Are you a political science student looking to write a research project? This article will give you some useful tips on how you can write a political science project. Writing your Political science final year project or any other research paper would require some tips.
In this article, I have outlined six important steps to writing an excellent Political Science research project.
Table of Contents
6 tips on how to write a Political Science Project
1. Choose a research topic
Choosing a topic is the first step in writing any research project or paper. When choosing a topic, make sure it interests you. The importance of selecting a project topic that interests you is because; you will be reading and studying books, journals, articles, and news related to the topic.
Sometimes, the topic will already be chosen. Otherwise, you have to choose a unique research topic.
A Political science research project topic should ask a question about a political stance on issues that address the public. Identifying a research question is an excellent way to choose a project topic.
For example, If you are interested in the Political bias in the UK sports media, you will be looking to study and collect information from previous data on that subject. Another great idea to choosing a topic is by relating two similar political scenarios and comparing their results.
So, your project topic is a crucial step that you must give critical thought to before starting.
2. Define the key terms
If you are going to write a project topic, defining the key terms is something you must pay attention to address. The definitions of your terms must be well-researched. It should have the ideas of other scholars who have written on similar subjects. So, that means you have to combine a few definitions of the key terms before coming up with yours.
For Instance, if you are writing on ‘The role of Public relation in conflict management. You have to define the terms ‘Public relations’ and also ‘Conflict management. The concept of your definition has to be based on what other scholars have done.
This stage of a political science project might require more research than you think. Your definitions must carry a general sense of the argument your project topic raises.
3. Set up the Literature review
Literature review in a research project is usually the second chapter of your work. The literature review covers the written overview of the significant writings and other sources on your topic. Drafting good literature will give readers a better understanding of your project.
A perfect literature review should have a summary of other studies and work related to your project. Secondly, it should ask a question about the topic and how the project provides an answer to the debate.
Political science projects are mostly found in journals. So, you have to do a thorough review of libraries and journals to uncover useful data on the project. These are all vital in writing a fascinating literature review.
A perfect literature review should have the following points;
- A summary of previous hypotheses and results of the project topic.
- Answers to the questions and theories of the topic.
- An intentional judgment on the summary.
Always remember that your literature review would be an important metric to your conclusion of the topic.
4. Formulate your theory
This stage is the most crucial part of your project. It is like providing answers to the hypothesis of your entire project work. Your theory reveals an extensive explanation of what your research covers. Having a good theory will help your argument reach a reasonable conclusion.
The project topic identifies the questions, the literature review overviews other written work. Your theory, on the other hand, provides useful information, data, and answers to the arguments raised on the topic.
Here, you should try to provide answers, compare those answers, and analyze them in other scenarios.
Formulating your theory is important because it reveals your stand on the project topic. It is from the idea of your theory that you get a conclusion of any project. So, when identifying your topic, make sure that there is a corresponding answer to the questions you raise.
5. Choose a research method
Identifying the best approach for your research project is important. Undergraduates might sometimes make the mistake of opting for the wrong research method.
For instance, you have a topic about how Poverty leads to insecurity in a state. Using statistical analysis would be the right approach to seeing the best angle before making a judgment. At the end of the day, this quantitative approach works best for the topic.
If the topic has to do with relationships between events. It may require a different approach.
For Example, you are addressing why the US government protests inequality in another state. Here, it is most appropriate to evaluate the cases where the US government protested and cases they did not.
This qualitative analysis would be a better approach to reach the best conclusion of the argument. The approach or method of your research must match each case scenario.
6. Gather, Evaluate and Analyze your Data
If your facts do not add up, then your project would not make any sense. This stage of writing a project can be underrated, yet it is very essential. The data and information you have should be evidence of the argument you are raising.
If you ignore this part of your project, then you might have some holes in the entire work.
Finally, make sure that your data and facts are honest. It helps to bring out a better interpretation of your project.
Bonus Tip
Proofread your work
A good research project should be free of minor and major errors. Proofreading would make sure you have no typos or grammatical errors in your work.
Final Thought
Many experts have different approaches to writing an interesting project on any topic. They also have requirements that enhance their entire work. Writing a project topic would require the six tips I have shared in this article. However, you can do a lot more to ensure that you write a perfect project. These tips here will help you write a Political science project effectively
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