1. Citation Methods
9 May 2008

2. Announcements First assignments are available for pick up
You should make every effort to consult with your supervisors before the end of June as it may be more difficult to contact them during the summer…

3. Browse Browse favourite journals, ie. through JSTOR
Browse through conference proceedings, ie. American Political Science Association (APSA)
Authors’ personal websites, ie. see pippanorris.com

4. Citation Methods APSA Manual for Political Science (1993)
Insert the name of the author(s) and the year of publication in parentheses following the quote or idea. If you are using a direct quote, a page number might be needed.
"the transmogrifying of mayoral power" (Bailey 1987, 85).
Omit the page numbers if you are referring to the entire article or book.
If you use the author's name in your sentence, place only the date in parentheses.
Trish (1988) sharply disagrees.

5. Reference list (Articles)
Journal Article
Aldrich, John H "A Dynamic Model of Presidential Nomination Campaigns." American Political Science Review 74: [The "74" is the volume number; what follows are the inclusive page numbers for the article.]
Chapter in a multi-author collection
Hermann, Margaret G "Personality and Foreign Policy Decision Making: A Study of Fifty-Three Heads of Government." In Foreign Policy Decision Making, ed. Donald A. Sylvan and Steve Chan. New York: Praeger.
Magazine article
Prufer, Olaf "The Hopewell Cult." Scientific American, December.

6. Reference list (Books)
Single author
Kessel, John H The Goldwater Coalition: Republican Strategies in Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill.
Two authors, later edition
Sorauf, Frank J., and Paul Allen Beck Party Politics in America. 6th ed. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman.
Edited collection
Ball, Terence, James Farr, and Russell L. Hanson, eds Political Innovation and Conceptual Change. New York: Cambridge University Press.

7. Notes
"Notes present explanatory material and should be used sparingly" (American Political Science Association 1993, 13).
To indicate a note in your text, place a superscript number at the end of the sentence, after the final mark of style.
Type the notes themselves double-spaced on a separate page at the end of your paper, titled "Notes" (without the quotation marks).
The notes come before the reference list.

8. Headings
centered
uppercase and lowercase

9. Secondary Headings flush left uppercase and lowercase
followed by text on next line

10. Tertiary headings flush left underlined
sentence case (only 1st letter capitalized)
followed by a period, and then immediately by text

11. Review: What To Do*
Spend time on your introduction and conclusion because these parts of your work are often looked at first
Early in you discussion, state what basic questions or issues you are addressing and how your work relates to contemporary literature
Show how your work relates to similar work on the same subject
Clarify the central concepts in your work, used terms consistently, and define all unclear concepts and terms
Provide precise citations with page references
Try to state the overall significance of your work in relation to the field of political science
Be sure your conclusion is proportional to the scope of your work as a whole
*For more information, see Hall, Peter K. "Helpful Hints for Writing Dissertations in Comparative Politics." PS: Political Science and Politics (December 1990):

12. What NOT To Do
Don't pack your introduction with so many references that it becomes a literature review
Don't distort viewpoints; treat your sources with respect even if you disagree with them
Don't try to overthrow huge political science theories in an effort to make your work seem important
Don't attempt to jam all of your research into your work; show self-discipline by filtering your sources
Avoid rhetorical flourishes and wordy prose and stick with a direct and economical style
Don't repeat yourself unnecessarily
Don't think that your work has to have highly complex theories to be successful; simple theoretical claims often work just as well