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PLCY 210 & 210H: Policy Innovation and Analysis: Research Process
Research Design
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What Makes a Good Research Question?Handout from Duke University's (yes, Duke) Thompson Writing Program Writing Studio. Has good guidelines and examples of research questions.
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Concept MappingBrainstorming technique that helps you visualize your topic, narrow it down, and think about the relationships between your concepts. Tutorial from Appalachian State University Library.
Develop Your Topic
- CQ ResearcherThe CQ Researcher is the perfect answer for people beginning research on current topics. It covers the most current and controversial issues of the day. From Abortion to War, each issue gives you a comprehensive review of the controversies, historical background, chronology of important events, opposing views from experts on the subject, and extensive bibliographies for additional research.
- Issues and Controversies on FileContains full text articles on current topics of interest, arranged in opposing points of view. It is intended to give users a quick grasp of the essentials of more than 250 controversial news topics. It also contains chronologies, illustrations, maps, tables, sidebars, bibliographies and contact information.
- Pros & Cons of Controversial Issues"Mission: Promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, primarily pro-con format."
Keywords and Boolean search
- Keywords and Boolean searchThis webpage explains the process of selecting keywords and using Boolean searching (AND, OR, NOT and so on). University of Colorado, Boulder
Evaluate your research results
- Evaluating Online InformationA guide from Regina Library
- Factcheck.orgMonitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.
- Ulrichs Web OnlineUlrich's Periodicals Directory is a database providing detailed information on journals published throughout the world. Look here to find out if a journal is peer reviewed.
Data Visualization
- Design Lab tutorialsfrom the Design Lab at the Undergraduate Library
- SkillfUL Tech WorkshopsUndergraduate Library
Writing & Citing
The UNC Writing Center offers online, in-person and asynchronous consultations. They also have guides to help with your writing, including:
Example Policy Briefs
- Undervalued and Underpaid in America: Women in Low-Wage, Female-Dominated Jobs - Institute for Women's Policy Research
- Paid Parental Leave in the United States - Institute for Women's Policy Research
- Harvard Kennedy School of Government policy briefs
Example Annotated Bibliographies
- Oxford Bibliographies OnlineThis database helps you to identify the core authors, works, ideas, and debates that have shaped the scholarly conversation on your topic so you can find the key literature. All the bibliographic essays have been peer-reviewed, and the specific entries are linked to full-text content available through the web or the UNC Library.
Citing
- ZoteroBib - Create a citation in the style of your choice simply with an article title, URL, DOI, etc.
- APA style guide - UNC-CH Libraries
- APA style guide - Purdue Owl
- Guide to Citing Data
Data Visualization Librarian
Lorin Bruckner
she, her, hers
Contact:
University Libraries
Davis Library
Campus Box 3950
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3950
Davis Library
Campus Box 3950
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3950
(919) 962-4635