Research and Writing in International Relations

by Laura Roselle, Sharon Spray

Research and Writing in International Relations offers the step-by-step guidance and the essential resources needed to compose political science papers that go beyond description and into systematic and sophisticated inquiry. This text focuses on areas where students often need help—finding a topic, developing a question, reviewing the literature, designing research, and last, writing the paper. Including current and detailed coverage on how to start research in the discipline’s major subfields, Research and Writing in International Relations gives students a classroom-tested approach that leads to better research and writing in introductory and advanced courses.

Genres: International Relations, Research, School

178 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2007

Reviews

[Bae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a life saver during my first year of my master's program. Roselle goes step-by-step carefully through the ways in which one starts to develop their research methods, while also really solidifying what dependent and independent variables are (for those of us who never took statistics or qualitative research courses prior).

Definitely would recommend for any IR-related or research based project!

[Ali Nazifpour · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is probably the worst non-Iranian textbook that I have ever come across. It's extremely myopic and based on very unfounded assumptions about the students and very limited in its scope (for example, assumes that the students have no real interest or passion in the IR and also no one chooses the case before the topic while many people are interested in the cases first). It's useless to more experienced students because of how cursory and rudimentary everything is, and it's useless to undergrads and beginners because of how incomplete and quick the explanations are. Finally, five chapters are useless fillers with a laundry list of topics and sources. I pity everyone who chooses to use these chapters as a starting point for their research.

[Mina Jack · Rating 1 out of 5]

it is NOT CLEAR and it has a lot of things to read, thats the issue it did not simplify things at all nor helped to establish a good idea on how to write a research essay at all .... it is really frustrating :/

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is what it is--a guideline to research and writing in international relations. no secrets there.

I did find this book delightfully helpful. the break down of how to formulate research questions, structure research, what makes a concept, a concept and so on was very clear and straight forward. there is nothing mentally taxing about reading this book.

frequent examples are given as well as some case studies (IE. are women really at a disadvantage in US politics?)

I keep most of my school books but this one is more valuable and useful than most!

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! Awesome in the sense that if you are about to embark on research designs and case-based approaches, then you have to read this book. I struggled a bit doing my thesis this last year, and this book would have helped me better organize my research. Very very useful, easy to read and approachable.