Quality Research Papers: For Students of Religion and Theology

The book arrived in good condition. The author should seriosly consider rewriting the book or have it removed from being vendable because it is unclear and on the fence in that author has no understanding of subject.

Books like these are tediously boring. At least most of them are. But this book was actually quite interesting. Nancy Vhymeister discusses how to choose a topic, write a thesis proposal, conduct research, take notes, create bibliographies, contruct footnotes and end notes, and she also introduces the student to software and internet websites which will provide the most help.

She even has a final chapter about how to prepare a final project for the Doctor of Ministry degree.

I'm not looking forward to all the other books in this genre that have been assigned to me, but I am happy to report that this one was helpful and held my interest.

I am a seminary student in the process of writing a master's thesis, and Nancy Jean Vyhmeister has been very helpful.

Vyhmeister sets out to provide step-by-step guidance to completing all manner of written works for students of 'theology'. By theology, it is really meant any type of Christian religious instruction, not just an M. Div. With this in mind, Vyhmeister largely meets the goal, giving instructions (sometimes often very basic ones) for selecting a topic, organizing a paper, conducting research, etc.

Where this work shines is in the bibliography examples. If you need a bibliography entry for a multi-author, multi-volume commentary, there is an example. Indeed, there are a bewildering variety of examples, many of which I never hope to meet, but I rest in the assurance that I have an example. This work also has a very good, simple process for conducting research, something that is often not taught. Had I followed it, I could tell you where Vyhmeister declares that my papers can become works of art. Alas, I just don't remember!

On the other hand, the section on statistics, graphs and tables, is cursory at best, and any true research effort involving statistical analysis and presentation of same would require a more specialized work. I say this as a warning to users of the book, not as a negative of this work.

Additionally, the work is very helpful if you are entering into theological studies from another career, such as engineering. While not explicit, one can gain a very good understanding of just who theological papers differ from other types of research.

Finally, Zondervan's paper back binding is terrible. My copy showed significant wear after its first reading, and I suspect that it will wear out in short order. That is all the more surprising, considering it is a very useful desk reference. Indeed it even says that it is an "... Indispensable Guide to Writing...". If you really feel that way Zondervan, make a hardback!

Nancy Vyhmeister's Quality Research Papers for Students of Religion and Theology is an excellent handbook for the writing of quality research papers. The book provides a comprehensive and balanced perspective on the different aspects of research writing. Most of the chapters are concise yet replete of straight forward instructions, practical tips, and suggestions of additional helps from books, journals and websites. There is much to appreciate from this volume.