Public Policy Paper Chapter 1: Formulating Your Research Question “Welcome to my PowerPoint presentation on how to identify a research question and assemble.
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Public Policy Paper
Chapter 1: Formulating Your Research Question
“Welcome to my PowerPoint presentation on how to identify a research question and assemble a scholarly bibliography.”
Analyze the Assignment
Identify a Research Question Produce a Bibliography Use One of the Approved Styles
“The policy paper is a complex and difficult task. I’ve broken it down into manageable steps. Let’s get you off to a good start thinking about how you identify a research question and produce a bibliography using an approved style sheet.”
How Do I Find a Topic?
Consult your own interests. Consider what issues might be most
amenable to particular expertise that you already possess.
Consult the table of contents of your textbook – or even the index.
What’s a Good Topic? A good topic is…
Consistent with assignment -- Your paper must deal with a consequential matter of public policy which is, or ought to be, on the agenda of American politics at the national level
Interesting to you One that you can approach with an open mind –
where you have not already developed an opinion that is likely to render you immune to facts.
Narrow enough to allow relatively thorough research
What’s Narrow Enough? Exactly how narrow more art than science. If your topic is too broad, your research will be
unfocused and superficial. If your topic is too narrow, you won’t find the
information you need to proceed. You need to strike a balance based on preliminary
exploration of your topic. In this wired world, it is probably easier to be too
broad than too narrow. On the next slide I’ll provide an example. Forgive me
for using an old favorite from environmental politics.
What’s Narrow Enough? Bad
Endangered species Environmental
protection National Park Policy Yellowstone National
Park Federal wolf
management Ranchers’ rights Threats to livestock
Each of these is too broad
Good Whether the
Yellowstone wolves should be protected when they leave the park
Here’s another difference. On the left we have “topics.” On the right we have a “research question.” Consult your course syllabus for a further elaboration on this distinction.
Produce a Bibliography
Preface – thinking about… Primary v. Secondary Sources Scholarly v. Popular Sources
Getting an Overview Digging Down Deep Using One of the Approved Styles
Primary v. Secondary Sources
Primary: An original, first-hand document; it has not been previously published, interpreted or translated.
Secondary: Interprets and analyzes primary sources; information is “once removed.” Secondary sources are often based on primary sources.
Primary or Secondary? Historical records like birth certificates or deeds* Autobiographies* Reviews of plays, films, books, etc. Original published research reporting a lab experiment* Works of art and literature (paintings, poems, etc.)* Editorials in newspapers & magazines Correspondence, diaries and other personal papers* Textbooks, encyclopedias, etc. Transcripts or recordings of interviews or proceedings* Government documents like bills, laws, or court
decisions* Published research reviewing the literature of a certain
field * generally primary but see next slide
Primary or Secondary? The distinction between primary and secondary
will sometimes depend upon the context of your research. The commentary of entertainers like Rush Limbaugh,
Bill O’Reilly, or Stephen Colbert, who appear to differ only in the degree to which they take themselves seriously, would almost always be a secondary source – and a poor one at that.
However, if your topic is the “political rhetoric of Stephen Colbert,” then (and only then) his commentaries are a primary source.
Scholarly v. Popular Sources Written by scholars
for scholars Typically detailed
and lengthy Always formally
documented Example: American
Political Science Review
Written by journalists for a general audience
Typically general and short
Documentation informal or absent
Example: CQ Weekly Report
For more detail see: http://www.cornellcollege.edu/politics/courses/allin/262/pfinder-1.pdf
Research Step #1
Getting an overview on your research question Do you want Secondary or Primary
resources? Do you want Scholarly or Popular
resources?
Research Step #1 Getting an overview on your research
question Do you want Secondary or Primary
resources? Secondary resources will be more general
and more accessible. Do you want Scholarly or Popular
resources? Popular resources will be more general and
more accessible.
Research Step #1
Getting an overview on your research question Google for the Web Google News for really recent stuff Lexis-Nexis News for a much longer time
frame
Research Step #2
Digging Down Deep Do you want Secondary or Primary
resources? Do you want Scholarly or Popular
resources?
Research Step #2 Digging Down Deep
Do you want Secondary or Primary resources? Primary resources are more reliable. You are not
depending on someone else’s interpretation. Do you want Scholarly or Popular resources?
Scholarly resources are going to be more detailed and reflect greater author expertise.
Getting an overview and digging down deep are different tasks, and they require different tools. Different kinds of sources are appropriate for different purposes.
Where Do I Find Primary Sources? Laws & Bills?
Lexis-Nexis Thomas.loc.gov
Court Cases? Lexis-Nexis FindLaw.com
Organization Opinions? Google search limited to “.org” domains
Government Documents? First Search: GPO GPO Access Google search limited to “.gov” domains
Where Do I Find Scholarly Sources?
Lexis-Nexis Law Reviews
EBSCO Host Academic Search Premier Social Science Abstracts Military & Government Collection
First Search GPO PAIS
Looking for Sources Generally The previous suggestions are quite generic. You want to search with a purpose.
Ask yourself what you want to know, and think about where you are likely to find it.
Ask Greg Cotton for help. Don’t be afraid to use Google and Wikipedia, but
don’t stop there. And don’t assume that everything you read is correct.
In the modern era, anybody can find information. The critical intellectual skill is to have the wisdom and tools to distinguish good sources from bad.
Primary & Scholarly Source Portals
Cole Library: Research by Topic Social Sciences Politics
Department of Politics Internet Sources for Government, Politics
& Law
Use One of the Approved Styles
APSA Chicago/Turabian APA MLA Links to the Approved Styles
Guidance on Documentation in Your On-Line Syllabus
Cole Library: Politics
Summary Find a Topic & Construct a Research
Question Produce a Bibliography
Preface Primary v. Secondary Sources Scholarly v. Popular Sources
Getting an Overview Secondary & Popular Sources
Digging Down Deep Primary and Scholarly Sources
Use One of the Approved Styles
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