Research Now: Contemporary Writing in the Disciplinesis designed to help students make the transition into academic discourse. It gathers exciting current scholarship from across the disciplines in a concise collection of research-oriented academic prose. Most of the readings first appeared in academic journals, but there are other forms of research writing as well, including a book chapter by a senior scholar and a proposal by a graduate student. The selections were written by researchers from around the world working in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

The introduction gives a helpful overview of academic genres, research methods, and the path to academic publication. Each reading includes questions designed to provoke student engagement and discussion; a glossary and short guide to reading statistics are also included.