not to boil everything down to a lowest common denominator. The scholarly quest is to lift the bar and to encourage others to do the same.

Regardless of these few clarifying details, everyone reading the book will probably identify with many of the various messages and be properly reprimanded throughout the writing process. It is a nice insight and reminder put forth by Becker to be genuine people, even in the realms of academic writing. mdm