What is a Political Science Research Paper?
The purpose of a research paper is answering some type of question, particularly one that requires putting forth new knowledge or solving a practical problem. Research papers present topics based on investigation and focus on substantial arguments. Therefore, a political science research paper answers questions or solves problems about political science topics. Political science is also concerned with social science, as well as political theory, practice, systems, and trends. The political science research paper should consist of an in-depth analysis of a political subject. The type of research you embark upon depends on the type of research question you need to answer, as well as what relevant information, evidence, and data are available for research.
Types of Political Science Research Topics
Good political science research topics aim at analyzing important contributions to political science, as well as policy knowledge and test topics such as historical American politics (relating to local, state, and federal events), government policy (relating to healthcare, immigration, infrastructure, etc.), comparative politics (relating to comparisons between different governments), or theoretical or empirical subjects (relating to pacifism, utopianism, libertarianism, etc.).
Choosing a Topic
Political science deals with political systems and characteristics pertaining to states and their constituting elements, economies of a state, and the state’s responsibilities. So, there are numerous topics to write about. When deciding on a Political Science research paper topic, do not choose too broad of a topic; choose a narrow topic and be specific. For instance, instead of choosing to write on “Global Warming,” you could change that to “Ways to Halt Global Warming”. Additionally, when choosing a topic, it is best to choose a current topic. However, if you choose a classic topic, such as Foreign Policy, be sure to make it interesting and offer some new insight into the subject. However, no matter what topic you choose, it is best that you choose something that you are interested in.
Other suggested political science research topics include:
- Marxism vs. Capitalism
- The Role of the State
- Historical Events
- The Electoral Process
- Foreign Policy
- National Security
- Education Policy
- Tax Policy
- Environmental Policy
- Globalization
- Reproductive Rights
- Any current political event
Political science is not an easy subject; it is very broad and complex and is based on social sciences which influence people’s lives. Political science has practical and theoretical implications and it has been studied since ancient times, but codified in the 19th century.