A complete, professional resource for writing an effective paper in all subfields of political science, Diane Schmidt’s 25th anniversary edition provides students with a practical, easy-to-follow guide for writing about political ideas, events, policies, passions, agendas, and processes. It offers additional formats and guidelines focusing on the growing use of social media and the need for professional communication in blogs, tweets, forums, media sites, lectures on demand, and postings on websites. A collection of student papers shows students how to write well for better grades. After reading Writing in Political Science students will know how to: choose and narrow a research topic; formulate a research agenda; quickly locate reputable information online; execute a study and write up findings; use the vocabulary of political science discourse; follow the criteria used to evaluate student assignments when writing; apply writing skills to an internship, civic engagement project, or grant proposal; and manage and preserve achievements for career development. New to the Fifth Edition Locating Research Materials: Updated links to all sources, expansion of appropriate sources to include mobile sources available through tweets, blogs, forums, and other informal communication; expansion of tools to include database searching; use of smart phone technology; and evaluation of source reliability to include commercial sources, Wikipedia, media sites, social media, and lectures on demand. Creating Evidence: Evaluating data sources on the web including government databases, non-profits, and special interest/commercial data; and using collaborative forms of data collection. Includes a new section on Memorandums of Conversations (MEMCON), essential in recent political controversies. Manuscript Formatting and Reference Styles: Updated examples of citing internet sites, blogs, forums, lectures on demand, and YouTube. Format/Examples: Updated exam-writing treatment to include on-line, e-learning, open-book exams, media applications examples using YouTube and online media; restored legal briefs treatment; revised proposal examples; revised PowerPoint instructions to include diversity considerations; expanded formula for standard research papers to include wider disciplinary treatment, expanded communication techniques, format and examples of appropriate posting for social media and organizational websites, expanded internship treatment, inclusion of needs-assessment format and examples. Career Development: Restoration of 3rd edition chapter and expansion of professional portfolio building including vitae, resume, cover letters, letters of intent, statement of purpose, and skills/competency discussions. Updated citations for changes in The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition, 2017 and The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 8th Edition, 2016.

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.

The Internet is revolutionizing the way we live and interact with the world and is also changing the way we study. When it comes to politics we are faced with an immense volume of information which is often overwhelming, but properly harnessed can be inspiring and enlightening. This indispensable new text equips the reader with the key skills needed to cut through the mass of material the web offers and use its real power. Today’s students and scholars need new coherent strategies to approach their interests and get the best out of information technology, this superb book builds and strengthens these skills. With a clear, concise and focused structure, this book: guides the reader to the best online politics sites and sources breaks the web down into manageable forms ideal for study deals with key issues such as plagiarism and newsgroups empowers study methods and builds confidence advises on how to quickly get the best search results. Twenty-first century scholarship is presenting the academic community with new challenges and opportunities. This book analyzes the technology at every student’s fingertips and is a welcome gateway to the range of sources available. This is the ideal guide to the maze of online resources now available and will save students and scholars literally hours of time, opening up the best resource in contemporary politics and delivering the skills needed to master it. This book will be of great interest to all students of politics and the media.

Who are the most influential thinkers, and which are the most important concepts, events, and documents in the study of the American political tradition? How ought we regard the beliefs and motivations of the founders, the debate over the ratification of the Constitution, the historical circumstances of the Declaration of Independence, the rise of the modern presidency, and the advent of judicial supremacy? These are a few of the fascinating questions canvassed by George W. Carey in A Student's Guide to American Political Thought. Carey's primer instructs students on the fundamental matters of American political theory while telling them where to turn to obtain a better grasp on the ideas that have shaped the American political heritage.

The Political Science Student Writer's Manual and Reader's Guide is a practical guide to research, reading, and writing in political science. The Political Science Student Writer’s Manual and Reader’s Guide, Eighth Edition, is a set of instructions and exercises that sequentially develop citizenship, academic, and professional skills while providing students with knowledge about a wide range of political and governmental concepts, phenomena, and information sources. It begins by teaching beginning students to engage newspapers and other political media sources critically and analytically. It focuses on the crafts of writing and scholarship by providing the basics of grammar, style, formats and source citation, and then introduces students to a variety of rich information resources including the Congressional Record, Federal Register, and the Library of Congress. Students actively apply their knowledge and skills by corresponding with their representatives and commenting on pending government regulations. Part 1 concludes with campaign management, policy analysis, legislation assessment, and similar exercises that develop student skilled-observation proficiency. Part 2 prepares students to research, read, write, review, and critique political science scholarship. Finally, Part 3 teaches advanced students how to investigate public opinion; analyze domestic and international public policies; author amicus briefs; and participate in the universal community that deliberates the continuing rich tradition of political philosophy.