1. The Research Topic: Asking Good Questions
8 February, 2008

2. Announcements
Course Syllabus
Readings and WebCT
Advisors

3. How do we know what we know?
Common sense
Rely on others for experience and expertise
Do your own research

4. How? Myth, superstition, hunches, etc. Science as a way of knowing
It offers a strategy that researchers can use when approaching a question
Science is really a matter of figuring out relationships between things we know something about

5. Causal Inference Questions of causality are raised everywhere
For example, thousands of people in NY are seeking compensation and treatment for dust exposure from 9/11. Can a causal link be established between dust and disease?
Similarly, there are many questions about causality in Politics. Does negative advertising discourage voter turnout? Can economic sanctions encourage North Korea to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons? Has the Invasion of Iraq made the world safer?

6. Terminology
Dependent variable—what you would like to explain. Also referred to as the “outcome variable”
Independent variable—Also referred to as “explanatory variable”, “treatment” or “control”

7. Requirements
Establish a relationship between two or more variables. “Covariation”
Reveal whether one phenomenon precedes another in time. That the cause preceded the effect. X must come before Y
Eliminate as many alternative or “rival” explanations for a phenomenon as possible

8. Spurious Relationships
We may observe a relationship that is a coincidence
Arises because two things are both affected by a third factor and thus appear to be related
For example, one might observe that there is a relationship between the presence of storks and birth rates and then infer that storks are responsible for high birth rates.
The fact that storks and higher birth rates are found in rural areas is an indicator of a spurious relationship

9. Research Design
In social science, causality is very difficult if not impossible to establish
The reason is that it is very difficult to rule out rival hypotheses.
A good research design will work to that end.

10. Things to keep in mind
Begin with a research question about a causal mechanism that is grounded in theory
Be explicit about your approach
Be aware of rival explanations (or hypotheses)
Make observations
Draw conclusions and be careful when making causal inferences

11. Selecting a Dissertation Topic
It’s crucial to start with the right topic or question
Don’t be too broad - e.g. ‘Turkish Accession to the European Union’
But start with a reasonably broad topic that you are interested in - read and research this area with a view of deciding upon a specific question / problematic

12. Envisaging your dissertation
What is your dissertation about?
What contribution do you aim to achieve?
empirical
theoretical
methodological
philosophical
What will be new or original about your work?
What will your personal contribution be?
THINK ABOUT THESE ISSUES BEFORE BECOMING ‘LOCKED INTO’ YOUR RESEARCH

13. Choosing the Research Topic
What is the question?
How does it relate to theory?
What is the causal relationship?
How is one able to drawing inferences concerning causal relations? How can we know whether X causes Y?

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