Political science is a promising degree full of challenges and exciting classes. Those graduating in political science can work in various branches, from actual politics to speechwriters, journalists, and counselors. But to become an in-demand professional, you must first handle your studies. And this is where the first substantial challenge comes into place.
Dealing with political science homework is like doing chores; you don’t want to do it, but it’s necessary. And although most of the tasks are small and doable, there are assignments you sporadically need to put plenty of effort into completing. One of such tasks is essays. Of course, a one or two-page paper doesn’t look troublesome. But what about a ten-page report? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered! Below, we’ve put together simple and practical tips to help you compose an excellent political science essay.
Prepare for the long run
Easy doesn’t mean quick. Ten pages still require time to be completed, so ensure to reserve enough time for the writing session. That also includes editing and proofreading, not to mention researching sources. Nonetheless, try to have at least two hours a day for writing. This way, you will manage to complete the task within a few days.
Retrieve and consult notes
Source: the-learning-agency.com
Political science focuses on making students think analytically and critically; that’s why most classes include discussions among students and teachers. It often results in students taking plenty of notes during classes that help interpret different ideas and concepts. If you are among such note-takers, it’s time for your notes to stand out. Go through your notebook and look if anything can come in handy. If you find a quote from your teacher referring to a scholar, write it down, you may use it in your work. Don’t get discouraged if you find no relevant info in your notes. That’s also OK. It’s a sign you will need to bank on research and spend more time on it.
Determine the structure an essay must revolve around
A political science essay must be well-organized and accurate, especially one with ten pages. It must comprise a set of essential paragraphs to describe an issue and solution. A typical extended essay has:
- Abstract
- Intro
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgments
- References
If it’s tough for you to visualize what a paper, including all the mentioned sections, looks like, this website, a professional essay writing service, has a list of original samples that will help you better understand how to adjust your work to the structure.
Remember to double-check your instructions and find info about the paper’s structure. It’s critically important because every teacher reserves the right to modify the structure and can ask students to include additional sections to the paper.
Think of solutions to the problem
Source: psychologicalscience.org
Now that you know the problem and how your essay should look, it’s time to move to a more mind-boggling activity. Generating thoughts is a demanding process aimed at developing relevant and unique arguments. Whether you are asked to analyze, assess, compare, or refute a specific idea, you need to brainstorm concepts and find the best one to include in the paper.
Brainstorming isn’t as complicated as many students portray it. You just need to approach this procedure effectively and creatively. To help you with that, try using special techniques that allow you to put ideas on paper and decide on the most thought-provoking one. For example, you are highly encouraged to map out the ideas that pop up in your mind. Mind-mapping will help you display thoughts and weigh up their pros and cons. Use clustering along with elimination if you opt for a less inventive but equally effective approach. That’ll do it and help you test your claim, leaving no space for your teacher to lower your grade.
Research the venue and gather the necessary sources
As said earlier, research is vital and must be carried out in full. Also, remember that by researching, you don’t look for sources to include in your report only but also to improve your expertise and competence. It has a long-term advantage on your paper, as the more you know about the topic, the more coherent you will make it. Plus, your knowledge will help you enhance your stance when discussing your work.
The number of sources is another critical aspect to keep in mind when doing research. Again, while one academic source per page is a good rule of thumb, your teacher decides how many resources you can refer to when writing an essay. So don’t forget to check the requirements.
Create an outline and follow it
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Crafting an outline has numerous benefits. Other than accelerating your writing session, a layout will help you stick to the course and include the necessary info only. And the best thing about this item is that it doesn’t require any structure; you can make it like a bulleted list or a summary of every paragraph. However, ensure it meets the requirements if your educator asks you to attach the outline with the essay.
Best practices
There is nothing left apart from drafting the piece and editing it. However, we believe the following recommendations will help you compose the paper much faster:
- Keep it readable and simple: Writing long sentences and using overly complicated words will do you no good. Stick to simple structures and phrases.
- Avoid jargon: It’s always best to omit colloquial expressions to boost the work’s professional tone.
- Use active voice: A passive voice takes up lots of space and is hard to read. Plus, it often blurs emphasis on the agent of an action. Use an active voice instead.
- Don’t diversify terms: Don’t fall into the trap of replacing irreplaceable terms with synonyms. Terms must be static, even if they appear numerous times in the paper.
- Omit long quotations: While inserting one or two long citations within a ten-page paper is fine, don’t go overboard. Otherwise, it will question your proficiency.
- Find the momentum paragraph-size-wise: The size of paragraphs will depend on your flow; if you can take a stance and back it up with five sentences, go for it. Importantly, don’t break the momentum by beginning a new section. It will make your piece look incomplete.
