Summary
This chapter presents some of the basic conventions of writing empirical papers in political science. Abstracts, introductions, and conclusions are formulaic and follow a predictable pattern; they are often among the last parts of a paper to be written. Conventions for reporting quantitative results include indicating significance, goodness of fit, and N in tables, discussing the significance of coefficients rather than of variables, and using baseline and multiple models to support your findings. Conventions for reporting qualitative research vary by research design, but they include careful obfuscation of sources for interview data, clear sequencing and temporality indicators in process tracing, minimizing direct quotations, and providing estimates of uncertainty for all conclusions drawn from qualitative data. Always acknowledge all help from outside sources in your paper.
Articles
Web Extra: Abstract Writing Worksheet
Web Extra: Links to Sample Outstanding Intros
Web Extra: Analyzing, Presenting and Discussing Interaction Terms
Multilingual Writer Resources
Calling It Quits: Knowing When to Stop
Vocab Flashcards
[qdeck random=”true”]
[q] Initial or foundational specification to which refinements, additions, and adjustments are made
[a] baseline model
[q] Crucial information about a statistics model included at the bottom of a table; always includes N and an appropriate measure of goodness of fit
[a] diagnostics (of a model)
[q] Change in DV value resulting from changing IV value(s) in the manner specified; appropriate measure of effect size for OLS and other multivariate estimators
[a] marginal effect
[q] Summary value computed by models to indicate how well they explain the data; varies by model type, with OLS and variants using R2 or Adjusted R2 and MLE based models using log likelihood
[a] goodness of fit statistic
[q] Additional model specifications estimated using alternate indicators of key concepts to determine that findings hold across different operationalizations of those concepts
[a] robustness checks (sometimes called sensitivity tests)
[q] Goodness of fit measure for bivariate OLS regression; interprets as percentage of DV variation explained by variations in IV
[a] R2
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Review Quiz
[qwiz random=”true”]
[q] The ____ provides a succinct overview of the paper’s arguments, methods, and findings.
[c]IGFic3 RyYWN0[Qq]
[c]IHJlZmVyZWUgcmVwb3J0[Qq]
[c]IG1hcmdpbmFsIGVmZmVjdA==[Qq]
[c]IG1pY3JvZm91bmRhdGlvbg==
Cg==[Qq][q] Papers should always contain a footnote or other indication of individuals or groups who provided input and ideas on the paper. This is called the ____.
[c]IHJlY2l0YXRpb24=[Qq]
[c]IGFja25vd2xl ZGdlbWVudHM=[Qq]
[c]IHJldmlld2VyIGV4Y2x1c2lvbiBsaXN0[Qq]
[c]IGFic3RyYWN0XQ==
Cg==[Qq][q] The ____ of a variable is the effect on the DV of increasing that variable by one unit.
[c]IG1hcmdpbmFscw==[Qq]
[c]IHByZWRpY3RlZCB2YWx1ZQ==[Qq]
[c]IG1hcmdpbmFs IGVmZmVjdA==[Qq]
[c]IHJlc2lkdWFs
Cg==Cg==UGljayB0aGUgYmVzdA==[Qq] way to refer to a variable in your text.
[c]IFRoZSBlZmZlY3Qgb2YgbG5fZmRpMTBrMTk5MA==IGlzIG5vdCBzaWduaWZpY2FudCAocA==ICZsdDsgMC4yMzcpLg==[Qq]
[c]IFdoZW4gSSBpbmNsdWRlIEZlZWxpbmcgVGhlcm1vbWV0ZXIgVG93YXJkcyBNaXRjaCBNY0Nvbm5lbGwsIDAtMTAwLCB0aGUgZWZmZWN0IG9mIFZvdGluZyBJbnRlbnRpb25zIGluIHRoZSBVcGNvbWluZyBHZW5lcmFsIEVsZWN0aW9uIGJlY29tZXMgaW5zaWduaWZpY2FudCAocA==ICZndDsgMC4wMyku[Qq]
[c]IEEgb25lLXVuaXQgaW5jcmVhc2UgaW4gdGhlIGR1bW15IHZhcmlhYmxlIFBSRWxlY3QgZGVjcmVhc2VzIENhbXBhaWduTW9iaWwgYnkgLTQuMS4=[Qq]
[c]IEEgb25lLXVuaXQgaW5jcm Vhc2UgaW4gbG9nZ2VkIA==U29jaWFsIE1lZGlhIFVzZQ==IGluY3JlYXNlcyBwYXJ0aXNhbiBhbmltb3NpdHkgYnkgMy44JS4=
Cg==[Qq][q] Pick the best way to reference a variable in a results table.
[c]IE1vdGhlcuKAmXMgSGln aGVzdCBFZHVjYXRpb24=[Qq]
[c]IGZlZWxpbmcgdGhlcm1vbWV0ZXIgZm9yIEdheXMgYW5kIExlc2JpYW5zIDAtMTAw[Qq]
[c]IGxuR0RQUEMxOTkwVVNE[Qq]
[c]IA==ZnRfVW5pdGVkSEM=[Qq]
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