Empirical Research and Writing
A Political Science Student’s Practical Guide
First Edition
November 2014 | 320 pages | CQ Press
Students can easily misstep when they first begin to do research. Leanne C. Powner’s new title Empirical Research and Writing: A Student's Practical Guide provides valuable advice and guidance on conducting and writing about empirical research. Chapter by chapter, students are guided through the key steps in the research process. Written in a lively and engaging manner and with a dose of humor, this practical text shows students exactly how to choose a research topic, conduct a literature review, make research design decisions, collect and analyze data, and then write up and present the results. The book's approachable style and just-in-time information delivery make it a text students will want to read, and its wide-ranging and surprisingly sophisticated coverage will make it an important resource for their later coursework.
Part I: The Preliminaries
Chapter 1: From Research Topic to Research Question
Chapter 2: From Research Question to Theory to Hypothesis
Part II: The Practicalities
Chapter 3: Doing Pre-Research
Chapter 4: Choosing a Design that Fits Your Question
Chapter 5: Case Selection and Study Design for Qualitative Research
Chapter 6: Qualitative Data Collection and Management
Chapter 7: Quantitative Data Collection and Management
Chapter 8: Preparing Quantitative Data for Analysis
Chapter 9: Writing up Your Research
Part III: Post-paper Processes
Chapter 10: Practicing Peer Review
Chapter 11: Posters, Presentations, and Publishing
Supplements
Instructor Resource Site
Password-protected INSTRUCTOR RESOURCES you’ll actually use!
Save time and ease class preparation with the additional guidance and tools, including:
Save time and ease class preparation with the additional guidance and tools, including:
- Graphics from the text
- Classroom activities
- Instructor's Manual
Student Study Site
Open-access STUDENT RESOURCES put knowledge to the test, featuring:
- Mobile-friendly eFlashcards strengthen understanding of key terms and concepts
- Chapter Summaries
- Over 40 additional sections, essays, and examples to expand on book material
- Research paper template
- Extensive collection of linked and annotated data site links to facilitate student research
Clear and rich in hands-on learning tools!
International Studies, University of Trento
July 7, 2021
This is an excellent introduction for students starting a PhD
Department of Peace Studies, Bradford University
January 26, 2016
The students preferred this over Johnson et al, we will keep it on the syllabus for next year.
Dept of Peace & Conflict Research, Uppsala University
July 6, 2015
A well written and thoughtful piece for thesis preparation. I will use chapters of the book to advice my students to write empirical papers.
BITS Berlin, Business and Information Technology School
June 16, 2015