writing a social science essay

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Common Assignments: Writing in the Social Sciences

Although there may be some differences in writing expectations between disciplines, all writers of scholarly material are required to follow basic writing standards such as writing clear, concise, and grammatically correct sentences; using proper punctuation; and, in all Walden programs, using APA style. When writing in the social sciences, however, students must also be familiar with the goals of the discipline as these inform the discipline’s writing expectations. According to Ragin (1994), the primary goal of social science research is “identifying order in the complexity of social life” (para. 1). Serving the primary goal are the following secondary goals:

Identifying general patterns and relationships
Testing and refining theories
Making predictions
Interpreting culturally and historically significant phenomena
Exploring diversity
Giving voice
Advancing new theories (Ragin, 1994, para. 2)

To accomplish these goals, social scientists examine and explain the behavior of individuals, systems, cultures, communities, and so on (Dartmouth Writing Program, 2005), with the hope of adding to the world’s knowledge of a particular issue. Students in the social sciences should have these goals at the back of their minds when choosing a research topic or crafting an effective research question. Instead of simply restating what is already known, students must think in terms of how they can take a topic a step further. The elements that follow are meant to give students an idea of what is expected of social science writers.

If you have content-specific questions, be sure to ask your instructor. The Writing Center is available to help you present your ideas as effectively as possible.

Because one cannot say everything there is to say about a particular subject, writers in the social sciences present their work from a particular perspective. For instance, one might choose to examine the problem of childhood obesity from a psychological perspective versus a social or environmental perspective. One’s particular contribution, proposition, or argument is commonly referred to as the thesis and, according to Gerring et al. (2009), a good thesis is one that is “ new, true, and significant ” (p. 2). To strengthen their theses, social scientists might consider presenting an argument that goes against what is currently accepted within that field while carefully addressing counterarguments, and adequately explaining why the issue under consideration matters (Gerring et al., 2009). For instance, one might interpret a claim made by a classical theorist differently from the manner in which it is commonly interpreted and expound on the implications of the new interpretation. The thesis is particularly important because readers want to know whether the writer has something new or significant to say about a given topic. Thus, as you review the literature, before writing, it is important to find gaps and creative linkages between ideas with the goal of contributing something worthwhile to an ongoing discussion. In crafting an argument, you must remember that social scientists place a premium on ideas that are well reasoned and based on evidence. For a contribution to be worthwhile, you must read the literature carefully and without bias; doing this will enable you to identify some of the subtle differences in the viewpoints presented by different authors and help you to better identify the gaps in the literature. Because the thesis is essentially the heart of your discussion, it must be argued objectively and persuasively.

In examining a research question, social scientists may present a hypothesis and they may choose to use either qualitative or quantitative methods of inquiry or both. The methods most often used include interviews, case studies, observations, surveys, and so on. The nature of the study should dictate the chosen method. (Do keep in mind that not all your papers will require that you employ the various methods of social science research; many will simply require that you analyze an issue and present a well reasoned argument.) When you write your capstones, however, you will be required to come to terms with the reliability of the methods you choose, the validity of your research questions, and ethical considerations. You will also be required to defend each one of these components. The research process as a whole may include the following: formulation of research question, sampling and measurement, research design, and analysis and recommendations. Keep in mind that your method will have an impact on the credibility of your work, so it is important that your methods are rigorous. Walden offers a series of research methods courses to help students become familiar with research methods in the social sciences.

Organization

Most social science research manuscripts contain the same general organizational elements:

Title

Abstract

Introduction

Literature Review

Methods

Results

Discussion

References

Note that the presentation follows a certain logic: in the introduction one presents the issue under consideration; in the literature review, one presents what is already known about the topic (thus providing a context for the discussion), identifies gaps, and presents one’s approach; in the methods section, one identifies the method used to gather data; in the results and discussion sections, one then presents and explains the results in an objective manner, acknowledging the limitations of the study (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020). One may end with a presentation of the implications of the study and areas upon which other researchers might focus.

For a detailed explanation of typical research paper organization and content, be sure to review Table 3.1 (pp. 77-81) and Table 3.2 (pp. 95-99) of your 7th edition APA manual.

Objectivity

Although social scientists continue to debate whether objectivity is achievable in the social sciences and whether theories really represent objective scientific analyses, they agree that one’s work must be presented as objectively as possible. This does not mean that writers cannot be passionate about their subject; it simply means that social scientists are to think of themselves primarily as observers and they must try to present their findings in a neutral manner, avoiding biases, and acknowledging opposing viewpoints.

It is important to note that instructors expect social science students to master the content of the discipline and to be able to use discipline appropriate language in their writing. Successful writers of social science literature have cultivated the thinking skills that are useful in their discipline and are able to communicate professionally, integrating and incorporating the language of their field as appropriate (Colorado State University, 2011). For instance, if one were writing about how aid impacts the development of less developed countries, it would be important to know and understand the different ways in which aid is defined within the field of development studies.

Colorado State University. (2011). Why assign WID tasks? http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/com6a1.cfm

Gerring, J., Yesnowitz, J., & Bird, S. (2009). General advice on social science writing . https://www.bu.edu/polisci/files/people/faculty/gerring/documents/WritingAdvice.pdf

Ragin, C. (1994). Construction social research: The unity and diversity of method . http://poli.haifa.ac.il/~levi/res/mgsr1.htm

Trochim, W. (2006). Research methods knowledge base . http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/

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The Critical Turkey

Essay Writing Hacks for the Social Sciences

What Should Be in a Social Science Essay? Fundamentals and Essential Techniques

This blogpost is also available as a PDF download , so it can be stored on your desktop and used as a checklist before submitting your essay.

The following is a condensed overview of the most important features of social science essay writing. Its aim is to cut through the noise, and focus on the most essential (and important) elements of essay writing. Read it carefully, and use it as a check-list once you have completed your essay.

Before we get into the details, however, be aware: The purpose of writing essays in the social and political sciences is not so much to just demonstrate your knowledge. Rather, it is about applying this knowledge, using it to make a well-informed, well-reasoned, independently-reflected argument that is based on verified (and verifiable) evidence. What should be in an essay, and how you should write it, is all informed by this purpose.

What’s in an Essay?

The main focus of an academic essay, article or book is to address a research or essay question. Therefore, make sure you have read the essay question carefully, think about what aspects of the topic you need to address, and organize the essay accordingly. Your essay should have three parts:

Introduction
Provide context to the question. Be specific (not ‘since the dawn of time, social scientists have been arguing…’, but ‘one of the key debates in the study of revolutions revolves around…’, ideally providing references to the key authors of said debate).
It is almost always a good idea to formulate an argument – an arguable statement – in relation to the essay question (e.g. if the question is ‘Evaluate Weber and Marx’s accounts of capitalism’, an argument could be ‘I am going to argue that Weber is most insightful on X, but Marx is important for Y’). This builds a nice critical element into your essay, your own take on things, going beyond merely describing what others have written.
Essay plan: Tell the reader about the points you are going to cover, and the order in which you are going to do this (e.g. ‘First, the essay looks at…, second… third…’ etc.). Think of it as a roadmap to the essay.
Define key concepts as necessary for understanding. Do not use general dictionaries, as they often contain notions that social scientists try to challenge. Use definitions from the readings, and from sociological dictionaries.
Length: Intro should be between 5 to 10%, and no more than about 10 per cent of the overall word count.
Main Part / Body
The structure of the essay body is informed by the research/essay question: What points do you need to include in order to address the question? What sub-questions are there to the big question? Concentrate on the ‘need-to-knows’ rather than the ‘nice-to-knows’ .
The order in which you arrange these points depends on what makes the most convincing line of argument. This depends on the essay question, but as a rule of thumb you want to build up your argument, from the basics to the more elaborate points, from the weaker to the stronger, from what contradicts your argument to what supports it.
The different points should be addressed in appropriate depth. Make sure you explain not just what something is, but also how it works, and use examples and illustration.
There should be a coherent thread running through the essay and connecting the various points to one another and the overall argument. Indicate these connections in strategic places with appropriate signposting. These signpostings should also help you develop your argument as you proceed.
Excellent essays often raise counter-arguments to the argument presented, and then provide arguments against those counter-arguments. Think about why and how someone might disagree about what you are saying, and how you would respond to them.
Use peer-reviewed academic sources and present evidence for the points you make, using references, reliable statistics, examples etc. Any opinion you express should be built on reliable evidence and good reasoning.
What, finally, is your answer to the question? Bring the various strings of the essay together, summarize them briefly in the context of the essay question, and round off by connecting to the bigger discussion that the essay question is part of. It is usually a good idea to have a differentiated conclusion, in which you e.g. agree with a statement to a certain extent or under specific circumstances (and explain which and why), but disagree with some other aspects of it, rather than making undifferentiated black-or-white statements. You can also contextualise your argument with your ideas from the introduction. It is normally not a good idea to introduce new material in the conclusion. You are wrapping up here, and rounding off, not starting new discussions.
Conclusion should be about, and no longer than, 10 per cent of the overall word count.

Notes on Writing Style

Find the right balance between formal and informal. Avoid being too informal and conversational on the one hand. But also don’t use overly convoluted and complicated language, as it makes your writing inaccessible, and can lead to a lack of clarity. You may at times encounter academic writing that seems deliberately obscure or overcomplicated, but those are not examples you should try to emulate.
Clarity and specificity should indeed be a top priority. Are the words you are using expressing what you want to express? Is it clear who specifically is doing what or saying what? Pay attention to this when proofreading the essay. Could someone understand this differently? Avoid ambiguities.
Key concepts should be clearly defined and used throughout the essay in the way you defined them. Choose the definitions that are most useful for your discussion.
Avoid hyperbole (don’t do ‘shocking statistics’ or ‘dire consequences’ etc.).

Notes on the Writing Process

Proofreading: When you are first writing, don’t think of it as the final product, but treat it as a first draft. Go through several drafts until you are happy with it. At a minimum, proofread the entire essay once or twice. Don’t be perfectionist when you start out, as you can always come back and improve on whatever you’ve written.
Small steps: Focussing on the small, concrete steps of your writing process rather than constantly thinking of the big task at hand will help you feel in control.
Procrastination: Feeling overwhelmed, as well as being too perfectionist, are among the leading causes for procrastination. The two previous points should therefore help you address this issue as well. Don’t be too harsh on yourself when you do procrastinate – almost everyone does it to some extent .
Over the years, keep addressing areas you want to improve on, and keep looking for information. Search online, for example ‘how to cite a book chapter in Harvard Sage’, ‘developing an argument’, ‘ using quotations ’, ‘memory techniques’, ‘how to read with speed’, ‘understanding procrastination’, or ‘ what does peer-reviewed mean ’. There is plenty of information, and some seriously good advice out there. See what works for you. Read the feedback you get on your writing, and incorporate it into your next essay.

Final Thoughts

Essay Writing skills are good skills to have in any situation (except maybe in a zombie apocalypse). They will make the studying process easier over time, and hopefully also more fun. But in a wider sense, they are general skills of critical engagement with the world around you, and will help you filter and prioritise the overload of information you are confronted with on an everyday basis. In that sense, they might actually even be helpful in a zombie apocalypse.

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Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide

Student resources, four golden rules.

Four golden rules for writing a social science essay …

Rule 1: Answer the question that is asked.

Rule 2: Write your answer in your own words.

Rule 3: Think about the content of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good social scientific skills.

Rule 4: Think about the structure of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good writing skills and observing any word limit.

A Short Handbook for writing essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences

(8 reviews)

Dan Allosso, Bemidji State University

Salvatore F. Allosso

Publisher: Minnesota Libraries Publishing Project

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Aaron Lefkovitz, Professor, City Colleges of Chicago on 5/4/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This writing manual the author wrote and used for decades at the University of California, Davis is very comprehensive. It reviews multiple aspects of how to get started with writing, such as analyzing texts and taking notes, discovering a topic, preparing for discussion, creating a thesis, ordering evidence, building an argument, coherent paragraphs, effective sentences, appropriate words, revising, and a revision checklist. Also, it has a valuable appendix and even references to such philosophers as Aristotle, so it is comprehensive in both a practical and theoretical sense.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content of A Short Handbook for Writing Essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences is accurate, error-free, and unbiased. This can be read in the “Analyzing Texts, Taking Notes” section, where the author begins with unbiased, clear questions, such as “what is a text?” The author then goes on to quote from such sources as author W.H. Auden (1907-1973), English-born poet and man of letters who achieved early fame in the 1930s as a hero of the left during the Great Depression.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

A Short Handbook for Writing Essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences does represent relevance and longevity, in the sense that its chapters can be carried down from one generation to another without much variation, for example read in the “Discovering a Topic, Preparing for Discussion” chapter. Here, the author mentions that texts students work with at the college level of their education are mostly givens, as far as English classics, History primary and secondary sources that are important to understand a particular event and period, as well as the ways texts were chosen out of multiple texts in that they fit together and lead to a particular place.

Clarity rating: 5

There is a great deal of clarity in A Short Handbook for Writing Essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences, as this text makes difficult subjects easier to understand for most students, simplifying such potentially daunting topics as “creating a thesis”. In this chapter, the author asks a variety of questions, including what interpretation is the author trying to persuade the reader is valid, what are the reasons for this interpretation, how is the interpretation different from other interpretations, and what part of the text will be examined and emphasized, as well as what are the author’s assumptions and potential objections. These clear questions provide a sense of clarity for the reader and add to the text’s strengths.

Consistency rating: 5

This text is very consistent. Each chapter starts with an interesting quote that frames the chapter narrative in a compelling way. Then, the chapters start with very first-hand/direct testimony given to readers who can read the paragraphs in a way that is meant to speak to them rather than use jargon and difficult to understand sentences. Chapters follow similar structures in terms of longer paragraphs followed by definitions and clear statements that function to provide additional information with regards to the content and theme of the chapter discussed.

Modularity rating: 5

A Short Handbook for Writing Essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences does have easily and readily divisible sections that are useful to the reader in that they break up the narrative and provide all sorts of additional information in an aesthetically pleasing way that can be assigned at different points within the course. There are not enormous blocks of text without subheadings and the text does not seem to be overly self-referential. Instead, there are all sorts of references and data from disparate sources that provide for an interesting and informative read.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This text is full of effective, concise, and clear sentences, and is organized well in terms of the ways chapters are structured, starting with a quote that has a particular relevance to the chapter theme, including boxed reminders that set themselves apart from the general narrative, and including various bullet points and examples from literature.

Interface rating: 5

Everything that I have read in this textbook signals that it is indeed free of any kind of significant interface issues, including navigation problems, distortion of images/charts, and any other display features that may distract or confuse the reader.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Additionally, the text seems to be free of grammatical errors even as it does seem to contain some spacing issues but that could be on my computer only.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

As far as the text’s cultural relevance, it does seem to rely quite heavily on dead White European philosophers, from Aristotle to Wittgenstein, to add to and accentuate a point, however it is not offensive in the sense that it does not go out of its way to denigrate a particular race, ethnicity, or other cultural background.

This text does a fine job of introducing students to basic essay writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences, its brevity functioning as a strength in that it keeps things fairly simple while adding philosophical and historical contexts to stay academic as well as relevant and consistent.

Reviewed by Megan Anderson, Assistant Professor, Limestone University on 12/7/21

With only 9 chapters, this text does not cover every essay writing skill students need, but it does include focus on the higher order elements of writing. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

With only 9 chapters, this text does not cover every essay writing skill students need, but it does include focus on the higher order elements of writing.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

As the title suggests, the content is sparse, but it appears accurate.

While there are various theories on the teaching of writing in terms of pedagogy, writing skills do not really change in the sense of timeliness. The examples used are relatively common references from history and literature.

Clarity rating: 4

Again the content is minimal, but the material is written in a clear, easy-to-understand manner that would work for even first-year students.

The text is consistent in terms of terminology and framework, and even tone.

Modularity rating: 3

Each chapter is very short so they are easily assignable. And while there are headers, each chapter appears as one long page. Splitting up the content into just a few pages and spacing out the material a little more would be preferential.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 2

While I believe that the text covers many of the essential elements of writing, the chapters appear out of order to me. I would have the chapter on "Effective Sentences" before the one on "Coherent Paragraphs". It is also problematic to me to have a chapter on "Ordering Evidence, Building an Argument" listed before the chapters on basic writing components.

Interface rating: 3

The interface could be easier to navigate. There is no next button to move to easily move from chapter to chapter and to access the nine chapters, you have to click on a plus sign linked to what is called "I. Main Body". It is not very difficult to figure out, but it is just not as thought out as it could be. Like having a Roman Numeral I without a Roman Numeral II is a little odd. It also cannot be saved as a printable PDF.

I do not see any grammatical issues.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

While I do not see any references that are culturally insensitive, there is also no real attempt at diversity or inclusion. Examples are really all from canonical texts, meaning white male authors, like Shakespeare, Hemingway, and Melville.

Reviewed by Anthony Accardi Jr, Adjunct Professor, Middlesex Community College on 5/30/21

In the text "A Short Handbook for Writing Essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences" by Salvatore and Dan Allosso the authors present a simple, easy to follow guide for students to use when organizing, planning, researching, and writing an essay. In addition to essay structure, the authors also provide help with the “basics of effective writing”, including paragraph writing, sentence writing and avoiding common grammatical errors.

The concise format of the text requires that the author’s stay “right on point” which they do effectively and accurately.

By following each step outlined in this text, a student would undoubtedly improve his/her essay writing skills. Each topic the authors address is relevant to the development of a good essay. The strong emphasis put on the steps for writing an essay make this text a guide students will surely refer to again and again throughout their academic careers.

The conversational style used by the authors makes this text easy to read and understand. Most students find writing a nerve-racking ordeal. The authors deal with this by using straightforward language to explain concepts and reinforce the explanations with simple, easy to understand examples.

The authors have designed a textbook consistent from chapter to chapter and "as a whole". In general, each chapter begins with a quote from a famous author about writing, followed by an explanation of the chapter’s topic, followed by a working example. The authors' down to earth writing style is consistent in every chapter of the text.

The short length of the chapters makes them ideal to be read as individual assignments and their compartmentalized structure is suited well for associated writing assignments.

The structure of this text is one of its strongest points. The authors have organized the chapters in a logical order that students should follow when writing an essay.

The text interface is easy to navigate with no issues noticed.

The text is free of grammatical and syntactic errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

The authors have created a text that shows an awareness of the need for cultural sensitivity and is inoffensive and completely class appropriate. . The Chapter titled “Appropriate Words” touches on avoiding the use of “Sexist Language”, which indicates concern for gender respect. Improvement could be made by using a more diverse group of authors for the opening chapter quotes.

I think this text is an excellent source for helping students understand the basic steps needed to write a good essay.

Reviewed by Aerie Bernard, Adjunct Faculty, Humanities, College of DuPage on 4/20/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This short text provides an approachable primer for novice essayists and reminder of standard practices of academic writing for more experienced writers. Rather than go into great depth, the chapters briefly outline the process of writing academic essays at the high school or undergraduate level. The text is comprehensive in that it is organized linearly to guide the writer from taking notes and developing a thesis through writing drafts and revisions. There is no index or glossary provided; however, the table of contents and short chapters ensure that the text is easy to navigate.

The content is accurate and error-free. The text is written by educators who attempt to address what they identify as common errors in student writing. As such, the bias present reflects a preference for standard English and traditional structure in academic writing.

Because the text focuses on standard practices in academic writing such as writing strong topic sentences, creating arguable theses, and avoiding passive voice, I doubt the text could become obsolete anytime soon. The text speaks to current trends in academic writing by including tips such as how to use gender neutral language and gears itself towards the high school and undergraduate level by modeling and promoting the use of a conversational tone in academic writing. Short, well-organized, worksheet-like chapters allow plenty of room for one to add to, update, or adapt this text.

The authors advise student essayists to use language and style that illustrates “genuine human conversation.” The text successfully models a balance of accuracy of language with a conversational tone. It is a pleasant read.

The text is consistent in its use of terminology, framework, and voice.

Short chapters with limited scope provide introductions and jumping off points for further discussions and activities related to academic writing in the humanities and social sciences.

The chapters are arranged to illustrate a start to finish approach to writing essays. Each chapter focuses on an element of essay writing. The organization is clear and logical.

Interface rating: 4

I had no difficulty accessing or reading the text online with my laptop and my phone. I was not as successful viewing the EPUB as a download to my phone. The text was too small in Bluefire reader and the app would not allow viewing at a larger font size. I do not know if the limitation was due to the EPUB or the reader app.

I did not notice any grammatical errors.

The text addresses the importance of avoiding problematic language in academic writing in the chapter “Appropriate Words” and cautions that writers avoid repetition and wordiness, cliches, jargon, pop culture references, empty words, words with contested meanings, code words, and overextended/mixed/misapplied metaphors. I notice the absence of resources, strategies, and discussions about words relating to race, ethnicity, background, or identity. Also, examples throughout the text are primarily Western, male, and white. Steps towards inclusiveness are present, such as strategies for gender neutral writing, but there is room for improvement.

Reviewed by Sarah Fischer, Assistant Professor, Marymount University on 2/1/21

The book is *short* and useful. It gives excellent advice for how students can and should select strong evidence, how to write effective openings and closings, and discusses many common grammatical errors. However, the book does not spend enough... read more

This book is well-researched and contains no errors (in terms of subject matter, usage, or grammar).

Very relevant, especially because so many books on writing are long, and the longer they are the less likely students are to read them. This book does very impactful work in a very limited number of pages.

Clarity rating: 3

The book is very clear and accessible for professors and advanced students. Many of the examples from English and History papers utilized in the book would be quite difficult for many first-year students to follow, however.

Formatting is quite consistent; terminology is consistently and appropriately used.

Sections of this book are small, easy to understand, and not overwhelming for any level of student to read.

This book's organization flows in a logical way.

I did not notice any interface issues.

I did not notice any grammatical errors in the text.

The authors took care to be culturally sensitive.

A few short exercises at the end of each section, which instructors could create for their classes, would help students practice the book's lessons as sort of intermediary step between reading about possible pitfalls and working on their own to eliminate issues from their writing.

Reviewed by Deirdre Sullivan, Adjunct Faculty, English Department, Berkshire Community College on 6/27/20

A Short Handbook for Writing Essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences by Salvatore Allosso and Dan Allosso is a comprehensive and concise work on how to write good essays on the humanities and the social sciences by clearly defining the definitions of those disciplines. I have not seen many indexes and/or glossaries with these online books, so I don't think it is really necessary for the comprehension of the text.

The content was accurate, without error, and unbiased in its content, syntax, and point of view.

I think the light tone, conversational style, and relevance to all who practice the art of writing is both timely and long-lasting. There is a universal appeal to this approach, and while language is always changing, the rules for written work have more longevity.

The book is written in such a way as to engage even the most reluctant reader into a kind of conspiratorial allegiance on how to approach the art of reading well and writing with lucid accuracy, technical prowess, and enlightened awareness.

The text incorporates terminology into the structure and framework of its chapters with clarity and consistency.

The text is proportionate to reasonable reading and writing assignments. In each chapter, there is a clear way of recognizing and analyzing concepts on writing for use toward student outcomes in a writing course.

This text is logically organized to support and sustain its thesis and the thorough exploration of its guiding elements.

There are no significant interface issues, problems with navigation, or distractions to confuse potential readers.

There are no grammatical errors to my reckoning.

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. The book embraced multi-culturalism with quotes, questions, and persuasive argument as to how a writer must be objective, open-minded, and thoroughly engaged in standing by their work.

I really loved the conversational style between authors and readers. This father-son duo has clearly taken delight in sharing their love of the world through the art of writing. I really liked the quotes they chose to support their ideas. Perhaps one day, I will use their book in my composition classes. A truly remarkable discovery!

Reviewed by Dayle Turner, Professor, Leeward Community College on 6/27/20

The text covers fairly well the important considerations of writing essays for humanities and social sciences courses. The authors assert their intention of taking students “step-by-step through the process of writing essays for an upper-level high school class or a college course.” The steps of which they speak include analyzing texts, note-taking, formulating essay topics, creating theses, ordering evidence, building arguments, writing coherent paragraphs, composing effective sentences, using appropriate diction, and revising. The text lacks an index and glossary and the inclusion thereof would certainly strengthen the comprehensiveness of the work.

The content of this text is accurate and the steps covered are mostly applicable for first-year college students and high school juniors and seniors.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The content appears up-to-date. Text is devoid of visual imagery, making it potentially less appealing to contemporary/millennial students, but its structure invites relatively easy updating, and all links were accurate.

The text is mostly clear and provides adequate examples to explain the application of material discussed in each chapter.

Consistency rating: 4

The text's consistency would be excellent if an index and glossary were included.

Modularity rating: 4

This text is organized in such a manner that students can be assigned short readings without having to jump hither and yon between chapters or different parts of the book.

There are nine chapters in the text. They are presented in a logical and purposeful order. Critical reading and note-taking comes first while a revision checklist is available at the end. This makes sense as it is important to provide students with suggestions for information-gathering and revision.

The interface is free of any distracting issues. The text is mostly easy to navigate.

I noticed no grammatical errors.

The text successfully represents a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Examples are sensitive and free of stereotypes.

This book would have been beneficial to me as an undergraduate. Most of what it covers are things I had to learn by experience, and the quality of my earliest scholarship would have been much improved with the benefit of these lessons. The text has value as a supplementary or recommended material, particularly for students whose plans include graduate school or writing-intensive professions. Students who are most prepared will get the most out of it, but the text also offers good examples

Reviewed by Matilda (Tillie) Yoder, Librarian, Goshen College on 7/10/19

The scope of this text is very clearly outlined in its title - it aims to guide students through the process of writing essays for humanities and social sciences courses. The Allossos succeed in creating a work that does just that, discussing techniques and strategies for writing well but assuming that readers will have a reasonable familiarity with English grammar. Contents included how to develop ideas, how to formulate effective arguments, how to identify weak points in writing, and how to revise effectively. It is worth noting that the authors are not concerned with formatting, emphasizing the writing process and not the finicky details of citation structure, title page layout, or font size.These issues are easily addressed on a great many websites and reference works; more concerning is that there is no real discussion of plagiarism or how to manage citations and references, which is an important part of any humanities or social sciences essay that requires research and not a single text.

There is no glossary or index for this work, though the table of contents lays out chapter topics very clearly. An index would be quite useful for instructors and students wanting to use the book in its entirety. Similarly, a reference list with links to related works and websites might also be of use for those who would like more in-depth information on particular techniques not elaborated on in this short work.

The content of this guidebook is accurate, although its narrow focus does mean that is not comprehensive (and it does not intend to be). The strategies outlined in it are standard practice and are conveyed succinctly. Quoted authors are all referenced by name but not in any further detail; simple citations for these quotes would model best practices for the students reading the material.

The content of this guidebook is general enough in nature to remain relevant for some time. The examples given throughout the book reference works of classic Western literature or established understandings of history that American schools are likely to continue to teach - Shakespeare’s plays, the history of slave uprisings in the Americas, the Civil War, and Hemingway all feature. Notably, references are only discussed in the context of example passages, and so no knowledge of the events or plots is necessary to understand what the authors are saying.

The Alessos practice what they preach in this instance, writing directly and clearly. Jargon is almost non-existent, and where it does exist it is always defined and explained. Concepts are clearly illustrated with multiple examples and outlined step by step. The overall vocabulary and level of writing is appropriate for students in grade 11 or above.

Key terms are used continually throughout this work; in particular, the authors emphasize the importance of unity, coherence, and emphasis in effective writing. Vocabulary terms are introduced and used consistently, although alternative terms are listed to ensure understanding.

This guide could be easily divided into distinct sections useful for a wide variety of classes throughout the humanities and social sciences. History and English classes would find it particularly relevant, but introductory writing teachers, writing tutors, and academic support offices would also find much that is useful here. The sections on how to construct a thesis and the revision checklist are particularly applicable to me in my work as a writing tutor. I can see myself having students read specific sections of this book depending on what their particular roadblocks to writing are.

The organization of this text is logical, beginning with the process of note-taking and brainstorming, and moving on to persuasive argument building, thesis construction, essay structure, writing, and revision. The revision checklist at the end of the textbook is also organized in such a way that it leads students to look for major issues in their writing before the minor ones.

Overall, the guidebook displayed well and is easy to navigate. There are no images included, and although images are not strictly necessary for this sort of topic, I believe that the text would benefit from some formatting changes. Some of the lists could use better visual clues in their subdivision, and example paragraphs would benefit from being presented in a diagram format where specific portions could be highlighted and remarked on more directly. Unfortunately, this title is not available in PDF format, which would be useful for anyone wanting access to the book without an internet connection. Epub format would be useful as well.

I noticed no grammatical errors or typos in this text.

All references to culture in this text appear in example writing passages. Because of this, no deep understanding of the referenced work or work is needed, because it is the writing and not the content of the passage that is the focus. However, almost all of the references included are focused on classic works concerning Western literature and history (Kafka, Dostoyevsky, Beowulf, etc.). A broadening of examples would be welcome, but as it stands the text is inoffensive and reflects what is taught in many English classes in American schools.

Getting Started Writing
Chapter 1: Analyzing Texts, Taking Notes
Chapter 2: Discovering a Topic, Preparing for Discussion
Chapter 3: Creating a Thesis
Chapter 4: Ordering Evidence, Building an Argument
Chapter 5: Coherent Paragraphs
Chapter 6: Effective Sentences
Chapter 7: Appropriate Words
Chapter 8: Revising
Chapter 9: Revision Checklist

Ancillary Material

About the book.

A retired master teacher of English and Comparative Literature teams up with his son, a History professor, on a new version of the writing manual he wrote and used for decades at the University of California, Davis.

About the Contributors

Dan Allosso , Bemidji State University

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Communication

What is a Social Science Essay?

[Ed. – We present this article, adapted from a chapter of Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide , as a resource for Academic Writing Month.]

There are different types of social science essay, and essays of different lengths require slightly different approaches (these will be addressed later). However, all social science essays share a basic structure which is common to many academic subject areas. At its simplest, a social science essay looks something like this:

Title | Every essay should begin with the title written out in full. In some cases this will simply be the set question or statement for discussion.

Introduction | The introduction tells the reader what the essay is about.

Main section | The main section, or ‘body’, of the essay develops the key points of the argument in a ‘logical progression’. It uses evidence from research studies (empirical evidence) and theoretical arguments to support these points.

Conclusion | The conclusion reassesses the arguments presented in the main section in order to make a final statement in answer to the question.

List of references | This lists full details of the publications referred to in the text.

What is distinctive about a social science essay?

As you are no doubt aware, essay writing is a common feature of undergraduate study in many different subjects. What, then, is distinctive about essay writing in the social sciences? There are particular features that characterize social science essays and that relate to what is called the epistemological underpinning of work in this area (that is, to ideas about what constitutes valid social scientific knowledge and where this comes from). Among the most important of these characteristics are:

• the requirement that you support arguments with evidence, particularly evidence that is the product of systematic and rigorous research;

• the use of theory to build explanations about how the social world works.

Evidence is important in social scientific writing because it is used to support or query beliefs, propositions or hypotheses about the social world. Let’s take an example. A social scientist may ask: ‘Does prison work?’ This forms an initial question, but one that is too vague to explore as it stands. (This question might be about whether prison ‘works’ for offenders, in terms of providing rehabilitation, or re-education; or it might be about whether it ‘works’ for victims of crime who may wish to see retribution – or any number of other issues.) To answer the question in mind, the social scientist will need to formulate a more specific claim, one that can be systematically and rigorously explored. Such a claim could be formulated in the following terms:

‘Imprisonment reduces the likelihood of subsequent reoffending’. This claim can now be subjected to systematic research. In other words, the social scientist will gather evidence for and against this claim, evidence that she or he will seek to interpret or evaluate. This process of evaluation will tend to support or refute the original claim, but it may be inconclusive, and/or it may generate further questions. Together, these processes of enquiry can be described as forming a ‘circuit of social scientific knowledge’. This circuit can be represented as in this figure.

Undergraduates may sometimes be asked to conduct their own small-scale research, for instance a small number of interviews, or some content analysis. However, the focus of social science study at undergraduate level, and particularly in the first two years of study, will be largely on the research of others. Generally, in preparing for writing your essays, the expectation will be that you will identify and evaluate evidence from existing research findings. However, the principle holds good: in writing social science essays you will need to find evidence for and against any claim, and you will need to evaluate that evidence.

Theory is important in social scientific writing because the theoretical orientation of the social scientist will tend to inform the types of question she or he asks, the specific claims tested, the ways in which evidence is identified and gathered, and the manner in which this evidence is interpreted and evaluated. In other words, the theoretical orientation of the social scientist is liable to impact upon the forms of knowledge she or he will produce.

Take, for example, the research question we asked above: ‘Does prison work?’ A pragmatic, policy-oriented social scientist may seek to answer this question by formulating a specific claim of the sort we identified, ‘Imprisonment reduces the likelihood of reoffending’. She or he may then gather evidence of reoffending rates among matched groups of convicted criminals, comparing those who were imprisoned with those who were given an alternative punishment such as forms of community service. Evidence that imprisonment did not produce significantly lower rates of reoffending than punishment in the community may then be interpreted as suggesting that prison does not work, or that it works only up to a point. However, another social scientist might look at the same research findings and come to a different conclusion, perhaps that the apparent failure of prison to reduce reoffending demonstrates that its primary purpose lies elsewhere. Indeed, more ‘critically’ oriented social scientists (for example, those informed by Marxism or the work of Michel Foucault) have sought to argue that the growth of prisons in the nineteenth century was part of wider social attempts to ‘discipline’, in particular, the working class.

The issue here is not whether these more ‘critical’ arguments are right or wrong but that a social scientist’s theoretical orientation will inform how she or he evaluates the available evidence. In fact, it is likely that a ‘critical’ social scientist of this sort would even have formulated a different research ‘claim’. For example, rather than seeking to test the claim, ‘Imprisonment reduces the likelihood of reoffending’, the critical social scientist might have sought to test the proposition, ‘Prisons are part of wider social strategies that aim to produce “disciplined” subjects’. The point for you to take away from this discussion is, then, that the theories we use shape the forms of social scientific knowledge we produce (see Figure 2).

There is considerable debate within the social sciences about the exact relationship between theory and evidence. To simplify somewhat, some social scientists tend to argue that evidence can be used to support or invalidate the claims investigated by research and thereby produce theoretical accounts of the social world that are more or less accurate. Other social scientists will tend to argue that our theoretical orientations (and the value judgements and taken-for-granted assumptions that they contain) shape the processes of social scientific enquiry itself, such that we can never claim to produce a straightforwardly ‘accurate’ account of the social world. Instead, they suggest that social scientific knowledge is always produced from a particular standpoint and will inevitably reflect its assumptions.

What you need to grasp is that essay writing in the social sciences is distinguished by its emphasis on: the use of researched evidence to support arguments and on theory as central to the process by which we build accounts of social worlds. Your own writing will need to engage with both elements.

Common errors in essays

Having identified what distinguishes a social science essay we can return to the more practical task of how to write one. This process is elaborated in the chapters that follow, but before getting into the details of this, we should think about what commonly goes wrong in essay writing.

Perhaps the most common mistakes in essay writing, all of which can have an impact on your marks, are:

• failure to answer the question;

• failure to write using your own words;

• poor use of social scientific skills (such as handling theory and evidence);

• poor structure;

• poor grammar, punctuation and spelling; and

• failure to observe the word limit (where this is specified).

Failing to answer the question sounds easy enough to avoid, but you might be surprised how easy it is to write a good answer to the wrong question. Most obviously, there is always the risk of misreading the question. However, it is frequently the case that questions will ‘index’ a wider debate and will want you to review and engage with this. Thus, you need to avoid the danger of understanding the question but failing to connect it to the debate and the body of literature to which the question refers. Equally, particularly on more advanced undergraduate courses, you are likely to be asked to work from an increasing range of sources. The dangers here include failing to select the most relevant material and failing to organize the material you have selected in a way that best fits the question. Therefore, make sure that you take time to read the question properly to ensure that you understand what is being asked. Next, think carefully about whether there is a debate that ‘lies behind’ the question. Then be sure to identify the material that addresses the question most fully.

Writing in your own words is crucial because this is the best way in which you can come to understand a topic, and the only way of demonstrating this understanding to your tutor. The important point to remember is that if you do plagiarize, your essay risks receiving a fail grade, and if you plagiarize repeatedly you risk further sanctions. You must therefore always put arguments in your own words except when you are quoting someone directly (in which case you must use the appropriate referencing conventions). The positive side of what might seem like a draconian rule is that you will remember better what you have put in your own words. This ensures that you will have the fullest possible understanding of your course. If there is an end-of-course exam, such an understanding will be a real asset.

Social science essays also need to demonstrate an effective use of social scientific skills. Perhaps the most obvious of these skills is the ability to deploy theory and evidence in an appropriate manner (as you saw in the previous section, this is what distinguishes social scientific essay writing). However, particularly as you move on to more advanced undergraduate courses, you should also keep in mind the need to demonstrate such things as confidence in handling social scientific concepts and vocabulary; an awareness of major debates, approaches and figures in your field; the ability to evaluate competing arguments; and an awareness of potential uncertainty, ambiguity and the limits of knowledge in your subject. These are important because they indicate your ability to work creatively with the tools of the social scientist’s trade.

An effective structure is important and pragmatic because it helps the person who marks your essay to understand what is going on. By contrast, a list of unconnected ideas and examples is likely to confuse, and will certainly fail to impress. The simplest way to avoid this is to follow the kind of essay writing conventions briefly outlined above and discussed in later chapters of this guide. Chapter 8, on the main body of the essay, is particularly relevant here, but you will also need to keep in mind the importance of a well-written introduction and conclusion to an effectively structured argument.

The ability to spell, punctuate and use grammar correctly is, generally speaking, something you are expected to have mastered prior to embarking on a degree-level course. This is really a matter of effective communication. While it is the content of your essay that will win you the most marks, you need to be able spell, punctuate and use grammar effectively in order to communicate what you have to say. Major problems in this area will inevitably hold down your marks, so if this is an issue in your work, it will be a good idea to seek further help.

Finally, observing the word limit is important – and, as you probably realize, more difficult than it sounds. The simplest advice is always to check whether there is a word limit and what this is, and then to be ruthless with yourself, focusing only on the material that is most pertinent to the question. If you find that you have written more words than is allowed, you will need to check for irrelevant discussions, examples, or even wordy sentence construction. Too few words may indicate that you haven’t provided the depth of discussion required, or that you have omitted essential points or evidence.

In the light of the above, we can identify four golden rules for effective social scientific essay writing.

Rule 1: Answer the question that is asked.

Rule 2: Write your answer in your own words.

Rule 3: Think about the content of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good social scientific skills.

Rule 4: Think about the structure of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good writing skills, and observing any word limit.

Why an essay is not a report, newspaper article or an exam answer

This section has mainly focused on what is distinctive about a social science essay, but there is something distinctive about essays in general that is worth keeping in mind. Many students come from professional backgrounds where report writing is a common form of communication. For other students a main source of information is newspapers or online websites. These are all legitimate forms of writing that serve useful purposes – but, apart from some of the content on academic websites, they just aren’t essays. There are exam conventions that make exam writing – even ‘essay style’ exams – different from essay writing.

In part, this is to do with ‘academic register’ or ‘voice’. Part of what you will develop as you become a stronger essay writer is a ‘voice’ that is your own, but that conforms to the conventions of academic practice. For social scientists, as we have noted above, this practice includes the use of evidence to support an argument and providing references that show where your ideas and evidence have come from. It also includes the ability to write with some confidence, using the vernacular – or language – of your subject area. Different forms of writing serve different purposes. The main purpose of academic writing is to develop and share knowledge and understanding. In some academic journals this can take the form of boisterous debate, with different academics fully and carefully defending, or arguing for, one position or another. For students of social science, however, there may be less at stake, but essays should nevertheless demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a particular issue or area. Conforming to some basic conventions around how to present ideas and arguments, helps us more easily to compare those ideas, just as conforming to the rules of a game makes it easier for one sports team to play against another: if one team is playing cricket and the other baseball, we will find there are similarities (both use bats, have innings, make runs), but there will also be lots of awkward differences. In the end, neither the players nor the spectators are likely to find it a very edifying experience. The following looks at other forms of serious writing that you may be familiar with, but that just aren’t cricket.

Report writing

Reports take a variety of forms, but typically involve: an up-front ‘executive summary’, a series of discussions, usually with numbered headings and subheadings. They are also likely to include ‘bullet points’ that capture an idea or argument in a succinct way. Professional reports may include evidence, arguments, recommendations and references. You may already have spotted some of the similarities with essays – and the crucial differences. Let’s begin with the similarities. Reports and essays both involve discussion, the use of evidence to support (or refute) a claim or argument, and a list of references. Both will have an introductory section, a main body and a conclusion. However, the differences are important. With the exception of very long essays (dissertations and the like), essays do not generally have numbered headings and subheadings. Nor do they have bullet points. They also don’t have executive summaries. And, with some notable exceptions (such as essays around areas of social policy perhaps), social science essays don’t usually require you to produce policy recommendations. The differences are significant, and are as much about style as they are about substance.

Journalistic writing

For many students, journalistic styles of writing are most familiar. Catchy headlines (or ‘titles’) are appealing, and newspapers’ to-the-point presentation may make for easier reading. News stories, however, follow a different set of requirements to essays – a different set of ‘golden rules’. In general, newspaper and website news articles foreground the ‘who, what, where, when and why’ of a story in the first paragraph. The most important information is despatched immediately, with the assumption that all readers will read the headline, most readers will read the first paragraph, and dwindling numbers will read the remainder of the article. Everyday newspaper articles often finish with a ‘whimper’ for this reason, and there may be no attempt to summarize findings or provide a conclusion at the end – that’s not the role of news journalists. (Though there is quite a different set of rules for ‘Op Ed’ or opinion pieces.) Student essays, by contrast, should be structured to be read from beginning to end. The introduction should serve to ‘outline’ or ‘signpost’ the main body of the essay, rather than cover everything in one fell swoop; the main body should proceed with a clear, coherent and logical argument that builds throughout; and the essay should end with a conclusion that ties the essay together.

Exam writing

Again, exam writing has similarities and differences with essay writing. Perhaps the main differences are these: under exam conditions, it is understood that you are writing at speed and that you may not communicate as effectively as in a planned essay; you will generally not be expected to provide references (though you may be expected to link clearly authors and ideas). Longer exam answers will need to include a short introduction and a conclusion, while short answers may omit these. Indeed, very short answers may not resemble essays at all as they may focus on factual knowledge or very brief points of comparison.

Peter Redman and Wendy Maples

Peter Redman is a senior lecturer in sociology at The Open University. With Stephen Frosh and Wendy Hollway, he edit the Palgrave book series, Studies in the Psychosocial and is a former editor of the journal, Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society . Academic consultant Wendy Maples is a research assistant in anthropology at the University of Sussex. Together they co-authored Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide (Sage, 2017) now in its fifth edition.

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USC Libraries
Research Guides

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper

Academic Writing Style
Purpose of Guide
Design Flaws to Avoid
Independent and Dependent Variables
Glossary of Research Terms
Reading Research Effectively
Narrowing a Topic Idea
Broadening a Topic Idea
Extending the Timeliness of a Topic Idea
Applying Critical Thinking
Choosing a Title
Making an Outline
Paragraph Development
Research Process Video Series
Executive Summary
The C.A.R.S. Model
Background Information
The Research Problem/Question
Theoretical Framework
Citation Tracking
Content Alert Services
Evaluating Sources
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
Tiertiary Sources
Scholarly vs. Popular Publications
Qualitative Methods
Quantitative Methods
Insiderness
Using Non-Textual Elements
Limitations of the Study
Common Grammar Mistakes
Writing Concisely
Avoiding Plagiarism
Footnotes or Endnotes?
Further Readings
Generative AI and Writing
USC Libraries Tutorials and Other Guides
Bibliography

Academic writing refers to a style of expression that researchers use to define the intellectual boundaries of their disciplines and specific areas of expertise. Characteristics of academic writing include a formal tone, use of the third-person rather than first-person perspective (usually), a clear focus on the research problem under investigation, and precise word choice. Like specialist languages adopted in other professions, such as, law or medicine, academic writing is designed to convey agreed meaning about complex ideas or concepts within a community of scholarly experts and practitioners.

Academic Writing. Writing Center. Colorado Technical College; Hartley, James. Academic Writing and Publishing: A Practical Guide . New York: Routledge, 2008; Ezza, El-Sadig Y. and Touria Drid. T eaching Academic Writing as a Discipline-Specific Skill in Higher Education . Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2020.

Importance of Good Academic Writing

The accepted form of academic writing in the social sciences can vary considerable depending on the methodological framework and the intended audience. However, most college-level research papers require careful attention to the following stylistic elements:

I. The Big Picture Unlike creative or journalistic writing, the overall structure of academic writing is formal and logical. It must be cohesive and possess a logically organized flow of ideas; this means that the various parts are connected to form a unified whole. There should be narrative links between sentences and paragraphs so that the reader is able to follow your argument. The introduction should include a description of how the rest of the paper is organized and all sources are properly cited throughout the paper.

II. Tone The overall tone refers to the attitude conveyed in a piece of writing. Throughout your paper, it is important that you present the arguments of others fairly and with an appropriate narrative tone. When presenting a position or argument that you disagree with, describe this argument accurately and without loaded or biased language. In academic writing, the author is expected to investigate the research problem from an authoritative point of view. You should, therefore, state the strengths of your arguments confidently, using language that is neutral, not confrontational or dismissive.

III. Diction Diction refers to the choice of words you use. Awareness of the words you use is important because words that have almost the same denotation [dictionary definition] can have very different connotations [implied meanings]. This is particularly true in academic writing because words and terminology can evolve a nuanced meaning that describes a particular idea, concept, or phenomenon derived from the epistemological culture of that discipline [e.g., the concept of rational choice in political science]. Therefore, use concrete words [not general] that convey a specific meaning. If this cannot be done without confusing the reader, then you need to explain what you mean within the context of how that word or phrase is used within a discipline.

IV. Language The investigation of research problems in the social sciences is often complex and multi- dimensional . Therefore, it is important that you use unambiguous language. Well-structured paragraphs and clear topic sentences enable a reader to follow your line of thinking without difficulty. Your language should be concise, formal, and express precisely what you want it to mean. Do not use vague expressions that are not specific or precise enough for the reader to derive exact meaning ["they," "we," "people," "the organization," etc.], abbreviations like 'i.e.' ["in other words"], 'e.g.' ["for example"], or 'a.k.a.' ["also known as"], and the use of unspecific determinate words ["super," "very," "incredible," "huge," etc.].

V. Punctuation Scholars rely on precise words and language to establish the narrative tone of their work and, therefore, punctuation marks are used very deliberately. For example, exclamation points are rarely used to express a heightened tone because it can come across as unsophisticated or over-excited. Dashes should be limited to the insertion of an explanatory comment in a sentence, while hyphens should be limited to connecting prefixes to words [e.g., multi-disciplinary] or when forming compound phrases [e.g., commander-in-chief]. Finally, understand that semi-colons represent a pause that is longer than a comma, but shorter than a period in a sentence. In general, there are four grammatical uses of semi-colons: when a second clause expands or explains the first clause; to describe a sequence of actions or different aspects of the same topic; placed before clauses which begin with "nevertheless", "therefore", "even so," and "for instance”; and, to mark off a series of phrases or clauses which contain commas. If you are not confident about when to use semi-colons [and most of the time, they are not required for proper punctuation], rewrite using shorter sentences or revise the paragraph.

VI. Academic Conventions Among the most important rules and principles of academic engagement of a writing is citing sources in the body of your paper and providing a list of references as either footnotes or endnotes. The academic convention of citing sources facilitates processes of intellectual discovery, critical thinking, and applying a deliberate method of navigating through the scholarly landscape by tracking how cited works are propagated by scholars over time . Aside from citing sources, other academic conventions to follow include the appropriate use of headings and subheadings, properly spelling out acronyms when first used in the text, avoiding slang or colloquial language, avoiding emotive language or unsupported declarative statements, avoiding contractions [e.g., isn't], and using first person and second person pronouns only when necessary.

VII. Evidence-Based Reasoning Assignments often ask you to express your own point of view about the research problem. However, what is valued in academic writing is that statements are based on evidence-based reasoning. This refers to possessing a clear understanding of the pertinent body of knowledge and academic debates that exist within, and often external to, your discipline concerning the topic. You need to support your arguments with evidence from scholarly [i.e., academic or peer-reviewed] sources. It should be an objective stance presented as a logical argument; the quality of the evidence you cite will determine the strength of your argument. The objective is to convince the reader of the validity of your thoughts through a well-documented, coherent, and logically structured piece of writing. This is particularly important when proposing solutions to problems or delineating recommended courses of action.

VIII. Thesis-Driven Academic writing is “thesis-driven,” meaning that the starting point is a particular perspective, idea, or position applied to the chosen topic of investigation, such as, establishing, proving, or disproving solutions to the questions applied to investigating the research problem. Note that a problem statement without the research questions does not qualify as academic writing because simply identifying the research problem does not establish for the reader how you will contribute to solving the problem, what aspects you believe are most critical, or suggest a method for gathering information or data to better understand the problem.

IX. Complexity and Higher-Order Thinking Academic writing addresses complex issues that require higher-order thinking skills applied to understanding the research problem [e.g., critical, reflective, logical, and creative thinking as opposed to, for example, descriptive or prescriptive thinking]. Higher-order thinking skills include cognitive processes that are used to comprehend, solve problems, and express concepts or that describe abstract ideas that cannot be easily acted out, pointed to, or shown with images. Think of your writing this way: One of the most important attributes of a good teacher is the ability to explain complexity in a way that is understandable and relatable to the topic being presented during class. This is also one of the main functions of academic writing--examining and explaining the significance of complex ideas as clearly as possible. As a writer, you must adopt the role of a good teacher by summarizing complex information into a well-organized synthesis of ideas, concepts, and recommendations that contribute to a better understanding of the research problem.

Academic Writing. Writing Center. Colorado Technical College; Hartley, James. Academic Writing and Publishing: A Practical Guide . New York: Routledge, 2008; Murray, Rowena and Sarah Moore. The Handbook of Academic Writing: A Fresh Approach . New York: Open University Press, 2006; Johnson, Roy. Improve Your Writing Skills . Manchester, UK: Clifton Press, 1995; Nygaard, Lynn P. Writing for Scholars: A Practical Guide to Making Sense and Being Heard . Second edition. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, 2015; Silvia, Paul J. How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing . Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2007; Style, Diction, Tone, and Voice. Writing Center, Wheaton College; Sword, Helen. Stylish Academic Writing . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012.

Strategies for...

Understanding Academic Writing and Its Jargon

The very definition of research jargon is language specific to a particular community of practitioner-researchers . Therefore, in modern university life, jargon represents the specific language and meaning assigned to words and phrases specific to a discipline or area of study. For example, the idea of being rational may hold the same general meaning in both political science and psychology, but its application to understanding and explaining phenomena within the research domain of a each discipline may have subtle differences based upon how scholars in that discipline apply the concept to the theories and practice of their work.

Given this, it is important that specialist terminology [i.e., jargon] must be used accurately and applied under the appropriate conditions . Subject-specific dictionaries are the best places to confirm the meaning of terms within the context of a specific discipline. These can be found by either searching in the USC Libraries catalog by entering the disciplinary and the word dictionary [e.g., sociology and dictionary] or using a database such as Credo Reference [a curated collection of subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, guides from highly regarded publishers] . It is appropriate for you to use specialist language within your field of study, but you should avoid using such language when writing for non-academic or general audiences.

Problems with Opaque Writing

A common criticism of scholars is that they can utilize needlessly complex syntax or overly expansive vocabulary that is impenetrable or not well-defined. When writing, avoid problems associated with opaque writing by keeping in mind the following:

1. Excessive use of specialized terminology . Yes, it is appropriate for you to use specialist language and a formal style of expression in academic writing, but it does not mean using "big words" just for the sake of doing so. Overuse of complex or obscure words or writing complicated sentence constructions gives readers the impression that your paper is more about style than substance; it leads the reader to question if you really know what you are talking about. Focus on creating clear, concise, and elegant prose that minimizes reliance on specialized terminology.

2. Inappropriate use of specialized terminology . Because you are dealing with concepts, research, and data within your discipline, you need to use the technical language appropriate to that area of study. However, nothing will undermine the validity of your study quicker than the inappropriate application of a term or concept. Avoid using terms whose meaning you are unsure of--do not just guess or assume! Consult the meaning of terms in specialized, discipline-specific dictionaries by searching the USC Libraries catalog or the Credo Reference database [see above].

Additional Problems to Avoid

In addition to understanding the use of specialized language, there are other aspects of academic writing in the social sciences that you should be aware of. These problems include:

Personal nouns . Excessive use of personal nouns [e.g., I, me, you, us] may lead the reader to believe the study was overly subjective. These words can be interpreted as being used only to avoid presenting empirical evidence about the research problem. Limit the use of personal nouns to descriptions of things you actually did [e.g., "I interviewed ten teachers about classroom management techniques..."]. Note that personal nouns are generally found in the discussion section of a paper because this is where you as the author/researcher interpret and describe your work.
Directives . Avoid directives that demand the reader to "do this" or "do that." Directives should be framed as evidence-based recommendations or goals leading to specific outcomes. Note that an exception to this can be found in various forms of action research that involve evidence-based advocacy for social justice or transformative change. Within this area of the social sciences, authors may offer directives for action in a declarative tone of urgency.
Informal, conversational tone using slang and idioms . Academic writing relies on excellent grammar and precise word structure. Your narrative should not include regional dialects or slang terms because they can be open to interpretation. Your writing should be direct and concise using standard English.
Wordiness. Focus on being concise, straightforward, and developing a narrative that does not have confusing language . By doing so, you help eliminate the possibility of the reader misinterpreting the design and purpose of your study.
Vague expressions (e.g., "they," "we," "people," "the company," "that area," etc.). Being concise in your writing also includes avoiding vague references to persons, places, or things. While proofreading your paper, be sure to look for and edit any vague or imprecise statements that lack context or specificity.
Numbered lists and bulleted items . The use of bulleted items or lists should be used only if the narrative dictates a need for clarity. For example, it is fine to state, "The four main problems with hedge funds are:" and then list them as 1, 2, 3, 4. However, in academic writing, this must then be followed by detailed explanation and analysis of each item. Given this, the question you should ask yourself while proofreading is: why begin with a list in the first place rather than just starting with systematic analysis of each item arranged in separate paragraphs? Also, be careful using numbers because they can imply a ranked order of priority or importance. If none exists, use bullets and avoid checkmarks or other symbols.
Descriptive writing . Describing a research problem is an important means of contextualizing a study. In fact, some description or background information may be needed because you can not assume the reader knows the key aspects of the topic. However, the content of your paper should focus on methodology, the analysis and interpretation of findings, and their implications as they apply to the research problem rather than background information and descriptions of tangential issues.
Personal experience. Drawing upon personal experience [e.g., traveling abroad; caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease] can be an effective way of introducing the research problem or engaging your readers in understanding its significance. Use personal experience only as an example, though, because academic writing relies on evidence-based research. To do otherwise is simply story-telling.

NOTE: Rules concerning excellent grammar and precise word structure do not apply when quoting someone. A quote should be inserted in the text of your paper exactly as it was stated. If the quote is especially vague or hard to understand, consider paraphrasing it or using a different quote to convey the same meaning. Consider inserting the term "sic" in brackets after the quoted text to indicate that the quotation has been transcribed exactly as found in the original source, but the source had grammar, spelling, or other errors. The adverb sic informs the reader that the errors are not yours.

Academic Writing. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Academic Writing Style. First-Year Seminar Handbook. Mercer University; Bem, Daryl J. Writing the Empirical Journal Article. Cornell University; College Writing. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Murray, Rowena and Sarah Moore. The Handbook of Academic Writing: A Fresh Approach . New York: Open University Press, 2006; Johnson, Eileen S. “Action Research.” In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education . Edited by George W. Noblit and Joseph R. Neikirk. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020); Oppenheimer, Daniel M. "Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly." Applied Cognitive Psychology 20 (2006): 139-156; Ezza, El-Sadig Y. and Touria Drid. T eaching Academic Writing as a Discipline-Specific Skill in Higher Education . Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2020; Pernawan, Ari. Common Flaws in Students' Research Proposals. English Education Department. Yogyakarta State University; Style. College Writing. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Invention: Five Qualities of Good Writing. The Reading/Writing Center. Hunter College; Sword, Helen. Stylish Academic Writing . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012; What Is an Academic Paper? Institute for Writing Rhetoric. Dartmouth College.

Structure and Writing Style

I. Improving Academic Writing

To improve your academic writing skills, you should focus your efforts on three key areas: 1. Clear Writing . The act of thinking about precedes the process of writing about. Good writers spend sufficient time distilling information and reviewing major points from the literature they have reviewed before creating their work. Writing detailed outlines can help you clearly organize your thoughts. Effective academic writing begins with solid planning, so manage your time carefully. 2. Excellent Grammar . Needless to say, English grammar can be difficult and complex; even the best scholars take many years before they have a command of the major points of good grammar. Take the time to learn the major and minor points of good grammar. Spend time practicing writing and seek detailed feedback from professors. Take advantage of the Writing Center on campus if you need help. Proper punctuation and good proofreading skills can significantly improve academic writing [see sub-tab for proofreading you paper ].

Refer to these three basic resources to help your grammar and writing skills:

A good writing reference book, such as, Strunk and White’s book, The Elements of Style or the St. Martin's Handbook ;
A college-level dictionary, such as, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary ;
The latest edition of Roget's Thesaurus in Dictionary Form .

3. Consistent Stylistic Approach . Whether your professor expresses a preference to use MLA, APA or the Chicago Manual of Style or not, choose one style manual and stick to it. Each of these style manuals provide rules on how to write out numbers, references, citations, footnotes, and lists. Consistent adherence to a style of writing helps with the narrative flow of your paper and improves its readability. Note that some disciplines require a particular style [e.g., education uses APA] so as you write more papers within your major, your familiarity with it will improve.

II. Evaluating Quality of Writing

A useful approach for evaluating the quality of your academic writing is to consider the following issues from the perspective of the reader. While proofreading your final draft, critically assess the following elements in your writing.

It is shaped around one clear research problem, and it explains what that problem is from the outset.
Your paper tells the reader why the problem is important and why people should know about it.
You have accurately and thoroughly informed the reader what has already been published about this problem or others related to it and noted important gaps in the research.
You have provided evidence to support your argument that the reader finds convincing.
The paper includes a description of how and why particular evidence was collected and analyzed, and why specific theoretical arguments or concepts were used.
The paper is made up of paragraphs, each containing only one controlling idea.
You indicate how each section of the paper addresses the research problem.
You have considered counter-arguments or counter-examples where they are relevant.
Arguments, evidence, and their significance have been presented in the conclusion.
Limitations of your research have been explained as evidence of the potential need for further study.
The narrative flows in a clear, accurate, and well-organized way.

Boscoloa, Pietro, Barbara Arféb, and Mara Quarisaa. “Improving the Quality of Students' Academic Writing: An Intervention Study.” Studies in Higher Education 32 (August 2007): 419-438; Academic Writing. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Academic Writing Style. First-Year Seminar Handbook. Mercer University; Bem, Daryl J. Writing the Empirical Journal Article. Cornell University; Candlin, Christopher. Academic Writing Step-By-Step: A Research-based Approach . Bristol, CT: Equinox Publishing Ltd., 2016; College Writing. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Style . College Writing. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Invention: Five Qualities of Good Writing. The Reading/Writing Center. Hunter College; Sword, Helen. Stylish Academic Writing . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012; What Is an Academic Paper? Institute for Writing Rhetoric. Dartmouth College.

Writing Tip

Considering the Passive Voice in Academic Writing

In the English language, we are able to construct sentences in the following way: 1. "The policies of Congress caused the economic crisis." 2. "The economic crisis was caused by the policies of Congress."

The decision about which sentence to use is governed by whether you want to focus on “Congress” and what they did, or on “the economic crisis” and what caused it. This choice in focus is achieved with the use of either the active or the passive voice. When you want your readers to focus on the "doer" of an action, you can make the "doer"' the subject of the sentence and use the active form of the verb. When you want readers to focus on the person, place, or thing affected by the action, or the action itself, you can make the effect or the action the subject of the sentence by using the passive form of the verb.

Often in academic writing, scholars don't want to focus on who is doing an action, but on who is receiving or experiencing the consequences of that action. The passive voice is useful in academic writing because it allows writers to highlight the most important participants or events within sentences by placing them at the beginning of the sentence.

Use the passive voice when:

You want to focus on the person, place, or thing affected by the action, or the action itself;
It is not important who or what did the action;
You want to be impersonal or more formal.

Form the passive voice by:

Turning the object of the active sentence into the subject of the passive sentence.
Changing the verb to a passive form by adding the appropriate form of the verb "to be" and the past participle of the main verb.

NOTE: Consult with your professor about using the passive voice before submitting your research paper. Some strongly discourage its use!

Active and Passive Voice. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Diefenbach, Paul. Future of Digital Media Syllabus. Drexel University; Passive Voice. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina.

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Writing in the Social Sciences

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Once you've gotten comfortable with the basic elements of style and conventions of writing, you'll find that the craft of writing is not a one-size-fits-all pursuit: different disciplines employ different conventions and styles, which you'll need to be familiar with. Learn more about the discipline-specific styles for Creative Writing (including journalism, writing fiction, and creative non-fiction), writing in the Social Sciences (including psychology, gender & sexuality studies, sociology, social work, international relations, and politics), and crafting your essay in the Arts and Humanities (including history, literature, music, and the fine arts).

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Writing in the Social Sciences

Writing in the social sciences is an evidence-based endeavor that expands our knowledge of the world around us and helps policy makers, citizens, etc. make effective decisions about critical issues. Although social scientists are passionate about the work they do, they strive to provide empirical data in an objective manner that is as free from bias as possible. Your mission as a writer in the social sciences is to convey the evidence and knowledge you have acquired in a clear, precise fashion that is objective and well-supported by data and scholarship.

While each discipline (i.e. anthropology, criminal justice, political science, and sociology) will address writing in a slightly different fashion, there are basic tenets to writing in the social sciences that apply across all disciplines. Overall, the key to being an expert writer in the social sciences is being able to write in a clear and precise style in a well-organized fashion that addresses a topic within the scope of your project and employs thorough and logical analysis in order to reach evidence-based conclusions. Remember, just the facts!

Clear and Precise

The clarity and precision of writing in the social sciences is paramount. Clarity refers to a variety of elements of your writing. First and foremost, you want to provide empirical evidence and/or citations for every claim that you make. Writing in the social sciences is not opinion based; you cannot say “Crime is decreasing across America” without providing empirical evidence for this claim, whether it is from a primary or secondary source. Furthermore, you want to be precise with your claims and language. If poverty is rising for women under 30, make sure to include this demographic information in a precise fashion. Additionally, do not use synonyms when they do not have the same meaning—use the specific terminology for the topic.

Writing in the social sciences also relies on paraphrasing more than direct quotations. Whenever possible, paraphrase or summarize your sources. You should only use a direct quotation if the exact words are crucial to your line of reasoning and argument. Remember that paraphrasing does not involve merely shifting words or finding synonyms. You need to take the material and rephrase it in your own words. A helpful tip for doing so is to read the information and then put it out of sight. From there, write about what you engaged with in your own words without looking at the original source text. When you are finished, you can compare the two for accuracy. Remember, too, that a paraphrase needs a citation even though it uses different language than the source. You are drawing upon the work of someone else.

Regarding precision, writing in the social sciences is not creative writing. Avoid flowery, emotional language; cut excess adjectives and adverbs. Platitudes such as “This came to light” or “It is general knowledge that…” should not be used.

Well-Organized

Organization is highly valued within the social sciences. While your organizational structure will vary with the genre of your writing assignment, there are general rules you will want to follow when organizing your writing assignments. The first key is to lay-out your organizational structure in your introduction and then follow that organizational structure within your text. If you mention that you will address a , b , and c , you need to address a , b , and c in that order.

There are some other general patterns to follow. You should have a clear and direct thesis statement in your introduction. Afterward, you need to present your evidence, summarizing and reviewing your research. In the body of your text, avoid moving from one topic to another. Stay with each topic until you have developed it thoroughly and sufficiently. Once your evidence has been addressed, you want to conclude your text with a strong, solid statement—the takeaway for your readers. When dealing with a research assignment, the conclusion often addresses areas for future research, yet the manner in which you approach the conclusion will vary from assignment to assignment.

Within the Scope of the Project

Narrowing a topic so that it is manageable within the scope of the project is essential. If not, the text can either fail to address key issues of the topic (if the topic is too broad) or the text will not have enough depth for the scope of the project (if the topic is too narrow). Due to the extensive scholarship available on most topics, it is usually better to narrow your topic.

One of the best ways to accomplish this is to narrow by geographic region and certain demographics (age, ethnicity, education-level, etc.) or other specific information like type(s) of crime, type(s) of punishment, or program (especially in criminal justice). Another effective method is to narrow toward the focus of the course by reviewing the syllabus and learning outcomes for the course. Using a variety of search terms will allow you to see the sources available on your topic.

Thorough and Logical Analysis

Strong analysis is vital to writing in the social sciences. The core of a strong analysis is in breaking down a topic into its major components and then exploring those components in-depth. Overall, a social scientist conducting an analysis wishes to break a topic into its major components in order to analyze them to form larger conclusions about the whole.

Although the method for analysis can vary according to the particular discipline and project, in general, you will want to start by identifying the issue. From there, you will want to inform the reader about the main facets of the issue and then move into a review of the research. Once you have reviewed the research, you can then form conclusions predicated on the research. Provide your readers with the main takeaways that an analysis of the research offers.

Pro Tips: Constructing a Literature Review

Literature reviews are a common genre in the social sciences. Here are some expert tips for how you can handle a literature review.

Do not approach a literature review as an annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography provides the APA or ASA reference and a short description of the source. A literature review delves more deeply into the sources and places them in conversation with one another. Annotations discuss sources in a separate fashion; literature reviews discuss sources in relation to one another.
Compare and contrast the articles in a literature review. Place them in conversation with one another.
Remain balanced. Focus on demonstrating knowledge about, and a comprehensive understanding of, the topic.
When applicable, use the literature review to identify a research question (or questions) that needs to be answered. The literature review adds to the body of knowledge in the field and serves to establish the need for future research by demonstrating a gap or highlighting critical issues within the topic.

Pro Tips: Finding and Integrating Sources

Finding credible, impactful sources does not need to be challenging. Use these expert tips to help find the best sources and weave them into your research.

Use scholarly sources primarily. Sources outside of academia should only be used as support for the primary sources.
In general, a scholarly source is something that was written by an expert in a field or discipline, undergoes some level of peer or editorial review, and provides citations for all sources used.
Substantive, reputable news sources (e.g. The Atlantic , The Boston Globe , The Washington Post , USA Today , etc.) can be used in the social sciences as well, yet they should not take the place of peer-reviewed sources.
Draw information from websites that end in .gov or .org when possible. However, make sure to investigate the site—.gov and .org sites are not reliable 100% of the time. Some of these organizations exist to promote research for the purpose of selling us a product or service or promoting a political ideology or political agenda.
Do not cite Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia, etc.
Remember to cite, especially when you paraphrase. If the idea is not your own, it needs to be cited even if you placed it in your own words.
Cite every major claim. Do not make a claim without providing evidence for it. Where possible, go to the original source. Try to avoid citing indirect information.
Contact the University Library if you are struggling to find sources—they are here to help!

Helpful Resources

Purdue OWL APA American Political Science Association Website Introduction to Scholarly Sources Advice for Writing a Literature Review Academic Phrase Bank

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Writing in Your Discipline

Writing for Social Sciences

Writing in Your Discipline: Writing for Social Sciences

URL: https://library.park.edu/disciplinewriting
Writing for Business
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Psychology has a lot of different subfields and different kinds of writing tasks or goals. What’s considered “good” writing may change for these subfields and/or kinds of writing, but Psychology usually aims to study behavior as well as the factors/mechanisms/properties that support behavior.” Miami University’s Howe Center for Writing Excellence’s Psychology writing guide explains more about these writing goals, plus how to use the scientific method, build credibility, navigate different subfields, etc. when writing in Psychology.

Because of the differences among subfields, audience, purpose, and context are very important when writing in Psychology. Purdue’s OWL’s Psychology writing guide offers tips for how to approach these elements and also breaks down how to format, use tables, and write lab reports in Psychology.

Writing in Psychology relies on and values evidence. Harvard’s Psychology writing booklet provides valuable tips for reading, writing, and handling evidence in Psychology, including a list of “dos” and “don’ts” and a step-by-step guide for writing in Psychology.

There are a lot of different kinds of writing in Psychology, like reaction papers or research papers. UNC Chapel-Hill’s Psychology writing guide gives tips for writing such papers, plus advice for improving clarity. For example, research studies typically have four distinct sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.

Ideally your writing should be clear and straightforward. A lot of students feel that their style is not sophisticated or "academic" enough, and try to complicate their sentence structure and vocabulary in order to make the writing sound more impressive. Your lecturers and tutors will be far more impressed by your ability to respond to assignment topics in language that is clear, coherent, well-structured and accurate.

Appropriate academic writing style should be formal rather than conversational so avoid slang and contractions (conversational forms like isn't, it's, or would've instead of the "written" forms is not, it is, or would have ).

In Arts and Social Sciences subjects many of your assessments will take the form of essays. They need to:

include appropriate content
be supported by evidence and properly referenced sources
make use of logically ordered paragraphs
have sentences that are grammatically complete and use proper punctuation.

Political Science

Political Science explores relationships among and within governments, societies, and individuals, both domestically and internationally. The UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center’s guide to writing about Political Science adds that “political scientists study such struggles, both small and large, in an effort to develop general principles or theories about the way the world of politics works.”

On the other hand, political theory deals more with “historical and normative” analysis than it does empirical analysis. Basically, while most political science uses the scientific method to analyze politics and assess “how things are,” political theory investigates how these political ideas developed and debates how things “should be.” Political Science values objective reasoning, clear and logically presented arguments, thoughtful consideration of opposing arguments, and thorough evaluation of relevant, empirical evidence for and against your main claim.

Like all scientists, political scientists employ the scientific method to objectively analyze and deduce truths and build theories about the world we live in. Duke University’s Thompson Writing Program’s Political Science writing guide provides a thorough explanation of how this process works, as well as a step-by-step description of the research methodology political scientists generally follow. Writing in Political Science may include argument essays; responses to articles, texts, or events; research papers; and op-eds.

Sociology courses also often give different types of writing assignments, including critical reviews, applying or testing a theory/concept, and research papers. Typically, though, writing in Sociology focuses on three main elements: the thesis, evidence, and unit of analysis. On top of describing each type of writing and its purpose, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Writing Center’s Sociology writing guide breaks the above three elements down accordingly: 1) the thesis must be straightforward and it must not assume its own conclusion; 2) the evidence must be empirical, gathered from qualitative and/or quantitative methods; and 3) the unit of analysis (or perspective) must be clear and consistent.

In particular, the thesis should be debatable and narrow — in other words, the thesis must have a reasonable counterargument and be supported by the evidence analyzed in the paper. There are two types of theses in this field: an analytic thesis (a claim about “what is”) and a normative thesis (a claim about “what should be”). UC Berkeley’s Sociology writing guide explains more about what these theses might look like in a sociology paper. They also define “good writing” as writing that includes a clear thesis, carefully-selected evidence, thorough analysis, and logical organization.

Psychology Links

Miami University’s Howe Center for Writing Excellence’s Psychology writing guide
Purdue’s OWL’s Psychology writing guide
Harvard’s Psychology writing booklet
UNC Chapel-Hill’s Psychology writing guide

Sociology Links

UNC-Chapel Hill’s Writing Center’s Sociology writing guide
UC Berkeley’s Sociology writing guide

Political Science Links

UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center’s guide
Duke University’s Thompson Writing Program’s Political Science writing guide
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Introduction

Welcome to Writing in the Social Sciences!

Author Biographies
Acknowledgments
UNIT 1. WRITING TOOLS
1. Writing in the Social Sciences
2. Writing Tools
3. Writing Processes
4. Grammar & Mechanics
UNIT 2. ACADEMIC AUDIENCES
7. Writing for Academic Audiences
8. Finding & Evaluating Sources
9. Discussing & Citing Sources
10. Defining Literature Reviews
11. Planning Literature Reviews
12. Writing Literature Reviews
13. Crafting Proposals
UNIT 3. GENERAL AUDIENCES
14. Writing for General Audiences
15. Applying for Jobs & Graduate Schools
16. Creating Public Texts
17. Presenting
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Average Reading Time: 9 Minutes

When we decided to create a new textbook about writing in the social sciences, we made one major goal: that it not be boring. (We hope you agree!) So we chose this interactive online venue with cool tech we thought you'd enjoy: videos inside the textbook, lots of images and graphics, embedded quiz and discussion questions, and even live links so you don't have to leave the textbook to go to a web page. Plus, you can read it anywhere: on a computer, tablet, and even your phone!

But more importantly, we tried to talk to you like people. We know a lot of textbooks can sound dry and boring and far away, but we wanted to teach you like you're sitting right there in front of us. So we've added stories and analogies that come from our lives and connect to experiences that you'll relate to. Because, you know, we're people, too. And isn't that why you're going into the social sciences? Because you dig people? So much so that you want to study them?

So to help you reach your goals, we're going to give you a window into the world of good writing. Here's the actual view from my office window as I write this. Can you believe those mountains? We're going to be your guides as we climb the proverbial mountains of good writing to get the skills and knowledge you need to succeed as writers (cue song from The Sound of Music ). We hope you'll do like our motto here at Brigham Young University:

Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve

We promise that if you'll work hard in this course, your efforts will pay off. You'll emerge from this journey stronger and with a broader vision of how you can influence the world as a better writer, a better social scientist, and a better person.

Cristie Cowles Charles, Editor

Check Out the Tech

Here's some of the cool tech you'll encounter in this book.

Embedded Videos

Videos are embedded into the text so you can just click on them without leaving the textbook and watch them there with no ads—yet the creators still get to count your click for their statistics. Here's a cool three-minute video about why these young men from inner-city Chicago choose to write. Try watching it by clicking directly on it.

Note: If you ever want to watch a video outside of the textbook itself, look at the bottom right corner and you'll see a link for Vimeo or YouTube that you can click on. Or the video's URL will also be listed directly under the video.

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Chapter Questions

Throughout the book are questions that ask you to think about what you're reading or try out some writing techniques. Your teacher might assign you to do these for credit, but even if not, they can help you practice what you're learning.

Average Reading Time

End-of-chapter surveys.

How often do you get to tell textbook authors what you think? Now you can. And we can take it—we really want to know what you liked and didn't like or what was confusing or helpful so we can revise it. (Hey, if we talk the talk of seeking feedback, we should walk the walk, right?)

Please be sure to take the surveys at the end of each chapter so we can improve our own writing. It's for posterity!

The Importance Of Social Science And Its Branches

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Psychology research paper topics

Sociology research paper topics, criminology research paper topics, political science research paper topics, philosophy research paper topics, ethics research paper topics, social issues research paper topics, immigration research paper topics, human rights research paper topics, gender studies research paper topics.

Writing a successful and high-quality social sciences research paper requires excellent research, analysis, critical thinking skills, and subject-specific knowledge. If you feel unsure about crafting your academic paper on your own or don’t have enough time, you can always reach out to experts from Writing Metier and get your paper done quickly and qualitatively.

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List of Research Paper Topics on Social Sciences

Considering the fact that there is a wide scale of research fields for social sciences, it may take a lot of work to focus on one topic you want to expand on. For this reason, we prepared a list of interesting and captivating topics for your academic paper that will definitely catch your attention and make you interesting.

Psychology is the science of people’s minds and behavior. With the help of this discipline, we can get a complete understanding of how and why we think, feel, and act under specific circumstances.

Research Question: How effective is cognitive behavioral therapy in treating anxiety disorders?
Overview: Explore the principles of CBT, its techniques, and evidence supporting its efficacy in reducing symptoms of anxiety.
Research Question: How does social media use affect the mental health of adolescents?
Overview: Investigate the correlation between social media usage and mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and self-esteem among teenagers.
Research Question: What role does neuroplasticity play in brain recovery after a stroke?
Overview: Examine the concept of neuroplasticity, mechanisms of brain adaptation, and therapeutic interventions that promote recovery in stroke patients.
Research Question: How does childhood trauma influence adult relationship patterns?
Overview: Study the long-term effects of childhood trauma on attachment styles, interpersonal relationships, and emotional regulation in adulthood.
Research Question: What are the key factors that influence motivation in the workplace?
Overview: Analyze theories of motivation such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and their application in enhancing employee performance and job satisfaction.
Research Question: How does sleep deprivation impact cognitive functions such as memory and decision-making?
Overview: Explore the consequences of inadequate sleep on cognitive processes, brain health, and daily functioning.
Research Question: How do different parenting styles affect a child’s emotional and social development?
Overview: Investigate the characteristics of authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful parenting, and their impact on children’s behavior and well-being.
Research Question: What are the latest advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders?
Overview: Review current diagnostic criteria, therapeutic approaches, and the effectiveness of interventions for individuals with ASD.
Research Question: How do cultural factors influence the perception and treatment of mental health issues?
Overview: Examine the role of cultural beliefs, stigma, and traditional practices in shaping mental health attitudes and access to care.
Research Question: How effective is mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in alleviating stress and anxiety?
Overview: Explore the principles of mindfulness, the structure of MBSR programs, and evidence supporting their benefits for mental health.
Research Question: What psychological factors contribute to the development and maintenance of addictive behaviors?
Overview: Investigate the role of genetics, environment, and cognitive processes in addiction, and examine treatment approaches.
Research Question: How does parental divorce affect the psychological well-being of children?
Overview: Study the short-term and long-term psychological effects of divorce on children, including coping mechanisms and supportive interventions.
Research Question: How does listening to music affect cognitive tasks and performance?
Overview: Examine the effects of different types of music on concentration, memory, and task performance in various settings.
Research Question: What factors contribute to psychological resilience in the face of adversity?
Overview: Analyze the characteristics and coping strategies of resilient individuals, and explore interventions to enhance resilience.
Research Question: How do genetic factors contribute to the development of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder?
Overview: Investigate the genetic predispositions and heritability of mental disorders, and the interaction between genes and environment.
Research Question: What are the psychological benefits of regular meditation practice?
Overview: Explore the impact of meditation on stress reduction, emotional regulation, and overall mental well-being.
Research Question: What are the psychological effects of bullying on victims and perpetrators?
Overview: Study the impact of bullying on mental health, self-esteem, and social relationships, and examine prevention and intervention strategies.
Research Question: How does aging affect memory, and what strategies can improve memory retention in older adults?
Overview: Investigate the cognitive changes associated with aging, and explore techniques and interventions to enhance memory in the elderly.
Research Question: How does diet influence mental health and cognitive function?
Overview: Examine the relationship between nutrition, brain health, and mental well-being, focusing on dietary patterns and specific nutrients.
Research Question: How does social support influence mental health outcomes?
Overview: Analyze the impact of social networks, relationships, and community support on mental health, and explore interventions to strengthen social support systems.

Nowadays, many students experience a high load in the number of various assignments. When it comes to psychology papers, you can always count on Writing Metier. We have a separate team of experienced psychology essay writers who can handle almost any task you share with us, following your instructions and basic writing criteria.

Sociology research involves the study of society, social institutions, and social relations. In short, it explains how individuals interact and build their lives within their social group. In the sociology research paper , students can focus, for example, on family relations, religious beliefs, generational differences, globalization processes, etc.

Research Question: How does social media influence social behavior and relationships?
Overview: Examine the effects of social media on communication, socialization, and identity formation, focusing on both positive and negative impacts.
Research Question: How have gender roles evolved over time, and what challenges remain for achieving gender equality?
Overview: Investigate historical changes in gender roles, current gender inequalities, and efforts to promote gender equity in various social contexts.
Research Question: How do individuals develop and express their racial and ethnic identities?
Overview: Explore the factors that influence racial and ethnic identity formation, including family, community, and societal influences, and the impact on personal and social identity.
Research Question: What are the main factors influencing social mobility, and how do they vary across different societies?
Overview: Analyze the role of education, economic opportunity, and social policies in facilitating or hindering social mobility, and compare patterns across different countries.
Research Question: How does the education system perpetuate or challenge social inequalities?
Overview: Examine the ways in which educational institutions contribute to social stratification, and explore policies and practices aimed at promoting educational equity.
Research Question: How does urbanization impact social structures and community life?
Overview: Investigate the social effects of urbanization, including changes in family dynamics, social networks, and community cohesion, and the challenges of urban living.
Research Question: How have family structures and dynamics changed in modern societies?
Overview: Explore shifts in family forms, such as single-parent households and same-sex families, and their implications for social support and child development.
Research Question: What are the sociological causes of crime, and how do they vary across different social groups?
Overview: Analyze the social factors that contribute to criminal behavior, including poverty, education, and family background, and the impact of social policies on crime rates.
Research Question: How do social inequalities contribute to health disparities?
Overview: Examine the relationship between socioeconomic status, race, gender, and health outcomes, and explore interventions aimed at reducing health disparities.
Research Question: How does religion influence social behavior and societal norms?
Overview: Investigate the role of religion in shaping moral values, social norms, and community cohesion, and the changing role of religion in secular societies.
Research Question: What are the benefits and challenges of promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace?
Overview: Explore the impact of diversity on organizational performance, employee satisfaction, and workplace culture, and strategies for fostering an inclusive environment.
Research Question: How do media representations influence societal perceptions of different social groups?
Overview: Analyze the portrayal of race, gender, and other social categories in media, and its effects on public attitudes, stereotypes, and social policies.
Research Question: What are the social challenges and opportunities associated with an aging population?
Overview: Examine the impact of an aging population on social institutions, healthcare, and family dynamics, and explore policies aimed at supporting older adults.
Research Question: How does globalization affect cultural identity and social cohesion?
Overview: Investigate the ways in which global interconnectedness influences cultural practices, identity formation, and social integration, and the tensions between global and local cultures.
Research Question: What factors contribute to the success or failure of social movements?
Overview: Explore the origins, strategies, and impacts of social movements, such as civil rights, environmental activism, and LGBTQ+ rights, and the conditions that lead to social change.
Research Question: How do immigrants adapt to and integrate into new societies?
Overview: Examine the challenges and experiences of immigrants, including cultural adaptation, social integration, and the impact of immigration policies on integration outcomes.
Research Question: How does technology influence social interaction and community building?
Overview: Investigate the effects of digital communication technologies on face-to-face interactions, social networks, and community engagement.
Research Question: How do social factors influence environmental attitudes and behaviors?
Overview: Explore the relationship between social structures, cultural values, and environmental practices, and the role of social movements in promoting environmental sustainability.
Research Question: How do social factors influence mental health and access to mental health services?
Overview: Analyze the impact of socioeconomic status, race, gender, and social support on mental health outcomes, and the barriers to accessing mental health care.
Research Question: What are the causes and consequences of digital inequality, and how can it be addressed?
Overview: Examine the factors contributing to digital inequality, such as access to technology, digital literacy, and socioeconomic status, and explore strategies for bridging the digital divide.

Probably the most fascinating but, at the same time, ambiguous research field whose components are causes of crime, the behavior of criminals, the effectiveness of various law enforcement and strategies, and the impact of crime on society. Taking real-life cases as the foundations for student research is especially captivating.

Research Question: What are the primary causes of juvenile delinquency, and how can they be addressed?
Overview: Investigate factors such as family environment, peer influence, and socioeconomic status in contributing to juvenile crime, and explore prevention and intervention strategies.
Research Question: How has the rise of cybercrime impacted society, and what measures can be taken to enhance cybersecurity?
Overview: Examine the types of cybercrime, their impact on individuals and organizations, and the effectiveness of current cybersecurity practices and policies.
Research Question: Which approach is more effective in reducing recidivism: rehabilitation or punishment?
Overview: Compare the effectiveness of rehabilitative programs versus punitive measures in reducing re-offense rates among different offender populations.
Research Question: How does drug abuse contribute to criminal behavior, and what interventions are effective in addressing this issue?
Overview: Explore the relationship between substance abuse and crime, focusing on drug-related offenses and the impact of treatment programs on reducing criminal activity.
Research Question: How effective is criminal profiling in solving crimes and apprehending offenders?
Overview: Investigate the methods and techniques used in criminal profiling, their accuracy in predicting offender behavior, and their role in law enforcement investigations.
Research Question: How do socioeconomic factors such as poverty, education, and employment influence crime rates?
Overview: Analyze the correlation between socioeconomic conditions and crime, and discuss policy interventions aimed at addressing these underlying factors.
Research Question: What are the characteristics of white-collar crime, and how can it be effectively prevented and prosecuted?
Overview: Examine the nature of white-collar crimes, including fraud, embezzlement, and insider trading, and discuss legal and regulatory measures to combat these offenses.
Research Question: How effective is community policing in reducing crime and improving community relations?
Overview: Evaluate the principles and practices of community policing, its impact on crime rates, and its role in fostering trust and cooperation between law enforcement and communities.
Research Question: How does gender influence criminal behavior and the criminal justice system’s response?
Overview: Explore the differences in crime patterns between men and women, gender-specific risk factors, and the treatment of male and female offenders in the justice system.
Research Question: What psychological factors contribute to the behavior of serial killers, and how can they be identified and prevented?
Overview: Investigate the psychological profiles of serial killers, including personality traits, childhood experiences, and mental health issues, and discuss methods for early detection and intervention.
Research Question: How has forensic science revolutionized the investigation and prosecution of crimes?
Overview: Examine the advancements in forensic techniques, such as DNA analysis, fingerprinting, and digital forensics, and their impact on solving crimes and securing convictions.
Research Question: What are the most effective strategies for preventing and prosecuting human trafficking?
Overview: Explore the causes and consequences of human trafficking, and evaluate international and national efforts to combat this form of modern slavery.
Research Question: What factors contribute to the formation of youth gangs, and how can gang-related violence be reduced?
Overview: Investigate the social, economic, and cultural factors that lead to gang membership, and assess intervention programs aimed at reducing gang violence.
Research Question: How does the criminal justice system address the needs of offenders with mental health issues?
Overview: Examine the challenges faced by individuals with mental health disorders in the justice system, and explore alternative approaches such as mental health courts and diversion programs.
Research Question: How does media coverage influence public perception of crime and the criminal justice system?
Overview: Analyze the role of media in shaping attitudes toward crime, including the effects of sensationalism and bias, and discuss the implications for public policy and justice.
Research Question: What are the benefits and challenges of implementing restorative justice practices in the criminal justice system?
Overview: Explore the principles of restorative justice, its application in various contexts, and its effectiveness in promoting healing and reducing recidivism.
Research Question: Does the death penalty serve as an effective deterrent to serious crime, and what are the ethical considerations?
Overview: Investigate the arguments for and against the death penalty, focusing on its deterrent effect, ethical implications, and alternatives such as life imprisonment.
Research Question: How has DNA evidence contributed to the exoneration of wrongfully convicted individuals?
Overview: Examine the use of DNA testing in reviewing and overturning wrongful convictions, and discuss the implications for the criminal justice system and wrongful conviction prevention.
Research Question: What legal measures are most effective in protecting victims of domestic violence and holding perpetrators accountable?
Overview: Explore the laws and policies addressing domestic violence, including restraining orders, criminal prosecution, and support services for victims, and evaluate their effectiveness.
Research Question: How do drug policies impact crime rates and public health outcomes?
Overview: Analyze the effects of different drug policies, such as decriminalization and legalization, on crime rates, substance abuse, and public health, and discuss potential reforms.

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Politics defines world order and international relations, so diving into the political processes within the countries helps us understand the causal link concerning crucial historical events and actions of world leaders.

Research Question: How do different electoral systems affect political representation and party dynamics?
Overview: Explore the characteristics of various electoral systems (e.g., proportional representation, first-past-the-post) and their impact on voter behavior, party systems, and policy outcomes.
Research Question: What are the causes and consequences of the rise of populism in democratic societies?
Overview: Investigate the factors driving the rise of populist movements, their impact on democratic institutions, and the implications for political stability and governance.
Research Question: How has social media transformed political campaigning and voter engagement?
Overview: Examine the strategies used by political candidates on social media platforms, the effectiveness of these strategies in mobilizing voters, and the influence on election outcomes.
Research Question: What are the causes of political polarization, and how does it affect governance and policymaking?
Overview: Analyze the factors contributing to increasing political polarization, its impact on legislative gridlock, and potential solutions to mitigate its effects.
Research Question: How do international relations dynamics influence global climate change policies?
Overview: Explore the role of international organizations, treaties, and diplomacy in addressing climate change, and the challenges of achieving global cooperation.
Research Question: How do lobbying activities shape public policy, and what are the ethical implications?
Overview: Investigate the methods and impact of lobbying on policy decisions, the role of interest groups, and the debate over regulation and transparency in lobbying practices.
Research Question: How do welfare state policies differ across countries, and what are their social and economic impacts?
Overview: Compare the welfare policies of different countries, focusing on areas such as healthcare, social security, and unemployment benefits, and their effects on social well-being and economic performance.
Research Question: How effective is international law in protecting human rights?
Overview: Examine the role of international legal frameworks and institutions in promoting and enforcing human rights, and the challenges in addressing violations and ensuring compliance.
Research Question: How does gender influence political participation and representation?
Overview: Explore the barriers to gender equality in politics, the impact of gender quotas and policies promoting women’s political participation, and the outcomes of increased gender diversity in political institutions.
Research Question: What are the political challenges and opportunities in healthcare reform?
Overview: Investigate the factors influencing healthcare policy decisions, the role of political actors and interest groups, and the impact of reform efforts on healthcare access and quality.
Research Question: What strategies are most effective in resolving conflicts and building sustainable peace?
Overview: Examine the role of diplomacy, negotiation, and international interventions in conflict resolution, and assess the effectiveness of peacebuilding initiatives in post-conflict societies.
Research Question: How do economic sanctions affect the behavior of targeted states and international relations?
Overview: Analyze the use of economic sanctions as a tool of foreign policy, their effectiveness in achieving political objectives, and their humanitarian and economic impacts.
Research Question: What factors contribute to the rise of authoritarian regimes, and what are the implications for global democracy?
Overview: Explore the political, economic, and social conditions that facilitate authoritarianism, the methods used by authoritarian leaders to maintain power, and the impact on international relations and human rights.
Research Question: How do federalism and decentralization impact governance and policy implementation?
Overview: Investigate the advantages and challenges of federal and decentralized systems, focusing on the distribution of power, fiscal policies, and regional autonomy.
Research Question: What are the causes and consequences of political corruption, and how can it be addressed?
Overview: Examine the factors leading to political corruption, its impact on governance and public trust, and the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures and reforms.
Research Question: How do political ideologies and policies shape immigration and integration?
Overview: Explore the political debates surrounding immigration, the impact of immigration policies on social cohesion and economic performance, and the challenges of integrating immigrants into host societies.
Research Question: How does media coverage influence public opinion and policy decisions?
Overview: Analyze the role of traditional and new media in shaping political discourse, public perception, and the policy-making process, and the implications for democratic governance.
Research Question: How do international organizations contribute to global governance and address global challenges?
Overview: Examine the functions and effectiveness of international organizations such as the United Nations, World Bank, and World Health Organization in managing global issues and promoting cooperation.
Research Question: What are the causes and consequences of electoral fraud, and how can it be prevented?
Overview: Investigate the methods and impact of electoral fraud on democratic processes, and explore strategies to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections.
Research Question: How does globalization affect national sovereignty and domestic policy-making?
Overview: Analyze the influence of global economic and political integration on state sovereignty, the challenges to maintaining national autonomy, and the balance between global cooperation and domestic interests.

A famous Socrates quote: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” This saying describes the sense of philosophy. This discipline focuses on pondering about questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.

Research Question: What ethical considerations arise from the development and use of artificial intelligence?
Overview: Explore the moral implications of AI in decision-making, privacy, employment, and the potential need for new ethical frameworks.
Research Question: Is human behavior determined by external factors, or do we have free will?
Overview: Investigate the debate between determinism and free will, examining arguments from philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology.
Research Question: How do existentialist philosophers define the meaning of life?
Overview: Analyze existentialist views from philosophers like Sartre, Camus, and Kierkegaard on purpose, freedom, and the human condition.
Research Question: What is consciousness, and how can it be explained?
Overview: Examine theories of consciousness, including dualism, physicalism, and panpsychism, and their implications for understanding the mind.
Research Question: What moral obligations do we have to address climate change?
Overview: Discuss ethical perspectives on climate change, including intergenerational justice, environmental ethics, and the responsibility of individuals and governments.
Research Question: Can machines possess minds and consciousness?
Overview: Explore arguments for and against the possibility of artificial consciousness, and the implications for our understanding of mind and intelligence.
Research Question: Are moral values absolute or relative to cultures and individuals?
Overview: Compare and contrast moral relativism and absolutism, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and implications for ethical decision-making.
Research Question: How can the existence of evil be reconciled with the existence of an omnipotent, omnibenevolent God?
Overview: Investigate the logical and evidential problems of evil, and explore theodicies and responses from different philosophical and theological perspectives.
Research Question: What constitutes a just society?
Overview: Analyze theories of social justice from philosophers like Rawls, Nozick, and Marx, focusing on concepts of fairness, equality, and rights.
Research Question: What are the limits of human knowledge, and how can we know what we know?
Overview: Examine the nature and scope of human knowledge, skepticism, and theories of justification, including foundationalism and coherentism.
Research Question: How do language and meaning relate to reality?
Overview: Explore key theories in the philosophy of language, including the works of Wittgenstein, Saussure, and Chomsky, and their implications for understanding communication and thought.
Research Question: What ethical issues are raised by genetic engineering and biotechnology?
Overview: Investigate the moral implications of genetic modification, cloning, and CRISPR technology, focusing on issues like human enhancement, consent, and the natural order.
Research Question: How does phenomenology contribute to our understanding of human experience?
Overview: Examine the methods and insights of phenomenology as developed by Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty, focusing on the description of lived experience.
Research Question: What is the appropriate role of religion in a secular society?
Overview: Discuss the balance between religious freedom and secular governance, the place of religious arguments in public discourse, and the concept of state neutrality.
Research Question: How can virtue ethics be applied to contemporary moral issues?
Overview: Explore the principles of virtue ethics as proposed by Aristotle and other philosophers, and their application to modern dilemmas like business ethics and environmental responsibility.
Research Question: What is the nature of time, and how do different philosophical theories explain it?
Overview: Investigate various conceptions of time, including presentism, eternalism, and the block universe theory, and their implications for understanding reality and experience.
Research Question: How do digital technologies challenge traditional ethical frameworks?
Overview: Examine the ethical issues arising from digital technology, such as privacy, data security, digital identity, and the ethical use of AI and machine learning.
Research Question: How has feminist philosophy contributed to the understanding of gender and equality?
Overview: Explore key concepts in feminist philosophy, including the critique of patriarchy, the nature of gender, and the pursuit of social justice and equality.
Research Question: What moral considerations should guide our treatment of animals?
Overview: Discuss ethical arguments for and against animal rights, including the works of philosophers like Peter Singer and Tom Regan, and the implications for animal welfare and conservation.
Research Question: What is the nature of art and beauty, and how do we evaluate them?
Overview: Examine philosophical theories of aesthetics, including the works of Kant, Hume, and contemporary philosophers, focusing on the definition and appreciation of art and beauty.

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Ethics is the study of moral principles and values. In short, this discipline’s sense is to define right and wrong. Ethics research can be theoretical and applied, and students are expected to analyze moral principles using various research methods.

Research Question: What role does corporate social responsibility play in modern business ethics?
Overview: Examine the principles of CSR, its impact on corporate behavior, and the ethical implications of CSR initiatives for businesses and stakeholders.
Research Question: What are the ethical considerations in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence?
Overview: Explore issues such as bias in AI algorithms, privacy concerns, and the responsibility of developers to ensure ethical AI practices.
Research Question: What ethical dilemmas arise in making end-of-life decisions for patients?
Overview: Investigate the principles of autonomy, beneficence, and justice in the context of euthanasia, assisted suicide, and palliative care.
Research Question: How should ethical frameworks address data privacy concerns in the digital age?
Overview: Discuss the ethical implications of data collection, consent, and the use of personal information by corporations and governments.
Research Question: What ethical responsibilities do individuals and governments have in addressing climate change?
Overview: Explore concepts such as intergenerational justice, stewardship, and the moral obligations to protect the environment for future generations.
Research Question: What ethical issues arise from genetic engineering and biotechnology?
Overview: Examine the moral implications of genetic modification, cloning, and CRISPR technology, focusing on human enhancement, consent, and natural order.
Research Question: What ethical considerations should guide our treatment of animals?
Overview: Discuss the arguments for and against animal rights, including perspectives from utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics.
Research Question: How can journalists navigate ethical dilemmas in reporting news?
Overview: Analyze issues such as objectivity, bias, privacy, and the public’s right to know, and explore frameworks for ethical journalism.
Research Question: What ethical principles should guide human experimentation in medical research?
Overview: Investigate the history of human experimentation, informed consent, and the balance between scientific advancement and individual rights.
Research Question: What are the ethical implications of deploying autonomous vehicles on public roads?
Overview: Explore issues such as safety, liability, and decision-making algorithms, and the moral responsibilities of manufacturers and regulators.
Research Question: How should ethical principles guide global health initiatives and interventions?
Overview: Examine issues such as equity, resource allocation, and the ethical obligations of high-income countries to address global health disparities.
Research Question: How do ethical considerations influence international diplomacy and conflict resolution?
Overview: Discuss the principles of just war theory, humanitarian intervention, and the ethical challenges in balancing national interests and global justice.
Research Question: What ethical concerns arise from the use of surveillance technologies by governments and corporations?
Overview: Analyze issues related to privacy, security, and the potential for abuse, and explore the balance between safety and individual rights.
Research Question: How can organizations ethically promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace?
Overview: Investigate the ethical principles underlying affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the benefits and challenges of creating an inclusive work environment.
Research Question: What are the ethical considerations in advertising and marketing practices?
Overview: Examine issues such as truth in advertising, targeting vulnerable populations, and the ethical use of consumer data in marketing strategies.
Research Question: What ethical principles should guide organ donation and transplantation practices?
Overview: Explore issues related to consent, allocation of organs, and the ethics of organ markets and incentivized donation.
Research Question: What ethical considerations should guide the exploration and colonization of space?
Overview: Discuss issues such as environmental protection of celestial bodies, the potential for resource exploitation, and the moral obligations to future space-faring societies.
Research Question: How should ethical principles guide the treatment and care of individuals with mental health conditions?
Overview: Analyze issues such as patient autonomy, confidentiality, and the ethics of involuntary treatment and hospitalization.
Research Question: What are the ethical arguments for and against the use of capital punishment ?
Overview: Investigate the moral considerations of retribution, deterrence, and the potential for wrongful convictions in the context of the death penalty .
Research Question: How should ethical frameworks guide the use of big data and AI in medical research and practice?
Overview: Explore issues such as patient consent, data security, and the potential for bias in AI-driven medical decisions and research.

Social issues like economic inequality, access to education, or gender-based violence present a dynamic and diverse research field that aims to understand the causes, consequences, and solutions to existing problems to reach peace and human rights protection within society.

Research Question: How does income inequality affect economic mobility in different societies?
Overview: Investigate the causes and consequences of income inequality, focusing on its impact on social mobility and economic opportunities across various demographics.
Research Question: What are the primary causes of homelessness, and how can affordable housing policies address this issue?
Overview: Explore the social, economic, and policy factors contributing to homelessness and evaluate the effectiveness of affordable housing initiatives in reducing homelessness rates.
Research Question: How does racial discrimination manifest in modern society, and what measures can promote social justice?
Overview: Analyze the various forms of racial discrimination, their impact on marginalized communities, and strategies for promoting equality and social justice.
Research Question: What are the current challenges in achieving gender equality, and how can women’s rights be advanced?
Overview: Examine the persistence of gender inequality in various sectors, including the workplace and education, and discuss policies and movements aimed at advancing women’s rights.
Research Question: How does social media use affect mental health, particularly among adolescents?
Overview: Investigate the relationship between social media usage and mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and self-esteem, and explore potential interventions.
Research Question: What are the most effective strategies for combating substance abuse and supporting rehabilitation?
Overview: Explore the causes of substance abuse, the effectiveness of various treatment programs, and the social and policy implications of substance abuse prevention and rehabilitation efforts.
Research Question: What are the long-term effects of bullying on youth, and how can it be prevented?
Overview: Examine the psychological and social consequences of bullying, and evaluate programs and policies aimed at preventing bullying in schools and communities.
Research Question: How do disparities in healthcare access impact public health outcomes?
Overview: Analyze the factors contributing to healthcare disparities, their effects on different populations, and potential solutions to improve healthcare access and equity.
Research Question: How does climate change disproportionately affect marginalized communities, and what can be done to promote environmental justice?
Overview: Investigate the intersection of climate change and social justice, focusing on how vulnerable populations are impacted and strategies for promoting environmental equity.
Research Question: What are the most effective public policies for reducing gun violence in society?
Overview: Explore the causes and consequences of gun violence, and evaluate the effectiveness of various gun control measures and policy interventions.
Research Question: How does educational inequality affect social mobility, and what reforms can address this issue?
Overview: Examine the impact of disparities in educational resources and opportunities, and discuss potential reforms to promote educational equity and improve outcomes for disadvantaged students.
Research Question: What are the global challenges of child labor, and how can it be effectively addressed?
Overview: Investigate the causes and consequences of child labor, and evaluate international and national efforts to combat child exploitation and promote children’s rights.
Research Question: How does stigma affect mental health treatment and awareness, and what can be done to reduce it?
Overview: Explore the impact of stigma on mental health diagnosis and treatment, and discuss strategies to increase awareness and reduce stigma in society.
Research Question: What progress has been made in advancing LGBTQ+ rights, and what challenges remain?
Overview: Analyze the advancements and setbacks in LGBTQ+ rights, focusing on legal protections, social acceptance, and ongoing discrimination and violence.
Research Question: How do immigration policies affect immigrant families and their integration into society?
Overview: Examine the social, economic, and psychological impacts of immigration policies on families, and discuss policies that support family reunification and integration.
Research Question: What are the causes and consequences of human trafficking, and how can it be effectively combated?
Overview: Investigate the global issue of human trafficking, its impact on victims, and the effectiveness of international and national efforts to prevent and address trafficking.
Research Question: How can societies adapt to the challenges of an aging population?
Overview: Explore the social and economic implications of an aging population, and discuss policies and programs designed to support older adults and promote healthy aging.
Research Question: What are the most effective strategies for prison reform and the rehabilitation of inmates?
Overview: Analyze the challenges and limitations of the current prison system, and evaluate programs and policies aimed at reducing recidivism and promoting rehabilitation.
Research Question: How can income support programs effectively reduce poverty and promote economic stability?
Overview: Investigate the impact of various income support initiatives, such as universal basic income and social welfare programs, on poverty reduction and economic mobility.
Research Question: What are the consequences of the digital divide, and how can technology access be improved?
Overview: Examine the impact of unequal access to technology on education, employment, and social inclusion, and discuss strategies to bridge the digital divide and promote digital literacy.

Immigration is a topic that causes heated discussions in society. The research in this field helps deepen the process’s causes, processes, and consequences.

Research Question: How does immigration affect the economy of host countries?
Overview: Explore the contributions of immigrants to labor markets, innovation, and economic growth, as well as potential challenges such as wage effects and job displacement.
Research Question: What integration policies are most effective in promoting the success of immigrants?
Overview: Examine various integration strategies, such as language education, employment programs, and community engagement, and their impact on immigrant integration and success.
Research Question: How does immigration influence national identity and cultural diversity?
Overview: Investigate the effects of immigration on national identity, cultural diversity, and social cohesion, and discuss the balance between multiculturalism and assimilation.
Research Question: What are the challenges and best practices in refugee resettlement programs?
Overview: Analyze the processes and policies involved in resettling refugees, focusing on housing, employment, education, and social integration.
Research Question: What are the causes and consequences of illegal immigration, and how can border security be effectively managed?
Overview: Explore the factors driving illegal immigration, the impact on host countries, and the effectiveness of various border security measures and policies.
Research Question: How does public opinion on immigration shape immigration policy?
Overview: Examine the relationship between public attitudes toward immigration and the formulation of immigration policies, considering factors such as media influence and political rhetoric.
Research Question: How does immigration affect education systems in host countries?
Overview: Investigate the challenges and opportunities presented by immigrant students in schools, including language barriers, cultural differences, and educational attainment.
Research Question: What role does family reunification play in immigration policy, and what are its impacts?
Overview: Explore the importance of family reunification in immigration policy, its benefits for immigrant families, and the challenges and criticisms of these policies.
Research Question: How does immigration status affect access to healthcare services?
Overview: Analyze the barriers immigrants face in accessing healthcare, the impact on public health, and policies aimed at improving healthcare access for immigrant populations.
Research Question: What are the economic contributions of high-skilled immigrants to host countries?
Overview: Examine the role of high-skilled immigrants in driving innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth, and discuss policies that attract and retain talent.
Research Question: What are the human rights challenges faced by migrants, and how can they be addressed?
Overview: Investigate the human rights issues affecting migrants, including exploitation, discrimination, and access to justice, and explore international and national measures to protect migrant rights.
Research Question: Is there a link between immigration and crime rates in host countries?
Overview: Analyze the relationship between immigration and crime, examining data and studies on crime rates among immigrant populations and the impact of immigration on public safety.
Research Question: How do remittances from immigrants affect the economies of their home countries?
Overview: Explore the economic impact of remittances on poverty reduction, economic development, and social welfare in immigrants’ countries of origin.
Research Question: What are the advantages and disadvantages of temporary versus permanent migration?
Overview: Compare temporary and permanent migration schemes, their impact on immigrants and host countries, and the policy implications of each approach.
Research Question: How does immigration status influence political participation and representation?
Overview: Examine the barriers and opportunities for political engagement among immigrants, including voting rights, political activism, and representation in government.
Research Question: How is climate change influencing migration patterns, and what are the implications for host countries?
Overview: Investigate the impact of environmental changes on migration, the challenges of climate-induced displacement, and policy responses to address environmental migration.
Research Question: How do gender dynamics shape the migration experience?
Overview: Explore the unique challenges faced by migrant women, including labor exploitation, gender-based violence, and access to services, and discuss policies to support gender-sensitive migration.
Research Question: What are the causes and consequences of youth migration, and how can young migrants be supported?
Overview: Examine the factors driving youth migration, the impact on both origin and host countries, and strategies to support the integration and development of young migrants.
Research Question: How do immigrants adapt culturally and maintain their identities in host countries?
Overview: Investigate the processes of cultural adaptation and identity formation among immigrants, focusing on factors such as community support, cultural retention, and intergenerational differences.
Research Question: How does immigration affect welfare systems in host countries?
Overview: Analyze the impact of immigration on social welfare programs, considering both the contributions of immigrants to welfare systems and the challenges of providing services to diverse populations.

Human rights have always been a relevant topic in society, and nowadays, they are geared towards creating world order by promoting equity, respect, and human rights within society.

Research Question: How has the Universal Declaration of Human Rights influenced global human rights practices, and what challenges does it face today?
Overview: Explore the history, impact, and current challenges of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in promoting and protecting human rights worldwide.
Research Question: What are the most common human rights violations in conflict zones, and how can they be prevented?
Overview: Investigate the types of human rights abuses occurring in conflict zones, their causes, and strategies for prevention and accountability.
Research Question: How does gender-based violence violate human rights, and what measures can be taken to combat it?
Overview: Examine the global prevalence of gender-based violence, its impact on victims, and effective legal and social interventions to protect and support survivors.
Research Question: What are the primary challenges in protecting children’s rights globally, and how can they be addressed?
Overview: Analyze the key issues affecting children’s rights, such as child labor, trafficking, and access to education, and discuss international efforts to safeguard these rights.
Research Question: How can the international community better protect the rights of asylum seekers and refugees?
Overview: Investigate the legal frameworks and challenges in providing asylum and protection to refugees, and explore solutions to improve their safety and well-being.
Research Question: How do governments balance the right to freedom of speech with the need to prevent harmful speech?
Overview: Explore the tension between free speech and censorship, examining legal standards, case studies, and the impact on democratic societies.
Research Question: What role do corporations play in upholding human rights, and how can they be held accountable for violations?
Overview: Analyze the responsibilities of businesses in respecting human rights, focusing on issues like labor rights, environmental impact, and corporate accountability mechanisms.
Research Question: How can the rights of indigenous peoples be protected, particularly regarding land and resource rights?
Overview: Examine the challenges faced by indigenous communities in securing their land and resource rights, and discuss legal and policy measures to support their protection.
Research Question: What are the human rights implications of digital privacy issues, and how can they be addressed?
Overview: Investigate the impact of digital surveillance, data collection, and privacy breaches on human rights, and explore regulatory frameworks to protect digital privacy.
Research Question: How have legal and social attitudes toward LGBTQ+ rights evolved, and what challenges remain?
Overview: Explore the progress made in securing LGBTQ+ rights, the ongoing challenges, and strategies for promoting equality and social acceptance.
Research Question: What are the key strategies for combating human trafficking and modern slavery?
Overview: Analyze the causes, methods, and impact of human trafficking, and evaluate international and national efforts to prevent and address these crimes.
Research Question: How does the use of the death penalty intersect with human rights principles?
Overview: Examine the arguments for and against the death penalty, focusing on issues of justice, fairness, and the potential for human rights violations.
Research Question: What barriers prevent universal access to education, and how can they be overcome?
Overview: Investigate the obstacles to accessing education, such as poverty, gender discrimination, and conflict, and discuss initiatives to ensure the right to education for all.
Research Question: How can the right to health be realized, particularly in low-income and marginalized communities?
Overview: Explore the challenges in providing equitable healthcare access, and evaluate policies and programs aimed at improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations.
Research Question: How do different countries protect or restrict freedom of religion and belief, and what are the implications for human rights?
Overview: Analyze the legal frameworks and social contexts that influence religious freedom, and examine cases of religious discrimination and persecution.
Research Question: How does climate change affect human rights, and what can be done to mitigate its impact?
Overview: Investigate the human rights implications of climate change, such as displacement and health risks, and discuss strategies to protect vulnerable populations.
Research Question: How effective is human rights education in promoting awareness and fostering a culture of respect for rights?
Overview: Examine the role of education in raising awareness about human rights, and evaluate programs and curricula designed to teach human rights principles.
Research Question: How does economic inequality impact the realization of human rights, and what measures can reduce this inequality?
Overview: Explore the relationship between economic inequality and human rights, focusing on access to resources, opportunities, and social justice initiatives.
Research Question: What progress has been made in advancing women’s rights, and what challenges persist?
Overview: Analyze the achievements and ongoing struggles in the fight for gender equality, including issues like gender-based violence, political representation, and economic empowerment.
Research Question: What are the human rights implications of artificial intelligence, and how can they be addressed?
Overview: Investigate the potential human rights issues arising from AI technologies, such as bias, privacy concerns, and accountability, and explore regulatory and ethical frameworks to mitigate these risks.

The major objects of this type of research are gender, sexuality, and their influence on people’s experiences and interactions.

Research Question: What are the causes of the gender pay gap, and how can it be addressed?
Overview: Explore the factors contributing to wage disparities between men and women, and evaluate policies and strategies aimed at achieving pay equity.
Research Question: How does the underrepresentation of women in politics impact policy and governance?
Overview: Analyze the barriers to women’s political participation, the effects of gender diversity on political decision-making, and initiatives to increase women’s representation.
Research Question: How does media representation of gender influence societal norms and individual behavior?
Overview: Investigate the portrayal of gender in various media forms, its impact on gender stereotypes, and efforts to promote more balanced and diverse representations.
Research Question: How do individuals navigate and express their gender identity in contemporary society?
Overview: Examine the experiences of people with diverse gender identities, including non-binary and transgender individuals, and the social and legal challenges they face.
Research Question: How do traditional gender roles affect mental health and well-being?
Overview: Explore the psychological impact of adhering to or deviating from traditional gender roles, focusing on issues such as stress, self-esteem, and identity formation.
Research Question: How do gender biases in education affect academic performance and career choices?
Overview: Analyze the presence of gender biases in educational settings, their impact on students’ academic and career trajectories, and interventions to promote gender equity in education.
Research Question: How does intersectionality shape the experiences of individuals with multiple marginalized identities?
Overview: Investigate the concept of intersectionality, focusing on how overlapping identities such as race, class, and gender impact experiences of discrimination and privilege.
Research Question: What are the root causes of gender-based violence, and how can it be effectively prevented?
Overview: Examine the social, cultural, and economic factors contributing to gender-based violence, and evaluate policies and programs aimed at prevention and support for survivors.
Research Question: How do legal and social attitudes toward LGBTQ+ rights influence gender equality?
Overview: Explore the progress and challenges in advancing LGBTQ+ rights, and discuss their impact on broader efforts to achieve gender equality.
Research Question: How do gender differences affect access to healthcare and health outcomes?
Overview: Analyze the disparities in healthcare access and quality based on gender, and discuss strategies to ensure equitable healthcare for all genders.
Research Question: How do societal expectations of masculinity impact men’s behavior and mental health?
Overview: Investigate the cultural norms and pressures associated with masculinity, their effects on men’s mental health and social behavior, and efforts to redefine masculinity.
Research Question: What role has feminism played in driving social change and advancing gender equality?
Overview: Explore the historical and contemporary contributions of feminist movements to social justice, policy reforms, and cultural shifts in gender dynamics.
Research Question: How do gender expectations influence work-life balance and career advancement?
Overview: Examine the impact of gender roles on balancing professional and personal responsibilities, and discuss policies and practices that support work-life balance for all genders.
Research Question: How do concepts of gender and sexuality intersect to shape personal identity?
Overview: Explore the relationship between gender identity and sexual orientation, and the ways in which these aspects of identity are understood and expressed.
Research Question: How do gender dynamics influence participation and leadership in social movements?
Overview: Analyze the involvement of different genders in social and political movements, and the impact of gender on movement goals, strategies, and outcomes.
Research Question: What are the forms and consequences of gender discrimination in the workplace?
Overview: Investigate the types of gender discrimination faced by employees, their effects on career progression and workplace culture, and measures to combat discrimination.
Research Question: How does gender influence the development and use of technology?
Overview: Explore the gender disparities in STEM fields, the impact of technology on gender roles, and initiatives to promote gender diversity in technology.
Research Question: How do gender dynamics shape the migration experience and integration in host countries?
Overview: Examine the unique challenges faced by migrant women and LGBTQ+ individuals, and discuss policies that support their integration and well-being.
Research Question: What barriers exist to achieving gender equality in sports, and how can they be overcome?
Overview: Investigate the disparities in opportunities, funding, and media coverage for male and female athletes, and explore initiatives to promote gender equality in sports.
Research Question: How do gender perspectives contribute to environmental sustainability efforts?
Overview: Analyze the role of women and gender-diverse individuals in environmental activism and policy-making, and the impact of gender-sensitive approaches to sustainability.

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300+ Science research paper topics

This comprehensive article presents over 300 cutting-edge science research paper topics across diverse fields such as genetics, astronomy, neuroscience, and environmental science. Each topic is accompanied by a research question and a brief overview, providing a valuable resource for students and researchers seeking inspiration for their next scientific inquiry. Explore the latest advancements and pressing questions in today's scientific landscape with these well-crafted research ideas.

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In this article, we present 150 research paper topics that cover a wide range of areas, including public health, medical technology, mental health, and more

200+ History Research Paper Topics with Research Questions

In exploring the vast expanse of history, students can explore the complex interplay of events, cultures, and influential figures that have shaped today’s world. From the transformative impact of the Silk Road in fostering unparalleled cultural exchanges to the revolutionary advent of the printing press that ignited the spread of knowledge across Europe, research topics abound. Additionally, the intricate process of decolonization in Africa post-World War II provides a rich tableau for examining the struggles and triumphs of nations in pursuit of self-governance.

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Congratulations to Essay Prize Winner Brontë Slote

Thursday, July 11, 2024 | By jduff

Congratulations to Brontë Slote (BA ’24) on receiving the Faculty of Social Sciences Dean’s Undergraduate Award for Excellent Writing . Her winning paper, “Loss of Dogs, Loss of Life: The Destruction of Inuit Identity and Culture through Colonial Sled Dog Policies,” was nominated by Assistant Professor of Political Science Liam Midzain-Gobin .

Slote’s essay analyzes colonial policies surrounding the treatment of sled dogs in the Canadian Arctic during the mid-1900s. The paper sheds light on how these policies, driven by Eurocentric ideas of private property ownership and assimilation, disrupted Inuit-qimmiit relations, directly contributing to the destruction of Inuit identity and culture.

“I was passionate about this topic because it was an intersection of my interests, drawing from my minor in Political Science while also tying in knowledge gained from my background in Critical Animal Studies and Canadian Studies,” says Slote. “It serves as a powerful example of overlapping oppressions wherein colonialism and speciesism come together to affect both human and non-human members of a shared community.”

Slote feels fortunate that her Political Science courses focused on developing critical thinking and research skills, which she says helped her learn how to craft a well-written argument.

In POLI 4P37, she adds, “I had the opportunity to participate in a peer review activity where I not only improved my writing skills through feedback from my classmates but also gained insights into the peer review process that academic papers undergo before publication.”

Midzain-Gobin says he was thrilled to nominate Slote for the writing award because her essay went “over and above” what is typically seen in undergraduate courses.

“Slote’s essay draws on primary source material from the Qikiqtani Truth Commission and provides a rigorous analysis of Inuit-qimmiit relations and settler colonialism,” he says. “The paper is also wonderfully written. Simultaneously accessible and richly detailed, the clarity of the prose serves to highlight the analytical insight that Slote brings.”

Congratulations to Essay Prize Winner Brontë Slote July 11, 2024
Brock Model UN competes on world stage April 12, 2024
New POLI Professor Danielle McNabb in the News October 30, 2023

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Evaluating Astrology: Science or Pseudoscience?

This essay about astrology examines whether it qualifies as a science by evaluating its principles methodologies and adherence to scientific criteria. Astrology which suggests that celestial bodies influence human behavior lacks empirical evidence and repeatability essential aspects of scientific inquiry. It also falls short on falsifiability as its predictions are often vague and adaptable. The absence of peer-reviewed validation further undermines its scientific status. Despite these shortcomings astrology remains popular due to its cultural significance and psychological appeal fulfilling the human desire for meaning and patterns in life. The essay concludes that while astrology is not a science it continues to serve different needs alongside scientific disciplines.

How it works

Astrology the study of how stars and planets affect our lives has fascinated people for ages. From ancient times to today’s social media astrology has always been a big deal. But whether it’s a science or not is a big debate. To figure that out let’s look at how astrology works and what makes something scientific.

At its heart astrology says that the positions of stars and planets can influence what happens to us. Ancient folks looked at the sky and saw patterns they thought could explain human behavior and destiny.

Astrologers make horoscopes charts that show where these celestial bodies were when you were born. They use these charts to tell you about your personality life events and what might happen in the future.

Now science is different. It’s all about proof you can see do again and maybe prove wrong. Scientists watch try things out and come up with ideas they can test. When it comes to astrology though there’s a problem: not much proof backs up its claims. Many studies have tried to link astrology predictions with real-life outcomes but most found no real connection.

Take the “Mars Effect” study. Back in the 1950s it hinted that where Mars was when you were born could predict if you’d be a sports star. But later tests didn’t keep finding that which made folks doubt the first study’s results. That’s a big deal in science because it shows astrology can’t make the same results happen again and again in a fair test.

Another problem is that astrology’s predictions are often pretty fuzzy. They’re general enough that they could mean a lot of things which makes it hard to really test them out. And when predictions don’t come true astrologers can just say they meant something else which doesn’t help prove or disprove anything.

Plus scientists like to check each other’s work. They put out their ideas for others to read and criticize which helps keep things fair and honest. Astrology doesn’t do that the same way. It has its own books and followers but it’s not reviewed like real science is.

Even with all these doubts astrology stays popular. People like looking for meaning in life and seeing patterns in what happens. Astrology gives them a way to think about their lives and deal with what’s coming. The “Barnum Effect” shows how people hear vague things that sound true for them even if they’re really just general.

Astrology also ties into cultures and traditions making it more than just a belief—it’s part of people’s identities and history. That’s why it’s still around even if scientists aren’t sold on it.

In the end astrology tells a good story and means a lot to many people. But it doesn’t meet science’s rules. It doesn’t have enough proof its ideas aren’t easy to test and it doesn’t get checked out by other scientists. Still astrology’s here to stay because it helps people find meaning and feel connected in a world that’s often hard to figure out. So while science looks for facts astrology offers something different: a way to see the world through stars and stories.

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Evaluating Astrology: Science or Pseudoscience?. (2024, Jul 06). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/evaluating-astrology-science-or-pseudoscience/

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Iowa nonfiction writing program students help judge krause essay prize.

By Charlotte Brookins

The University of Iowa Krause Essay Prize is an annual contest that has been held at the university since 2006, intended to celebrate extraordinary essays and their creators. The most recent winner is John Lee Clark , a DeafBlind essayist and poet from Minnesota, for his essay Against Access.

“I taught the class last year, so I’m very familiar with all of the nominated essays,” says Melissa Febos , bestselling author and professor in the Nonfiction Writing Program.

The class is the semester-long course entitled the Essay Prize, in which students of the Nonfiction Writing Program explore and judge nominated essays, ultimately arriving at one final winner.

“John Lee Clark’s wonderful essay had some excellent competition,” Febos continues, “but was the clear favorite in the end.”

The purpose of the Krause Essay Prize is to recognize and appreciate the work that goes into the creation of an essay, as well as showcase the genre as a form of art.

Although the prize is strictly awarded to essays, there are no specific requirements as to the medium of the essay. They can be presented in the form of the written word, film, radio, performance, or anything else that comes to mind. The Krause Essay Prize aims to stretch the definition of an essay and showcase works that are defined by what it does rather than by what it is supposed to be.

Contestants are nominated by a rotating committee of not more than fifteen writers, with nominators staying anonymous until the winner of the prize is made public. Made possible by the generous donations of the Kyle J. and Sharon Krause Family Foundation, the winning essay is awarded $10,000 and a hand-carved walnut letter box inscribed with the winner’s name and the name of their essay. The winner is also invited to a ceremony held in their honor on the University of Iowa campus.

Corey Campbell, coordinator of the Nonfiction Writing Program, says her favorite part about the contest is the appreciation it shows for essays and their creators.

“I’m drawn to the program’s deep respect for, and interest in, essaying as an art,” she says.

You can watch the full video of the latest Krause Essay Prize ceremony at Iowa. Learn more about the Krause Essay Prize by visiting, krauseessayprize.org .

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AQA A Level Lit Section Harvest Essay

Subject: English

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

11 July 2024

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Modelled response to an AQA A Level English Literature Spec B Paper 2 Section B Social and Political Protest Writing question.

Breaks down the essay planning and composition process, includes indicative topic sentences and A* model paragraph.

Based on Jim Crace’s Harvest.

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COMMENTS

What is a Social Science Essay?
In the light of the above, we can identify four golden rules for effective social scientific essay writing. Rule 1: Answer the question that is asked. Rule 2: Write your answer in your own words. Rule 3: Think about the content of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good social scientific skills.
Writing in the Social Sciences
When writing in the social sciences, however, students must also be familiar with the goals of the discipline as these inform the discipline's writing expectations. According to Ragin (1994), the primary goal of social science research is "identifying order in the complexity of social life" (para. 1). Serving the primary goal are the ...
PDF Essay Writing Guide
School of Social Science Essay Guide . School of Social Science Essay Guide . Planning, Research and Writing . Table of Contents 1. ... • Before you start writing, and as you research, draft an essay plan which concepts or ideas will - go where and in what order. Work out the main ideas or key points you wish to make before
PDF School of Social Science Essay Guide
School of Social Science Essay Guide 9 social sciences, the best we can normally do is to present a persuasive case, based on evidence and reason for a particular explanation. Writing Begin drafting your essay early so that you have plenty of time to review and revise, and do further research if required. As you write, pay attention to:
What Should Be in a Social Science Essay? Fundamentals and Essential
The following is a condensed overview of the most important features of social science essay writing. Its aim is to cut through the noise, and focus on the most essential (and important) elements of essay writing. Read it carefully, and use it as a check-list once you have completed your essay.
Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper
In Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide. Peter Redman. 4th edition. (London: Sage, 2011), pp. 63-70; Reyes, Victoria. Demystifying the Journal Article. Inside Higher Education. Structure and Writing Style. I. Structure and Approach. The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three important questions for the reader:
Good Essay Writing: A Social Sciences Guide
Writing good essays is one of the most challenging aspects of studying in the social sciences. This simple guide provides you with proven approaches and techniques to help turn you into a well-oiled, essay-writing machine. Good Essay Writing demonstrates how to think critically and formulate your argument as well as offering water-tight ...
Four Golden Rules
Four golden rules for writing a social science essay … Rule 1: Answer the question that is asked. Rule 2: Write your answer in your own words. Rule 3: Think about the content of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good social scientific skills. Rule 4: Think about the structure of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good writing skills and observing any word limit.
Good Essay Writing : A Social Sciences Guide
SAGE, Feb 22, 2017 - Social Science - 200 pages. Writing good essays is one of the most challenging aspects of studying in the social sciences. This simple guide provides you with proven approaches and techniques to help turn you into a well-oiled, essay writing machine. Good Essay Writing demonstrates how to think critically and formulate your ...
A Short Handbook for writing essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Reviewed by Anthony Accardi Jr, Adjunct Professor, Middlesex Community College on 5/30/21 Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less. In the text "A Short Handbook for Writing Essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences" by Salvatore and Dan Allosso the authors present a simple, easy to follow guide for students to use when organizing, planning, researching, and writing an essay.
What is a Social Science Essay?
In the light of the above, we can identify four golden rules for effective social scientific essay writing. Rule 1: Answer the question that is asked. Rule 2: Write your answer in your own words. Rule 3: Think about the content of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good social scientific skills.
Academic Writing Style
In addition to understanding the use of specialized language, there are other aspects of academic writing in the social sciences that you should be aware of. These problems include: Personal nouns. Excessive use of personal nouns [e.g., I, me, you, us] may lead the reader to believe the study was overly subjective. These words can be ...
PDF Writing a Social Science Essay
Writing a social science essay: do's and don'ts Prof. Daniel Faas 7 Different types of social science essays 1. Advocacy questions: outline or explain and illustrate a single issue, topic or argument; 'makea case'for a particular idea, build a 'case'in a logical and convincing manner. 2.
Writing in the Social Sciences
These OWL resources will help you write in some of the social sciences, such as social work and psychology. In this section. Social Work Literature Review Guidelines This handout provides an overview of how to write literature reviews in the field of social work. It provides a list of suggestions and examples.
Writing in the Social Sciences & Humanities
Learn more about the discipline-specific styles for Creative Writing (including journalism, writing fiction, and creative non-fiction), writing in the Social Sciences (including psychology, gender & sexuality studies, sociology, social work, international relations, and politics), and crafting your essay in the Arts and Humanities (including ...
PDF A Student'S Guide to Writing Social Science Essays
Give the reasons, interpret and to make plain. Illustrate: Use a figure, diagram, example or even a description to explain or clarify, thus. giving a visual impression. Justify: Support a conclusion or hypothesis by making reference to available. evidence/resources and providing a reasoned argument.
PDF Writing a Formal Research Paper in the Social Sciences
Provided by the Academic Center for Excellence 1 Writing a Formal Research Paper Reviewed Fall 2014. Writing a Formal Research Paper in the Social Sciences. This handout provides guidelines for writing a formal research paper in the social sciences. Although it is a type of research paper, the process is not the same as writing a research paper ...
PDF What is a Social Science Essay?
Rule 1: Rule 2: Rule 3: Rule 4: Answer the question that is asked. Write your answer in your own words. Think about the content of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good social scientific skills. Think about the structure of your essay, being sure to demonstrate good writing skills, and observing any word limit. @.
Writing in the Social Sciences
Writing in the Social Sciences. Writing in the social sciences is an evidence-based endeavor that expands our knowledge of the world around us and helps policy makers, citizens, etc. make effective decisions about critical issues. Although social scientists are passionate about the work they do, they strive to provide empirical data in an ...
Writing in Your Discipline: Writing for Social Sciences
Writing for Social Sciences. Ideally your writing should be clear and straightforward. A lot of students feel that their style is not sophisticated or "academic" enough, and try to complicate their sentence structure and vocabulary in order to make the writing sound more impressive. ... Writing in Political Science may include argument essays ...
Welcome to Writing in the Social Sciences!
In Chapter 1: Writing in the Social Sciences, we'll talk about how writers in the social sciences are part of a discourse community whose style, forms, and vocabulary you'll need to learn. Chapter 2: Writing Tools deals with the rhetorical strategies you learned in your first-year writing class and how we'll build on those strategies in this course. ...
Good Essay Writing : A Social Sciences Guide
Writing good essays is one of the most challenging aspects of studying in the social sciences. This simple guide provides you with proven approaches and techniques to help turn you into a well-oiled, essay writing machine. Good Essay Writing demonstrates how to think critically and formulate your argument as well as offering water-tight structuring tips, referencing advice, and a word on those ...
The Importance Of Social Science And Its Branches
Social science is a study of society and how the people behave in a certain way and how they influence the world. The study of social sciences equips individuals with tools to improve understanding of the issues related to people and society and to explore solutions to our problems. It helps in the evolution and approaches toward problem ...
200 Social Sciences Research Paper Topics
Writing a successful and high-quality social sciences research paper requires excellent research, analysis, critical thinking skills, and subject-specific knowledge. If you feel unsure about crafting your academic paper on your own or don't have enough time, you can always reach out to experts from Writing Metier and get your paper done ...
Congratulations to Essay Prize Winner Brontë Slote
Congratulations to Brontë Slote (BA '24) on receiving the Faculty of Social Sciences Dean's Undergraduate Award for Excellent Writing.Her winning paper, "Loss of Dogs, Loss of Life: The Destruction of Inuit Identity and Culture through Colonial Sled Dog Policies," was nominated by Assistant Professor of Political Science Liam Midzain-Gobin.
Evaluating Astrology: Science or Pseudoscience?
Essay Example: Astrology the study of how stars and planets affect our lives has fascinated people for ages. From ancient times to today's social media astrology has always been a big deal. But whether it's a science or not is a big debate. To figure that out let's look at how astrology works
Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program students help judge Krause Essay Prize
The class is the semester-long course entitled the Essay Prize, in which students of the Nonfiction Writing Program explore and judge nominated essays, ultimately arriving at one final winner. "John Lee Clark's wonderful essay had some excellent competition," Febos continues, "but was the clear favorite in the end."
AQA A Level Lit Section Harvest Essay
Modelled response to an AQA A Level English Literature Spec B Paper 2 Section B Social and Political Protest Writing question. Breaks down the essay planning and composition process, includes indicative topic sentences and A* model paragraph. Based on Jim Crace's Harvest.