Begin with a clear statement of the problem you are investigating and the questions you will be asking. This will help you to decide how to organize your paper and decide what is necessary for understanding the logic of your argument (and therefore relevant for inclusion) and what is not.
Explain generally what your sources are and why they are appropriate for your investigation. (Example: "An analysis of the party platforms since 1867 reveals the major political appeals made to the electorate. . .") Explain the limits of your study - the time period, the place, the case studies as well as the limitations of your sources - e.g. newspapers and parliamentary records, but no access to records of internal party deliberations.
Define key terms. Be particularly careful to define explicitly terms or concepts which are in everyday use (e.g., "nationalistic", "democratic", "self-government") in order that the reader will know exactly what you mean when you use them. Note that the "technical" usage frequently differs from everyday usage. The latter is often very loose, covering a multitude of meanings and connotations. Sort these out! A sophisticated paper shows awareness of the denotation of words (their explicit meanings) and their (laudatory or pejorative) connotations.
Use a variety of sources. Look for more than one point of view or interpretation. Particularly when issues are controversial and emotion-laden, be sure you have read more than your own favorite position. (Do not write a paper on Cyprus using only Greek sources, or a paper on the Israeli-Arab dispute using only sources available to one side). A good test of the breadth of your reading, your understanding of it, and your ability to work further with it is whether you are able to state the argument of each of the main "sides" in a way which would be recognizable and acceptable to its proponents. Distinguish between the description of each side's case and your critical analysis of it.
Where possible, use both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources include the texts of legislation, parliamentary records, speeches or statements, official reports, political party or interest group documents, etc. Secondary sources include analyses or interpretations in editorials, monographs, essays and other works of explanation and interpretation. Check the interpretations given in the secondary accounts not only against each other but against your own reading of the primary sources.
A sophisticated paper (1) presents a clear argument, thesis, or interpretation; (2) shows awareness of alternative explanations or interpretations; (3) explains why and how the preferred explanation was chosen and what the alternative explanations failed to account for; and (4) shows awareness of the possible limitations of the preferred explanation.
essay 1 - essay 2 - essay 3 - essay 4 - essay 5 - essay 6 - essay 7
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