A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Eighth Edition: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and)

■ Ask a question worth answering.

■ Find an answer that you can support with good reasons.

■ Find reliable evidence to support your reasons.

■ Draft a report that makes a good case for your answer.

■ Revise that draft until readers will think you met the first four goals.

And they know that readers will think their facts add up to something only when those facts serve as evidence to support its answer.

only with a question can a researcher know which facts to look for and which to keep