Writing a Research Paper in Political Science

“Writing a Research Paper in Political Scienceis a helpful research and writing guide for students from various disciplines and undergraduate levels.”
“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.” 
“With clarity and compassion, Lisa A. Baglione leads undergraduates step by step through the morass of empirical research.” 
“Writing a Research Paper in Political Scienceis an essential text for every political science major.” 

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