Writing a Research Paper in Political Science: A Practical Guide to Inquiry, Structure, and Methods / Edition 4

by Lisa A. Baglione

Overview

Even students capable of writing excellent essays still find their first major political science research paper an intimidating experience. Crafting the right research question, finding good sources, properly summarizing them, operationalizing concepts and designing good tests for their hypotheses, presenting and analyzing quantitative as well as qualitative data are all tough-going without a great deal of guidance and encouragement. Writing a Research Paper in Political Science breaks down the research paper into its constituent parts and shows students what they need to do at each stage to successfully complete each component until the paper is finished. Practical summaries, recipes for success, worksheets, exercises, and a series of handy checklists make this a must-have supplement for any writing-intensive political science course.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506367422
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/28/2019
Edition description:	Fourth Edition
Pages:	280
Sales rank:	537,572
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Lisa A. Baglione is a Professor and the Chair of the Political Science Department at Saint Joseph's University. Her major fields of study are International Relations and Comparative Politics. Dr. Baglione has published works exploring contemporary Russian foreign policy, post-settlement peacebuilding, the arms control decision-making process in the United States, the Soviet Union, and Russia, and the research-paper writing process, and has co-authored articles on the transformation of the Russian polity and economy in the early post-communist period. Currently, she is researching conflict transformation in the twenty-first century and contemporary Russian center-periphery relations. At Saint Joseph's, Dr. Baglione teaches courses in which she developed the ideas, advice, and techniques offered in this work.

Table of Contents

PREFACE
CHAPTER 1: So You Have to Write a Research Paper
What Is a Research Paper? A Few Helpful Metaphors
What Research Paper Writing Entails
Blueprint of the Book
CHAPTER 2: Getting Started: Finding a Research Question
Characteristics of a Good Question
Practical Summary
Recipe 1: The Research Question
Exercises
CHAPTER 3: Learning Proper Citation Forms, Finding the Scholarly Debate, and Summarizing and Classifying Arguments: The Annotated Bibliography
What Are Bibliographies, and Why Do We Bother With Them?
Plagiarism versus Paraphrasing and Avoiding Drop-Ins and Transcripts, Too
Annotating the Bibliography
Identifying the Key Conceptual Issues
Searching for Sources
Identifying Similar Arguments and Grouping Your Sources
One Last Word of Advice: Generic Schools of Thought
Writing the Annotated Bibliography
Practical Summary
Recipe 2: The Annotated Bibliography
Exercises
CHAPTER 4: Making Sense of the Scholarly Answers to Your Research Question: Writing the Literature Review
Preparing for and Understanding the Literature Review
The Fundamentals of the Literature Review
Writing the Literature Review
Practical Summary
Recipe 3: Literature Review
Exercises
CHAPTER 5: Effectively Distilling Your Argument: The Thesis, Model, and Hypothesis
The Thesis
The Model
The Hypothesis
Applying These Insights
Practical Summary
Recipe 4: Thesis or Model and Hypothesis Section
Exercises
CHAPTER 6: Revising and Editing Your Work: The Research-Writing-Thinking Spiral
Practical Summary
Recipe 5: Revising and Editing
Exercises
CHAPTER 7: Making Your Plan and Protecting Yourself from Criticism: The Research Design
Research Design: The Courtroom and Medical Science Analogies
Writing the Research Design, Focusing on Hypothesis-Driven Research
The Research Design: Two Examples
Practical Summary
Recipe 6: Research Design
Exercises
CHAPTER 8: Evaluating the Argument: The Analysis and Assessment Section
Qualitative Analysis
Mixed (Qualitative and Quantitative) Analysis
Quantitative and Statistical Analysis
Practical Summary
Recipe 7: Analysis and Assessment
Exercises
CHAPTER 9: Bringing the Paper Together in Essential Ways: The Conclusion, Introduction, Title, Abstract, and the Utility of a Presentation
Considering the Significance and Limitations of Your Findings: The Conclusion
Writing a Good Introduction
A Last Element in Attracting Readers: Developing an Appealing Title
Almost Done: Writing an Abstract and Giving a Presentation
Are You Done? The Joy (and Continued Responsibilities) of Finalizing Your Draft
Practical Summary
Recipe 8: Conclusion, Introduction, Title, and Abstract
Exercises
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX

Editorial Reviews

Lisa A. Baglione’s book is a highly accessible resource to help undergraduate students transition from writing about politics to writing about empirical political science research.

Ashlie B. Delshad

Writing a Research Paper in Political Science is a helpful research and writing guide for students from various disciplines and undergraduate levels.

Dorian Brown Crosby

With clarity and compassion, Lisa A. Baglione leads undergraduates step by step through the morass of empirical research.

William M. Flanik

Writing a Research Paper in Political Science is an essential text for every political science major.

Steve B. Lem

The book is very accessible in terms of writing, complete with great examples. I like that it walks students through the process of finding a topic, formulating the research question and writing the literature review so thoroughly.

Review program - Kimberly Cowell-Meyer

"Most of my students did well once they identified a tractable research question. This is where Baglione’s text shines. A poorly-thought out project is not likely to end well, even if the author is otherwise smart and industrious. Designing research projects, starting with the development of a good question, is probably the single most important skill that I can teach beginning college students. It’s a wonderful reference. I’ve enjoyed using it, and I can imagine using it again in the future."

Review - Christopher Marcoux

One of the greatest difficulties students face when writing research papers is finding a good research question to guide the rest of the writing process. Baglione's text tackles that issue head on and does so quite well.”

Jack D. Collens

Baglione offers an extremely practical and useful text for understanding the content and structure of a thesis-length research paper. For some students, the clear outlining of the sequential steps is most useful, while for others who have the basics down, it offers a broad view of the goals and long-term responsibilities for such a project.”

Jennifer Seely

I love the checklists! I require students to submit every section of their paper drafts with the corresponding checklist attached.”

Emily Beaulieu

"As a supplemental text, it contains an appropriate mix of writing skills and methodology. The emphasis is first and foremost on writing skills, but the book introduces enough methodology to help undergraduate students design rigorous research papers. I also like that the book provides clear advice for both qualitative and quantitative analysis (and combinations thereof)."

Review - Kirsten Taylor

"The book's strengths are clear: it summarizes the writing process that coincides with the typical process that I teach students to conduct empirically-oriented research in political science. The author captures the typical undergraduate political science major audience well, and is accessible to students who do not intend to pursue political science as a profession, but who I think will benefit from a greater understanding about the process that political scientists follow to identify a puzzle or problem, survey the literature, develop a thesis, and design and carry out a logical process to address the problem.

Review - Timothy La Pira

This is a very relatable book. The prose is accessible, there is little jargon, and the use of examples is perfect for an undergraduate audience.”

David Mislan

Students will be able to use Baglione’s book throughout their career on campus. It is especially helpful for students who are hesitant their about writing a research paper or struggling to find a suitable topic. The book walks through the research process and provides very helpful checklists to ensure students stay on the right track.”

Aaron King

"The strengths are the checklists, the clear guidance from A to Z on how to think through the process; the calendar is helpful to students. The incorporation of political theory and the different students with different interests is excellent. Finally, it’s short and thus not overwhelming. It’s a simple guide and that’s very useful."

Review - Rachel Cobb

"The strengths of the book are numerous: the use of actual student writing, the emphasis on multiple draft writing (I particularly appreciate this), the length of the text, the emphasis on finding and then evaluating sources and plagiarism, and I really appreciate the skills-based approachm particularly when it is deliberately done and demonstrates how these skills are portable."

Review - Michelle Deardorff

"The book's strengths are clear: it summarizes the writing process that coincides with the typical process that I teach students to conduct empirically-oriented research in political science. The author captures the typical undergraduate political science major audience well, and is accessible to students who do not intend to pursue political science as a profession, but who I think will benefit from a greater understanding about the process that political scientists follow to identify a puzzle or problem, survey the literature, develop a thesis, and design and carry out a logical process to address the problem.

Review - Timothy LaPira