WRITING WORKSHOP BRIEF GUIDE SERIES A Brief Guide To Writing A .

1Writing WorkshopWRITING WORKSHOP BRIEF GUIDE SERIESA Brief Guide to Writinga Government PaperWelcome!So, you’re writing a government paper. Maybe it’syour first one, or maybe you’re approaching anunusual prompt, or maybe it’s in a sub-field ofpolitical science that’s new to you. Whichever thecase, we’ve been there, and we know that havingsome advice and reassurance can make the process alot easier. Below, you’ll find a guide that we’vecompiled that contains information on citing sources,conducting research, developing a thesis,organization, and more. We’ll answer commonquestions, provide you with helpful links, and keepthings concise, and we’ve included specific advicefrom a few government professors themselves. Let’sget started!Table of Contents:1. Getting Started2. The Writing Process3. Citing Sources, Academic Honesty, andPlagiarism4. Professors and Office Hours5. Writing an Honors Thesis inGovernmentWesleyan UniversityWriting WorkshopDaniel Kim & Elizabeth ShackneyGovernment, 20171. Getting StartedA. What are we working on?You may be asked to work on many different typesof papers within the government department.Sometimes you will be asked for short readingresponses. Often, and sometimes more daunting,you’ll be assigned longer papers based on textsdiscussed in class, literature reviews, or originalresearch papers. Here are a few helpful approaches toeach. We touch on writing techniques here, but wewill elaborate more in the next section.Reading responses:“In a reaction or response paper, writers respond toone or more texts they have read. A popularassignment with instructor in the social sciences andhumanities, such papers require students tounderstand each text individually and evaluatehow well each accomplishes its own objectives.If you are responding to multiple texts, you must alsodiscover how the texts relate to one another.” Questions to Consider o What are the main themes?o Where are the holes in the author’sreasoning? What are some potentialcounterarguments?o What particularly struck you asinteresting?o How do the readings relate, differ,or converse with one another?

232 Steps to take o Explain and summarize mainpoints, assumptions, andimportant termso Be fair and accurate inpresenting arguments from thetextso Evaluate and elaborate on therelationships between thereadingso Consider both (or all) sides ofthe argumentso Be concise; keep it short andclearPaper based on texts discussed in class (a stepby-step guide):1. Read the assignment carefullya. Answer every component, andpay extra attention to directivessuch as explain, compare, analyze,evaluate2. Determine which readings are mostrelevant for the assignment; check outlibrary resources (see “LibGuides, etc.”below) to find any outside sources3. Keep track of source information forcitations and your bibliography as you doyour research (see “Citing Sources andPlagiarism”)4. Develop a thesis, or central argument (see“On Writing”)5. Support your thesis with relevant evidencefrom your readings and outside sources;remember, everything should tie back tosupporting that argument! (see “OnWriting”)B. LibGuides, How the Library Can Help, and Resources Available to YouThe library is an amazing resource, andtheir help goes beyond finding you theright books in the stacks of Olin. Start here, on the library website.Frequently asked questions, such as“How do I start my research?” areanswered here. The library has already assembledguides that will point you in the rightdirection for your research. Guidesfor all majors are here, but werecommend going straight to theGovernment/Political Science page.There, you’ll be directed to relatedcall numbers in the stacks, getspecific instructions on citingsources, and gain access to booksand articles. All of the information isin one easy-to-navigate place.Sometimes, librarians will assembleLibGuides for specific classes. S om e co n cre t e t ip. LoremIf you feel overwhelmed by all that Here is a brief overview of some of theresources available to you:the library has to offer, book an EndNote, a program that will helpappointment. Librarians will walkyou keep track of sources and createyou through all of the steps you maybibliographiesneed and will ensure that your InterLibrary Loan, so that you canresearch process is more efficient.get books and articles from otherlibraries at other institutions News archives (eg. New York Times,Washington Post, Wall StreetJournal) Journal databases (eg. JSTOR,Springer, Google Scholar, ProQuest)

12Literature reviews versus original researchpapers:Professor Gabriela Tafoya tells us: “Students tend towrite literature reviews rather than research papers ifthey are not instructed in the difference betweenthem. To me, a literature review is a summary of thecurrent research on a particular topic.A researchpaper is different in that, in addition to the literaturereview, there is an original contribution to thebody of work on a particular topic. A researchpaper requires a brief literature review so that thereader understands the current state of research andalso to understand where the new arguments beingmade in the research paper. But most importantly, aresearch paper needs to have a specific argumentthat is being proposed, defended and supportedby some kind of evidence, be it qualitative orquantitative data.”oo What is a literature review?o A survey of scholarly articles, books,and other relevant sources regardinga specific topico It should have an organizationalpatterno It can help us see all of the existingliterature in a new wayHow do I write a literature review?o Narrow your topic - it will be easierto include more relevantinformation if your topic is clear andconciseo Find a focus and pay attention toideas, rather than a presentation of aset of sourcesResearch using the same strategies asyou would for any other sort of paper;see “LibGuides, etc.” above for morehelp with research!Once you have your ideas and yourresearch together.§ YOU STILL NEED ATHESIS STATEMENT!§ You need an introduction, abody, and a conclusion§ Use evidence, summarize, andorganizeOriginal research papers: More on literature reviews:ONLINE RESOURCES3 Writing an original research paper can be adaunting task, especially if lengthy papersintimidate you. For this one, especially, westress communicating with your professor,who is here to walk you through this process!Often, professors will space out researchpapers with step-by-step assignments, such asproject proposals, annotated bibliographies,and rough drafts.How do I begin?o Read the assignment carefully andmeet with your professor!o Develop a research questiono Develop your methodologyo Conduct researcho Write it up!o Summary of findingsHere are some more resources about: Reading responsesooDuke’s Writing Studio“Response/Reaction Paper”walkthroughSample response papers fromLongwood University Papers on texts read in classooUVM’s Tutor Tips for writingpolitical science papersGeorgetown’s guide togovernment essays Literature reviewsoSee the UNC-Chapel Hillguide to literature reviews forhelp with organization Original Research PaperoThe Writing Center at UNCChapel Hill gives a greatoverview of how to go aboutthis type of writing!

4 A brief overview of what your researchpaper should contain:o Introductiono Problem statemento Literature reviewo Methodologyo Description/evaluation of yourfindingsWesleyan students and GovernmentDepartment professors put together anincredibly great and comprehensive resourcethat you should look through!2. On WritingNow that you have an idea of the structure of,approaches to, and resources for writing an essay,let’s dive into the actual writing.A. Thinking about a thesis, majorarguments, and essay organizationIn the beginning stages of an essay, considerthinking about some (or all) of the following: What sources could be relevant to thesubject(s) covered by a potential paperresponding to the prompt? What do those sources say about theissue(s) at hand? What prior background information -whether from course readings and lecturesor from outside of class -- related to theprompt can you recall? What do you not know in terms ofinformation related to the prompt? Whatwould you need to find out more about? What aspects, related subject(s), and/orpotential responses to the prompt interestyou?B. How do I start an introduction? Follow-up: how do I finish a conclusion?The intro duction of an essay isoften the hardest part to write in anyresearch or argument-driven paper.A traditional break-down of anintroduction’s components is asfollows: A hook - p rov ide a concise an dinteres ting s entence to catchyour read er’s attention and tod raw the read er into the es say. Background - establish quick,contextual information that isrelevant to your thesis Thesis - one to two sentences thatoutline the overall stance you take ona(n) issue(s) or the research questionyou aim to answer Road map - whether it is embedded inyour thesis or follows it, give thereader sign posts to look for majorarguments/ideas in support of yourthesis. It may be helpful to think ofthis as listing out the main categoriesthat your arguments fall into(anywhere from two to four suchcategories, usually)The conclusion to an essay is equallychallenging. Here are some tips onhow to approach the conclusionparagraph of your essay: Summarize, but don’t repeat - provideclosure to your main arguments/ideasby re-emphasizing your thesis andevidence/support, but avoid repetitionfrom previous parts of the essay,particularly the introduction (theconclusion paragraph is not just areiteration of the introduction! It’s somuch more than that!) Alternatives and/or counter-arguments (and their responses) - ifyou do not do so in a section orparagraph before the conclusionparagraph, include and addresspotential alternatives and/or counterarguments to your thesis andsupporting evidence. Showingawareness of and responses topossible reactions to your ideasdemonstrates your knowledge of thesubject(s) related to the essay. “So what?” - one way to close yourpaper is to draw connections to abroader issue, problem, or idea. Youcan provide closure to your paper bybringing your work into a broaderconceptual and/or practical context.