untitled

Path: janda.org/c24 > Research Options > Guide to the Analysis

Political Parties and Elections: Research Papers

Guide to Analysis and Writing

How the Papers Will Be Scored

The research papers should be no longer than 7 pages of text. Most will contain some tables or graphs, which are not included in the 7-page limitation. All pages should be paginated and should employ proper citation and bibliographic form for a research paper. The papers should not be written in diary format (first I did this, then I did that) but as if you wrote the paper to submit to a professional journal to be read by a political scientist who was not familiar with our class, the assignment, etc.

Above all, your papers should demonstrate that you have taken this course, which means that you should incorporate the concepts, theories, and findings covered in your texts, assigned readings on the web, and my lectures.

To establish some uniformity in grading (and thus reliability and fairness), I require that your papers be structured under four headings, which will form the basis of scoring them. The paper is worth 20 points out of 100 for the class. Each heading will earn points as noted below.

The Problem [or Issue]

4

Theory and Research Design

6

Analysis of Data on [states or nations]

7

Summary and Conclusions

3

Total
20

Topic #

Title

1

Party Structure

According to material covered in class, what factors are most important in determining party structure? How do these factors apply to the nations or states that you are comparing? Does your research conform to the major arguments in the literature, or does it reveal something different?

2

Electoral Systems

What's the importance of electoral systems in the study of political parties, what are the main differences among systems, and how do the differences in systems affect the parties in the nations or states that you are comparing? Does your research conform to the major arguments in the literature, or does it reveal something different?

3

Party Competition and Electoral Volatility

What is meant by party competition, how can it be measured, and why is it important? What is meant by electoral volatility, how can it be measured, and why is it important? How do your nations or states differ in party competition and electoral volatility. Does your research conform to the major arguments in the literature, or does it reveal something different?

4

Cross-National Statistical Research

This topic is more difficult to prescribe, but the basic arguments above would apply

The research papers should be no longer than 7 pages of text. Most will contain some tables or graphs, which are not included in the 7-page limitation. All pages should be paginated and should employ proper citation and bibliographic form for a research paper. The papers should not be written in diary format (first I did this, then I did that) but as if you wrote the paper to submit to a professional journal to be read by a political scientist who was not familiar with our class, the assignment, etc. Above all, your papers should demonstrate that you have taken this course, which means that you should incorporate the concepts, theories, and findings covered in your texts, assigned readings on the web, and my lectures. To establish some uniformity in grading (and thus reliability and fairness), I require that your papers be structured under four headings, which will form the basis of scoring them. The paper is worth 20 points out of 100 for the class. Each heading will earn points as noted below.
The Problem [or Issue]	4
Theory and Research Design	6
Analysis of Data on [states or nations]	7
Summary and Conclusions	3
Total	20

Topic #	Title
1	Party Structure According to material covered in class, what factors are most important in determining party structure? How do these factors apply to the nations or states that you are comparing? Does your research conform to the major arguments in the literature, or does it reveal something different?
2	Electoral Systems What's the importance of electoral systems in the study of political parties, what are the main differences among systems, and how do the differences in systems affect the parties in the nations or states that you are comparing? Does your research conform to the major arguments in the literature, or does it reveal something different?
3	Party Competition and Electoral Volatility What is meant by party competition, how can it be measured, and why is it important? What is meant by electoral volatility, how can it be measured, and why is it important? How do your nations or states differ in party competition and electoral volatility. Does your research conform to the major arguments in the literature, or does it reveal something different?
4	Cross-National Statistical Research This topic is more difficult to prescribe, but the basic arguments above would apply