1. Communication in International Relations Week 3, Doing research and writing thesis in Political Science

2. CHOOSING A TOPIC: Choose a general topic of interest, and conduct preliminary research. Once you have conducted preliminary research, start asking open ended ‘How?’ ‘What?’ and ‘Why?’ questions. Do not chase popular questions simply because they are currently in the news. Soon they might disappear.

3. RESEARCH QUESTION: Your research question must end with a question mark. It should be clear and focused. Usually a question attempts to identify causes, reasons, and motives for action. A good research question is not too broad. For example – ‘Why do states go to war’ is too big to answer for you. It also must be not too narrow. ‘What treaty created the League of Nations’ is too small question to be relevant.

4. RESEARCH QUESTION: Why do states go to war
RESEARCH QUESTION: Why do states go to war?  Why do democracies go to war? -----  Why did the UK support war in Iraq and Germany not? Very interesting questions are often times hard to answer. Think twice if you can really answer: ‘What is the connection between world peace and music?’ What is the future of migration in Africa?

5. RESEARCH QUESTION: Do not tackle obvious questions
RESEARCH QUESTION: Do not tackle obvious questions. For example, why France and Germany does not go to war now? Look for differences between actors, differences over time. The best political science questions are ‘puzzles’.

6. RESEARCH QUESTION: Think about defining key concepts in your research question. Broad terms such as democracy or terrorism have various definitions. Keep in mind that in Political Science almost nothing is black or white. Make use of phrases: To what extent, if at all. How, if at all.

7. Types of Research questions: Explanatory: Why did Obama win the Presidency in 2008? Why is Ghana a successful democracy? Policy oriented: What should be the United States’ Middle East policy? Should the United States support the creation of a World Environmental Organization? Political Theory: Should citizens and non-citizens have the same rights in Australia? Should there be a death penalty in Texas? Topics: Corruption in former Soviet Union States The Effectiveness of US Foreign Policy in the Middle East Gender Equality in Saudi Arabia Turkey and the European Union The role and importance of International Criminal Court NATO in the 21st Century

8. WRITING THESIS Your conclusions should be a product of research
WRITING THESIS Your conclusions should be a product of research. Not preconceived perceptions. Any researcher who doesn’t test an argument against viable alternatives isn’t really interested in whether he’s right or not — he just wants to back up his instincts.