Govt. 157 research paper assignment sheet

 

Read this assignment sheet carefully!  You will be graded based on your adherence to this guide!

 

Basics:

  • 7-10 page research style paper.
  • Minimum of 8 sources, at least two from academic journals, one poll example, one book, and one recent newspaper or newsmagazine article.
  • Due May 3 (Thursday) at the BEGINNING of class.  3% will be deducted for every day late. (yes, weekends are included).
  • APSA style citations.

 

This assignment is intended as an opportunity for you to explore an important topic within public opinion in some detail.  It also represents a chance for you to work on your research and writing skills.  The paper will require you to go to the library and physically look up information. For books, use Eureka and possibly inter-library loan.  Not everything of value is accessible online. To find articles, use the library's electronic resources. Try JSTOR, infotrac, Lexis-Nexis, Social Science Full Text, and others. Also, you can search for good articles by key terms at ICPSR. Field and Roper poll access is here   Other polling reporting organizations include Public Agenda, Polling Report, PPIC, Gallup, there are many others as well. Ask the Reference Librarians if you need help finding articles.

 

I have narrowed the list of topics for you.  It is still up to you to formulate hypotheses that respond to the questions I have provided.  You will also need to marshal evidence with which to evaluate your hypotheses.

 

Step 1:

Choose your topic from those listed below:

 

  • Why did the 2004 pre-election polls on the presidential race fluctuate so much from poll to poll?  Was the same true for 2006 election polls ?

 

  • Pick a particular issue area in which public opinion has changed rapidly over time.  What is unique about this issue area that caused such change?  What does this tell us about factors that lead to rapid change versus stability of opinion?

 

  • Does exposure to media reports of poll data influence vote choice?  How?  Are there effects from increased exposure or type of media outlet or poll?

 

  • How much control can the President of the United States have over the direction of public opinion?  What methods can/do presidents use?

 

  • How can a president’s overall approval ratings be higher than his approval levels on specific issues or policy areas?  What psychological or methodological explanations might there be?

 

  • Is it true that surveys can be used to get any answer one desires?  What are the limits of this ability?  What evidence is there?

 

  • To what extent is the accuracy of RDD-based polling threatened by new technology and laws, such as cell phones, call screening, the Do Not Call List, etc.?

 

  • Do better-informed respondents differ in predictable ways from the less informed in terms of issue positions or vote choice?  What are the patterns, if any?

 

Step 2:

Formulate a hypothesis (or more than one) about what you think the possible “answers” might be to those questions.

 

Step 3:

Conduct a literature search.  This involves looking up, reading, and evaluating the significance and relevance of research on your topic.  If you have not done serious academic research before, you may need to enlist the help of a reference librarian.  They are trained to assist you in finding information.  They are located on the second floor of the library.  You will need to search for academic sources, like relevant scholarly books and academic journal articles.  Some places to start include JSTOR, Social Sciences full text, and other databases available through the CSUS library. However many journal articles are not available online - you have to go to the library to get them.

 

Step 4:

Identify current poll information that is relevant to your paper.  You will need to include at least one chart or graph which includes recent polling data.  You may create the figure yourself, as an excerpt from a public opinion poll, or you may excerpt from a pre-existing piece.  Some polls that post data online are linked to this page.

 

Step 5:

Read this guide to writing a political science research paper, for guidance, then:

Outline your argument –

  1. an introduction with a thesis statement (essentially your answer to the question you chose in step one
  2. A literature review section – describing current research on your topic – use minimal quotes to illustrate the findings and arguments.
  3. Evidence – present the evidence you have collected, which may include poll results or evidence from other research.  Write this out clearly.  There may be multiple points to be supported here.
  4. Conclusions – what you found, how it all fits together, etc.

 

Step 6:

Write it – plugging in all of the actual verbiage to your outline.

 

Step 7:

Re-read, spell check, edit, grammar check, etc.

 

Step 8:

Write up a bibliography.  Cite everything you drew upon, including polls or online information.  

Use APSA citation style.  Follow the guidelines here http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPSA.html

 

For information found online (web sources), use this style guide http://www.apastyle.org/elecgeneral.html