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