How do I Write a Gov Paper?

 

Expos teaches you about the fundamentals of writing an analytical argument. As you write papers in Gov, you are adapting the elements of argument to a particular audience: readers in the social sciences. These readers have specific expectations about how to present arguments and supporting evidence. Writing successfully in Gov requires you to identify those expectations in assignment prompts and then respond to them by making well-supported and clearly reasoned arguments.

How do I learn about Writing in Gov?

 

This section of GovWrites teachings the building blocks of writing in political science as a single curriculum. If you are new to writing in political science, you can follow the individual modules below in sequence.

 
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Defining the Discipline

What is “government,” what is “political science,” and how does it distinguish itself from adjacent fields? How is writing in this discipline demand different from writing in adjacent fields?

 
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Decoding Prompts

What is a prompt really asking me to do? How do I know what the core question of a prompt is? How can I understand a prompt quickly so I can begin writing?

 
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Posing a Question

How is a research question different from other kinds of questions? What makes a research question useful and productive? How do you go about generating a research question?

 
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Developing an Argument

What does a political science argument look like? Are some arguments more effective than others? What level should I pitch my argument at? What does it mean for an argument to be falsifiable?

 
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Writing an Introduction

What characteristics do we value in a strong in introduction in political science? How can you write an introduction that is purposeful, clear, and effective? What tendencies should you avoid when writing your introduction?

 
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Reviewing the Literature

Why do I relate what other scholars have already said? How do I refer to existing research? How can I use a literature review to clarify and strengthen my own contribution?

 
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Tying in Evidence

How do I use evidence effectively? Why is it important to tie evidence to my argument, and how do I do that in political science writing? Should I write differently for different kinds of evidence?

 
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Paragraph Structure

On what basis should i structure my writing? How do I show what that structure is? What can signposting do for me and how can I effectively signal the progression of my essay?

 
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Citation and Plagiarism

When and how should I cite, quote, and paraphrase? How do I build on existing work while still further my own original ideas? What is plagiarism and how should I think about it?

 
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Style & Syntax

Is style important in political science writing? How do I make my writing clear and understandable? How is political science writing different at the sentence level than in adjacent disciplines?

 
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Reading Political Science

How can I read published political science research quickly and effectively? How do I manage a heavy reading workload? What have I learned about writing political science that can make me a more effective reader of political science as well?