Research and Writing in International Relations

by Roselle, Laura; Spray, Sharon

• ISBN13: 9780321277664
• ISBN10: 032127766X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-01-01
• Publisher: Longman

Summary

This brief, supplementary text sets out the basics of research and writing in International Relations as a sub-field of political science-question selection, literature review, methodology, information gathering, and composing-at the introductory level.

Author Biography

Laura Roselle is Professor of Political Science at Elon University Sharon Spray is Associate Professor of Political Science and Environmental Studies at Elon University

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
The Research and Writing Process	p. 1
Topic Selection and Question Development	p. 5
Choosing a Topic	p. 6
Writing an Initial Subtopic Question	p. 8
Defining Variables	p. 11
Researching Your Dependent Variable Beyond the Textbook	p. 13
Frequently Asked Questions	p. 14
Exercises for Chapter 1	p. 15
Scholarly Literature and the Literature Review	p. 17
Getting Started on Your Literature Review	p. 18
Peer-Reviewed Books	p. 19
Edited Books	p. 20
Electronic Sources	p. 20
Scholarly Journals	p. 20
How to Search the Literature	p. 23
Finding Scholarly Journal Articles	p. 23
Searching for Scholarly Books	p. 28
Using a Review of the Literature to Shape Your Project	p. 28
How to Read a Scholarly Journal	p. 30
Frequently Asked Questions	p. 33
Exercises for Chapter 2	p. 34
Project Definition and Systematic Investigation	p. 35
Project Frameworks	p. 36
Choosing Independent Variables and Hypotheses	p. 37
Choosing Cases for Research	p. 38
Defining and Operationalizing Your Independent Variables	p. 42
Collecting Evidence	p. 46
Frequently Asked Questions	p. 48
Exercises for Chapter 3	p. 49
Analysis and Writing	p. 51
An Overview of the Writing Process	p. 51
Writing Each Section of Your Research Paper	p. 54
The Abstract	p. 55
The Introduction	p. 56
The Literature Review	p. 57
The Research Design (Methodology)	p. 62
Discussing Hypotheses	p. 63
Discussing Measurement and Sources of Data or Information	p. 64
The Case Presentation, Analysis, and Discussion of Findings	p. 65
Analyzing Data	p. 66
Discussing Hypotheses	p. 68
The Conclusion	p. 69
The Bibliography or Reference List	p. 69
Frequently Asked Questions	p. 70
Exercises for Chapter 4	p. 70
Project Resources	p. 73
International Conflict and Military Force	p. 75
Types of Conflict	p. 76
Levels of Violence	p. 78
Types of Intervention	p. 80
Actors and Interstate Conflict	p. 81
Conflict Resolution	p. 83
Terrorism	p. 85
General Data Sources for Choosing Cases and Gathering Evidence	p. 87
Foreign Policy	p. 89
Individual Characteristics	p. 90
State-Level Analyses	p. 93
Bureaucratic Politics	p. 94
Public Opinion	p. 96
Interest Groups	p. 98
General Data Sources for Choosing Cases and Gathering Evidence	p. 99
International Cooperation and International Law	p. 101
Issue Areas	p. 101
Environmental Treaties	p. 102
Human Rights	p. 104
War Crimes	p. 105
Actors	p. 106
Joining International Governmental Organizations	p. 106
States as UN Members	p. 108
General Data Sources for Choosing Cases and Gathering Evidence	p. 109
International Political Economy, Globalization, and Development	p. 111
IPE and the Role of International Actors	p. 111
Multinational Corporations	p. 112
The World Trade Organization	p. 113
The Role of People in Globalization and Development	p. 115
National Identity	p. 116
Gender	p. 117
General Data Sources for Choosing Cases and Gathering Evidence	p. 119
Writing Resources	p. 121
Organizing Sources and Notes	p. 123
Using Note Cards	p. 124
Using a Written or Electronic Journal	p. 126
Using Software	p. 127
More Suggestions for Keeping Track of Resources	p. 127
Keeping Track of Print Resources	p. 127
Keeping Track of Web Resources	p. 129
Citing Sources	p. 131
Avoiding Plagiarism	p. 131
General Rules for What to Cite	p. 131
Turabian Style	p. 133
The Basic Citation for a Book	p. 133
Using Parenthetical Citations	p. 134
Using Footnotes	p. 134
Hard Cases	p. 135
Component Parts	p. 135
Secondary Sources of Quotations	p. 136
APA Style	p. 136
Citations for Online Sources	p. 137
Remember the Basics	p. 138
Following Style Guidelines	p. 141
Academic Writing	p. 141
Gender-Neutral Terminology	p. 141
General Rules on Capitalization for Leaders' Titles	p. 142
Parties, the Constitution, and Treaties	p. 143
Proper Nouns and Adjectives	p. 143
Titles of Newspapers	p. 144
Foreign Words	p. 144
Recommended Writing and Style Manuals	p. 145
References	p. 147
Index	p. 157
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