A Guide to Writing a Research Paper for International Affairs, Political Science and History

For example, a literature review that focuses on continuing research about the emergence of German economic power after the fall of the Soviet Union. Although all assignments are different, the preceding outlines provide a clear and simple guide that should help you in writing papers in any sub-field of political science. If you find that you need more assistance than this short guide provides, refer to the list of additional resources below or make an appointment to see a tutor at the Writing Center. If you have used material from outside sources in your paper, be sure to cite them appropriately in your paper. In political science, writers most often use the APA or Turabian style guides when formatting references.

What they do want to know is whether one is capable of analyzing the search results critically. Descriptive reporting is necessary, but it must only take a part of the research paper, not its entirety. Easton went on to explain that postbehavioralism’s critique of behavioralism was deeply grounded in an understanding of science at odds with that embraced by behavioralism. For postbehavioralists, science was unavoidably based on normative assumptions; thus, according to postbehavioralists, a “value-free” political science was not possible. Indeed, postbehavioralists asserted that to proclaim value neutrality was itself a normative stance (i.e., an assertion that a so-called value-free stance was better than its opposite). Postbehavioralism faulted behavioralism for not having acknowledged—and thus not having scrutinized—its own normative foundations and the ways in which those foundations shaped the direction of its research agenda.

How to write Political Science Research Topics?

In fact, a senior essay differs from a term paper in that it is generally a bigger, more ambitious project. Whether you will produce a separate term paper as well as a senior essay is up to your instructor.

• Describe the history of political psychology and its influence in modern politics.
• It goes without saying that there is no simple formula on how to optimally structure your work.
• International relations theories have to change to make UHU possible.
• If you see strong support for your argument or perhaps some unexpected results that your original hypotheses cannot account for, this section is the place to convey such important information to your reader.
• Political Science research papers can easily become overly complex and weak if there are too many ideas scattered across assignment.

If you do not, your reader may question the validity of your analysis, particularly if you failed to document an obvious outcome from your case study research. For example, in the case of studying the accident at the railroad crossing to evaluate where and what types of warning signals should be located, you failed to take into consideration speed limit signage as well as warning signals. When designing your case study, be sure you have thoroughly addressed all aspects of the problem and do not leave gaps in your analysis. As with any research paper, you should summarize your conclusion in clear, simple language; emphasize how the findings from your case study differs from or supports prior research and why. Provide a synthesis of key findings presented in the paper to show how these converge to address the research problem.

Good Scoring Political Science Research Topics

The analysis then progressed on a somewhat temporal route, breaking down large sections according to “eras” linearly along the time-line. Notice, however, the fact while the writer divided the sections by time-line, she wrote the subsections by mixing both particular events and theoretical discussions. Once again, go with what best and most effectively presents your argument. Before you pick a research paper topic for your political science theme, it’s important to know how to write this kind of a paper in the first place. Research question based on the topic and delve deep into the details of factual events and their direct or indirect influence of the political arena in question. Such analysis was done concretely, and in-depth will demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic by the researcher.

Public law focuses on the role of law and courts in the political process. Public policy examines the process by which governments make public decisions. Additionally, it is highly recommended to take essay revision service notes while researching the topic. Precisely, it would be useful to record every fact and evidence to avoid confusing sources. Cogent arguments are essential to support every opinion in the paper.

What Makes a Strong Political Science Research Topic?

In fact, at one point in his address, he went so far as to assert that he disliked the name political science, which, he claimed, implied that human interactions should be studied objectively and narrowly. He argued for the designation politics rather than political science as a more suitable name for the study of the state and “statesmanship” (pp. 10-11). His understanding of political science, one finds, could hardly be broader, in that he concluded that “nothing” that has an impact on “human life” should be termed “foreign” to the discipline (p. 2). Wilson argued that the astute student of politics should demonstrate “a Shakespearian range” (p. 10). Although Wilson’s immediate influence on U.S. political science was limited (Ubertaccio & Cook, 2006), his explicit embrace of an expansive politics is illustrative of traditionalism’s lack of disciplinary specialization.

Our database offers a wide range of political science essay topics. Look for essay anthologies or papers in peer-reviewed academic journals at your local municipal or university library. There are a number of peer-reviewed academic journals centered on the academic study of politics, such as the American Journal of Political Science, Foreign Policy, and International Policy Digest. You can also look for anthologies in book form that contain similar writings and research, which will demonstrate good structure and methodology. These works are written by professional academics who have devoted their lives to studying politics. Some can even be found online, either as ebooks for purchase, or in the public domain.

Empirical Research Paper Topics

Select a particular event in the particular country in a certain time and study it thoroughly. Remember that the similar events in the different periods of time or on the opposite sides of the globe may have the completely different causes, based on cultural context. Of course, you need to avoid discussing sensitive issues or using a rude tone in your dissertations or essays. Also, avoid showcasing just one side of an issue, unless you want to write a personal reflection. Pay the writer only for a finished, plagiarism-free essay that meets all your requirements.

Therefore, just as you have to clearly state the limitations of a general research study, you must describe the specific limitations inherent in the subject of analysis. For example, the phenomenon could be the observation that many vehicles used by ISIS fighters are small trucks with English language advertisements on them. The research problem could be that ISIS fighters are difficult to combat because they are highly mobile.

Term Papers on Political Science

Perhaps, you need to support all facts through authentic academic sources. A reader will want evidence that you are exploring an important question or topic. political science research paper example Explorations of the unimportant (e.g., “Canada’s orange industry has been underappreciated”) will not entice any but the most insensate readers.

If the course deals with global politics, comparing two different countries is also a good option. Political science research is important because it improves public policies and can lead to necessary legal reform. It helps citizens understand American politics and foreign policy issues. Research in political science improves international cooperation and global environmental policies, and helps us make sense of major world events. Political science is a field of knowledge that studies political phenomena.

Writing a Political Science Research Paper

The primary role of a government is to sustain and protect population. Everything that the government do should contribute to the general good. However, there are a lot of cases where governmental figures overreached their authority in favor of their benefit.

• Public administration studies the ways that government policies are implemented.
• This is also the place to suggest further lines of research that will help refine, clarify inconsistencies with, or provide additional support for your hypotheses.
• Like any representative system, the US political system gives citizens the right to exert a certain influence on public policy.

In this course, they develop a research prospectus for the senior essay, begin their research, and share their progress on a weekly basis with their instructor and their fellow classmates. (Note that 490a counts as a senior-year seminar.) In the spring, they take PLSC 491b, The Senior Essay, in which they work closely with their adviser to complete the essay. Please know that students receive a temporary grade of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory in 490a. Once they have completed the senior essay, they receive a letter grade, which applies retroactively to 490a and to 491b. Occasionally, students take a seminar with the intention of writing a senior essay and then, during the semester, change their minds. If you find yourself in this situation and would like to opt out, you should contact your instructor, the DUS, and the DUS Assistant.

Collecting data

Explain how your case study design may reveal new knowledge or a new perspective or that can redirect research in an important new direction. How will this study advance new knowledge or new ways of understanding? Explain why your case study will be suitable in helping to expand knowledge and understanding about the research problem. Government Information can be helpful when looking for specific types of information.

In explaining what he meant by the communication of the “State’s will,” Goodnow made reference to such matters as the values conveyed through a country’s political ideas or political theory, constitution, and political party platforms. The second element—the “content of the State will”—Goodnow identified as law (p. 40). To understand how states carried out their “wills,” Goodnow continued, one needed to study administrative law, a subject that, in the absence of political science, had been frightfully neglected, he believed. He pointed to the benefits of studying the history of English poor laws as a guide for improving public administration generally. Contrary to popular belief, it is a way easier to compose a political science research paper writing when there is a specific topic/research question assigned. Knowing what to write about allows one to avoid spending time and efforts on searching for an adequate, not over-researched, not under-researched topic. However, more often than not, professors suggest their students choose a research question of their own that would deal with the course readings.

Sloppy writing makes the text annoying and difficult to follow. Political science research papers could potentially solve global poverty or find a way to fight corruption. With that in mind, it would be a pity if the lack of proofreading prevented the professor from giving the paper justice. Once the topic is chosen, one should start searching for books and journal articles to broaden his/her knowledge and develop a deep understanding of the problem. If the topic deals with the current issues, using news articles is also inevitable.

• You may also need to do some additional research and strengthen your arguments.
• You can also use guides to develop a research question by narrowing the topic to help you get started.
• At the same time, he should lay the groundwork for an international effort to impose harsher sanctions on Iran if it proves unwilling to change course.
• Identify new ways to interpret prior research using the case study.
• Take a look at your local politics, for starters, and see what you can dig out from there, aside from some interesting psychology topics.