Assem Dandashly

Department of Political Science

Maastricht University

7 September 2018
 Outline
— What will we cover today?
— Formalities/Administrative Issues
— The research project
— Basic steps of the thesis
— Common Mistakes to avoid
 Formalities
— Period I
— Period II
— Period III, IV and V
— May Workshop
— Participation is Mandatory
— Thesis submission
— Thesis Topic should fit with your Specialization!
— Think about choosing a topic that falls within the
expertise of the potential supervisors…
 Why do we conduct a research?
— Examination
— Usually not satisfactory for a thesis project
— Description
— This can be the objective if considerable new facts or
causal relations are recognized
— Usually need to at least speculate on explanation
— Explanation and prediction
— Usually, it is the purpose of most social sciences research
 The Most Difficult Step:
Getting Started on the project
— Name a theme or area of concern
— Main transition is from topic to solid question(s)
— What is your puzzle?
— Set your question as clear and coherent as possible.
— Clearly define the purpose of the research
— Identify the importance and relevance of your research
— Once you have a solid question, then you can develop
some Hypotheses /Arguments regarding the answer
Writing a Proposal:
Developing a Focused Project
Proposal Writing and Anxiety:
Proposal-specific Advice
— Understand that the proposal will be negotiated-
-be prepared to revise!
— Think of the proposal as an introduction to your
thesis or dissertation.
— Remember that the proposal is not a binding
contract.
— Remember that your proposal is not meant to
limit ideas, but to help you think practically.
— Ask colleagues to form a writing group.
— Talk to your supervisor!
Parts of a Proposal
— Title — Methodology
— Abstract — Significance/
— Introduction/Background Implications
— Problem Statement — Overview of Sections
— Purpose/Aims/Rationale/Re — Plan of Work
search Questions — Bibliography
— Review of Literature
— Analytical Framework
Tips on Titles, from “Piled Higher and Deeper”
 Research Cycle
Problem

Findings Objectives

Research
Interpret
Data Strategy

Collect Literature
Data Review
Research
Design
 A Generic Structure for your thesis
Introduction/Theme What am I doing? And why am I doing this?

Aims and Purposes What do/did I hope to find out?

Literature Review What is known? What is unknown?

Theoretical/Analytical How am I going to analyse? Basis for Analysis?

framework

Case Selection/Methodology Rationale Behind selecting the cases.

How is/was it found out?

Analysis and Discussion What does it mean?

Results What did I find?

Conclusion What is the significance? What applications?

Limitations? Reliability? Where to next?
 Research Steps
— What do we want to know? Why?
— Contextual background
— Research Problem/Puzzle/Argument
— Literature Review
— Previous Studies
— Shortcomings and deficiencies
— Theoretical/Analytical Framework
— Significance and Aim of the Study
— How do we get to know what we want to know?
— Research design & Case Selection
— Methodology
— Analysis
— Limitations
 The Roadmap to your project:
1- Introduction
— What takes you to this research area?
— Is it personal interest? Or is it your reading of the literature,
which makes you feel there are unanswered questions?
— Get your research question right.
— This is the foundation stone for the whole project!
— Activity 1: Topics You Enjoy
— Think of three topics
— …………………………………………………….
— …………………………………………………….
— …………………………………………………….
— Why did you enjoy these areas? Is there something you can
explore in more detail? Is there an overarching theme you
could consider?
 The Roadmap to your project:
2- Project Management
— Make a rough plan of how you want to proceed.
— Managing the project.
— Managing your time.
— Create a broad plan of how you want to proceed:
— What could you do to stop these things
distracting you?
— For example, if you know you will be distracted by
your friends out having fun without you, perhaps you
could schedule time for catching up (such as over the
weekend and one other night) and then avoid going
out the rest of the nights mid-week.
 The Roadmap to your project:
3- Think about your Question
— What have other people done about this or similar questions? –
The literature review
— Finding out the how – the easy way: Google J
— Keeping records of your search
— Writing a coherent story…not a list
— Drawing a storyboard
— To help you in this, try the following:
— List what the literature agrees on:
— It agrees on …
— It agrees on …
— It agrees on …
— Find two areas of disagreement in the literature:
— …............................................
— ….….….….….….….….….….….…
— Outline two areas the literature has NOT addressed:
— ...............................................
— ….….….….….….….….….….….…
 The Roadmap to your project:
3- Think about your Question
Draw up a search
strategy with
keywords,
authors

Revise your
research
question

Refine and Do your Find

search again search resources
 The Roadmap to your project:
4- Ask an even better Question
— In light of your search in stage 2, how does your
question from stage 1 look now?
— Have you in fact found out that many other people have
already done what you were going to do?
— Is the question more complicated than what you
thought?
— Refine your question, making sure it is not too broad,
not too difficult…
— Will you be able to get hold of the information you
need?
 The Roadmap to your project:
5/6/7/8 How will you answer the question?
— How are you going to answer your question?
— Research Design
— Methodology
— How will you collect the data?
— How will you analyze the data?

words
Numbers
 The Roadmap to your project:
9- Completing your analysis and drawing conclusions (Gary Thomas, 2017)
Rough word count for the thesis (per
section) (Gary Thomas, 2017)
 Introduction/Background
— Establish the general territory (real world or
research).
— Describe the broad foundations of your study—
provide sufficient background for readers.
— Empirical
— Theoretical
— Indicate the general scope of your project.
— Indicate the aim/purpose of the thesis
— Provide an overview of the sections that will
appear in your thesis.
— Engage the readers.
Introduction/Background
— Statement of the Problem
— Answer the question: “What is the gap that needs to be
filled?” and/or “What is the problem that needs to be
solved?”
— State the problem clearly early in a paragraph.

— Limit the variables you address in stating your problem or

question.
— Consider framing the problem as a question.
— Avoid Yes/No questions
Introduction/Background
— Purpose/Aims/Rationale/Research Questions
— Explain the goals and research objectives of the study.
— Provide a rationale for the particular subjects of the study.
— Show the original contributions of your study.
— Include a rationale for the study.
— Be clear about what your study will/will not address.
— Describe the research questions and main argument (s)/or
hypotheses of the study explicitly
— Include a subsection defining important terms.
— State limitations of the research.
 Example: Problem Statement

Reports on the state of freshwater reserves warn that severe local

shortages are imminent, and predict that violent conflicts will emerge in
water-scarce regions (Ohlson 1995, Elhance 1999). Water scarcity has
been shown to cause civil conflict, particularly when accompanied by
high population density, poverty, and income inequality (Homer-Dixon
1994, 1996; Hauge and Ellingsen, 1998). Urban migrant communities,
where ethnic, religious, and class differences can exacerbate tensions, and
community-wide patterns of adaptation to environmental scarcities are
not well-formed, may be particularly vulnerable to water conflicts
(Moench 2002). To better understand how conflicts develop in water-
scarce regions, research is needed on the social and economic factors that
mediate cooperation and conflict (Ronnfeldt 1997). I propose to do an
in-depth study of Villa Israel, a barrio of Cochabamba, Brazil, where
conflict over water is an established part of life.
Purpose/Aims/Rationale/
Research Questions: Example

My objectives are twofold. First, I intend to examine the effects

of historic shifts in climate on the interactions of the carbon and
water cycles as simulated by the constituent models of VEMAP
Phase 2. . . . Second, I will investigate how alterations to future
climate, as simulated through the end of the 21st century, are
predicted to impact those same cycles and interactions. The
linkages between the carbon and water cycles at the regional
scale have only recently been the subjects of research; hence,
much work remains to improve our understanding of the
feedbacks between coupled processes. . . . Questions I plan to
investigate include: How does the water balance of a region,
including surface runoff, change as a result of climate alterations
...?
 Literature Review
Once you have your puzzle, you need to review the literature on the
topic. Writing the literature review allows you to understand:
— How other scholars have written about
your topic.
— The range of theories used to analyze
materials or data
— How other scholars connect their
specific research topics to larger issues,
questions, or practices within the field.
— The best methodologies and research
techniques for your particular topic.
Review of Literature: Rhetorical Functions
— Situates the current study within a wider disciplinary
conversation.
— Illustrates the uniqueness, importance of and need for
your particular project.
— Justifies methodological choices.
— Demonstrates familiarity with the topic and
appropriate approaches to studying it.
 Theoretical Basis
— Once you have your puzzle and reviewed the literature
on the topic, what theoretical framework you are going
to use?
— Induction or deduction?
 Keep in mind the Unit of Analysis
Ranges between electrons and galaxies…

—Typical units of analysis in the social sciences:

— Speech/poem/painting…
— Individuals (Leaders, decision makers, etc.)
— Groups (Unions, parties, epistemic Communities, etc.)
— Institutions
— Systems/polities
— Cross-national coalitions
 Research methods
Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research
 Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research
— Qualitative and quantitative studies are both types of
observational studies.

— Quantitative research measures dependencies between

variables, typically employs information on a large
number of cases (Large “N”).

— Qualitative research measures differences in kind for

variables, and usually studies a small number of cases
(Small “N”).
 Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research
— Because it covers a broad range of cases, quantitative
research yields conclusions that can be generalized
(it has the strongest external validity).

— Because it looks closely at a few cases and traces

causal pathways, qualitative research outperforms
quantitative research in its measurement validity,
thoroughness and internal validity.
 Research Methods
Quantitative Qualitative
— Experiment — In-depth interviews
— Public opinion survey — Observations
— Content analysis — Focus groups
— Comparative study — Case study*
with large number of — Archival research
cases — Comparative study with
small number of cases

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 Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research
— When selecting cases for your quantitative research
sample, it is imperative that you use random selection.

— In qualitative research, “selection must be done in an

intentional fashion, consistent with research objectives
and strategy.” (King, Keohane, and Verba, 1994, p.139)
 Choose a Method of Research
— Experiments
— Aggregated data analysis/Surveys and Polls
— Content analysis
— Discourse Analysis
— Case Studies
— Field Research
— Archival Research
— Focus groups
— Observations
— In-depth interviews
Use Multiple Methods Whenever Possible
 Data Analysis
— Make analysis techniques transparent
— To the greatest extent possible, make the analyses
easily replicable.
— Think about presenting results in the most meaningful
way possible.
— Clear and meaningful results are more persuasive and
more widely read.
 Connect Analyses Back to Puzzle
— Always draw readers back from analyses to their
implications for your original
puzzle/argumentation/RQ
— What does it all mean?
— Try to get back to those one or two core sentences that
you raised and wanted to prove early in the thesis.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
— Having a topic that is too big
— Failure to provide sufficient context to the reader
— Not being clear about your thesis topic
— Not being able to express your thesis aim as a question
— Not having a bit of a puzzle to solve
— Not being able to deliver what you promised
— Not being able to focus each section on a single
purpose
— Describing your research methods without explaining
how they help to answer the main and subsidiary
questions in your thesis.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
— Ignoring the ‘need-to-know’ principle.
— a key principle to use in determining how much detail or
information to include in your text.
— Ask: ‘What do readers need to know in order to follow and
appreciate my argument?’
— Literature reviews that are summaries, with little
comment, evaluation or attempt at synthesis of
different views.
— Misallocating your time in reading and writing
— Chapter conclusions which are section-by-section
summaries of the chapter
— Too many subheadings
Common Mistakes to Avoid
— Repetitions
— Thinking that you will remember a good idea and not
writing it down immediately
— Neglecting to keep full record of everything you read
— Neglecting the feedback given by your supervisor
— Not taking notes during the meetings with your
supervisor
— Delaying the work on the thesis to the last month
Common Mistakes to Avoid
— When allocating few hours to work on the thesis,
make sure you avoid social networks…
Common Mistakes to Avoid
— Don’t forget the attachments…
 Rough Assessment Criteria (Last Year)
Criteria Evaluation/ remarks Description / reminders – please note that the questions below are indicative only and do not need to be
answered individually or in their entirety.
1. Formal Does the paper have an appropriate length?
requirements Are title page and type page (margins, indention, lettering, line spacing, etc.) cf. ES style sheet?
Is the bibliography formatted according to the APA guidelines?
Documentation: are quotations, footnotes, and in-text references cf. ES style-sheet?
2. Is the topic of this paper sufficiently focused?
Research problem Is there a clear research question that helps to direct the research & writing process?
Is the wider significance (or rationale) of the research question made clear?
Is the problem well positioned vis-à-vis societal problems and existing academic studies?
3. Does the introduction provide a contextualizing background, state the research problem, and
Structure outline a response to this problem?
Does conclusion return to research problem (present main findings & their significance)?
Does the text consist of coherent parts, which are well connected to each other, and presented
In a logical sequence?
4. Does the selection of empirical data/primary sources help to answer the research question?
Data collection & Are the potentials and limitations of available data/primary sources acknowledged? How thorough was the
analysis literature review? Does the author (provide insight in) use (of) qualitative and/or quantitative method(s) for
data collection and/or analysis? Does he/she explain the methodology? Does the author make use of theory
and/or analytical concepts in data analysis? Did the author bring the theory back in? How useful was the
case study?
5. Does the paper defend a central claim/provide main answer to the research question?
Argumentation Is the main claim or thesis supported by good reasons and reliable evidence?
Does the author anticipate (acknowledge & respond to) alternative accounts?
6. How do you assess the author’s sense of audience?
Language & Does the paper have an appropriate (i.e. academic) tone of voice?
Rhetorical skills Quality of English spelling, grammar, punctuation.
Quality of sentence structure, transition between sentences, paragraph development.
Quality of titling, subheadings, opening and final words.
7. Content How do you evaluate the originality of this paper’s subject and approach?
How does the thesis build on or reflect the curriculum of the MA ES?
How thorough is the analysis in this paper? How convincing is the author’s argument?
Does the student show an ability to make use of feedback on previous draft(s)?
Has the author engaged in original research? What are the principal strengths and weaknesses?
Does the thesis have potential for further development – which aspects?
What have we covered today?
— Formalities/Administrative Issues
— The research project
— Roadmap to your project
— Basic steps of the thesis
— Common Mistakes to avoid
— Assessment Criteria
Thank You for
your attention!