Writing begins day one. Complementary to, and overlapping with the research process, writing tends to progress in its own stages. Many of the pieces you write while initiating your research — outlines, research prospectuses, and the like — can form the basis for sections of a paper, or even the chapter of a longer thesis. But the process of writing becomes most central after the research has been completed and it becomes time to write up the results.
Typical Writing Stages
- Outline
- Draft
- Seek Feedback
- Revise
- Submit
Resources On Writing
On writing about politics
- Politics and the English Language (an essay by George Orwell)
- Essay-Writing Guide for Political Scientists by UC Berkeley Graduate Students and Michael Nelson (PDF)
- Writing a Political Science Essay by Charles King, Georgetown University
- Writing in Political Science by the Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Writing Political Science Papers: Some Useful Guidelines by Peter Liberman, Queens College
On writing in college
- Williams, Joseph M. and Lawrence McEnerney. “Writing in College: A Short Guide to College Writing.” University of Chicago Writing Program.
- University of Wisconsin – Madison, Writer’s Handbook
On writing techniques
- 5 steps to writing an effective paragraph from Getting Things Done in Academica
- Advice for Students: How to unstuff a sentence found via Lifehack.org
- Advice for Students: Beware of thesaurus found via Lifehack.org
Books
- Becker, Howard S. 1986. Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
- Cuba, Lee. 2002. A Short Guide to Writing about Social Science. New York: Longman.
- Scott, Gregory M. and Stephen M. Garrison. 1998. The Political Science Student Writer’s Manual. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.
- Schmidt, Diane E. 2009. Writing in Political Science: A Practical Guide. New York: Longman.
- Turabian, Kate L. 2013. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
updated July 14, 2017
A Political Science Guide 