Essay Writing Guide INR and PLT – Dr Keating June 2018 Page | 2 Writing a Research Essay in International Relations and Political Science This is some basic advice on writing an essay in International Relations. The advice is generic, and obviously particular assignments, topics, questions have their own requirements – but this general advice should apply most of the time. Be aware of what a criteria grading sheet looks like, as this sets out the way in which the essay will be graded. The standard grading sheet looks like this, and you will notice that there are four separate criteria. We will deal with each in turn. 1. Structure/Organization: Have you answered the question? Do you have a clear argument that you defend throughout? Is it well organized with appropriate use of paragraphs? 2. Research: Are you demonstrating research skills? Have you used a range of sources? Is it thoroughly referenced, using an appropriate system, with a bibliography? 3. Content: Do you set out clear arguments/evidence to support your position? Have you considered counter-arguments/evidence? Is their evidence of critical thinking? 4. Presentation: Is the paper well-written? Is it proof-read for grammar and spelling errors? 1. Structure/Organisation Essays need a clear and concise introduction, which sets out a position: the thesis or argument that the essay will defend. If a question has been set, the introduction needs to clearly answer this question. It does not provide a broad introduction to the topic (avoid waffle or ‘flowery’ introductions), but rather, specifies the particular position that the essay will pursue. The essay then defends this position clearly throughout! I strongly suggest beginning the essay with the line “This essay argues…”. If you can clearly set out your position at the start, it will solve a lot of the structural problems that many essays have. You can then use the rest of the introduction to expand on your argument, detail the case material you are using to support your position, explain how your position allows you to propose an answer to the question(if one is set), and outline the structure of the essay. When outlining the structure of the essay, using first, second, third can be a clear and informative approach for the reader. The main body of the essay is organised in short, sharp, concise paragraphs. It is important to consistently link the material, ideas, theories, concepts, debates, arguments, evidence, and case studies that you evaluate in the main body of the essay back to the question, and to your argument. Though different courses and different types of written assignments have different objectives, normally it is a good idea to have a balance between theoretical/conceptual debates and discussion, and empirical evidence. Theory comes first – detail the argument/counter-argument, analyse this material in the context of your argument (as clearly .

1. Essay Writing Guide INR and PLT – Dr Keating June 2018
Page | 2
Writing a Research Essay in International Relations and
Political Science
This is some basic advice on writing an essay in International
Relations. The advice is generic, and obviously particular
assignments, topics, questions have their own requirements –
but this general advice should apply most of the time.
Be aware of what a criteria grading sheet looks like, as this sets
out the way in which the essay will be graded. The standard
grading sheet looks like this, and you will notice that there are
four separate criteria. We will deal with each in turn.
1. Structure/Organization: Have you answered the question? Do
you have a clear argument that you defend throughout? Is it
well organized with appropriate use of paragraphs?
2. Research: Are you demonstrating research skills? Have you
used a range of sources? Is it thoroughly referenced, using an
appropriate system, with a bibliography?
3. Content: Do you set out clear arguments/evidence to support
your position? Have you considered counter-
arguments/evidence? Is their evidence of critical thinking?
4. Presentation: Is the paper well-written? Is it proof-read for
grammar and spelling errors?

2. 1. Structure/Organisation
Essays need a clear and concise introduction, which sets out a
position: the thesis or argument that the essay will defend. If a
question has been set, the introduction needs to clearly answer
this question. It does not provide a broad introduction to the
topic (avoid waffle or ‘flowery’ introductions), but rather,
specifies the particular position that the essay will pursue. The
essay then defends this position clearly throughout! I strongly
suggest beginning the essay with the line “This essay argues…”.
If you can clearly set out your position at the start, it will solve
a lot of the structural problems that many essays have. You can
then use the rest of the introduction to expand on your
argument, detail the case material you are using to support your
position, explain how your position allows you to propose an
answer to the question(if one is set), and outline the structure of
the essay. When outlining the structure of the essay, using first,
second, third can be a clear and informative approach for the
reader.
The main body of the essay is organised in short, sharp, concise
paragraphs. It is important to consistently link the material,
ideas, theories, concepts, debates, arguments, evidence, and
case studies that you evaluate in the main body of the essay
back to the question, and to your argument. Though different
courses and different types of written assignments have
different objectives, normally it is a good idea to have a balance
between theoretical/conceptual debates and discussion, and
empirical evidence. Theory comes first – detail the
argument/counter-argument, analyse this material in the context
of your argument (as clearly set out in the introduction!). Then
provide case study material, data, and evidence to reflect upon
this debate. You can then draw both empirical conclusions about
your evidence as interpreted through the theoretical
framework(s), and theoretical conclusions concerning what the
empirical material has to say about the theories, debates, and/or

3. concepts in question. Obviously a political theory or IR theory
essay may look different, and be all theoretical evaluation, but
in most cases this model would apply. A structure which is all
case study, however rich and detailed, is not a good idea. What
is it a case study of, what argument, debate, concept is the case
study being used to reflect upon? Empirical evidence in the
absence of a frame or context is of little utility.
The conclusion is like a mirror of the introduction, it reiterates
the position the essay has taken, detailing how this position has
allowed the essay to answer the question. Essays are not murder
mystery novels – markers do not want to find out on the last
page “whodunit” – so set out your thesis clearly in the
introduction. Sometimes essays where the argument is finally
expressed in the conclusion could have been massively
improved by making the conclusion the introduction, then re-
drafting the essay to clearly defend the position set out therein.
Hence, the importance of using more than one draft when
writing an essay… Both the introduction and conclusion should
be short, sharp, clear and concise.
2. Research
A significant part of your essay grade is based on your capacity
to undertake AND utilise academic research. Use HARVARD or
CHICAGO as a referencing system (details provided below). A
full bibliography with full bibliographical references is required
for every essay. Page numbered references are essential!
Detailed, accurate referencing is how you show control of the
source. Hobbes (1651) is a terrible reference – this book is
hundreds of pages long, how is the reader supposed to follow
your research to its source? You should never quote without
providing the page the quote comes from, and you should also
provide page numbers when paraphrasing (rewriting someone’s
work in your own words). If your sources don’t have page
numbers, why not? The vast majority (99% or more) of peer
reviewed academic sources do, as does almost any source in

4. .pdf format (which most NGOs, governments, corporations, UN
agencies etc publish documents online in) – so why are you
using sources that don’t have page numbers? DO NOT CITE
LECTURE NOTES – they are not peer reviewed, they are meant
to introduce you to the literature not serve as a substitute for
doing some proper research.
There are three types of sources your research will uncover:
PRIMARY – government/IGO publications, speeches,
documents, interviews etc, NGO or corporate reports etc
SECONDARY –Peer reviewed academic journal articles and
books
TERTIARY – Media sources
Priority is to SECONDARY (ACADEMIC) sources. Your essay
should revolve around secondary sources, and the majority of
your research should be in this area. It is however good to
display your research skills by also using a range of alternative
sources. Primary sources are particularly useful, providing data,
evidence, case material – but you do not want too much primary
material. Rather, using a small number of primary sources well,
contextualising the primary source material in the academic
literature, is normally the right approach. If the essay is in
political theory or IR theory, the key thinkers being dealt with
may well constitute primary sources, and be used almost
exclusively to write the essay. Remember that individual
assignments may differ in requirements from this generic advice
– if you are in doubt, ask! Tertiary sources are the least
favoured type of source, though they can be useful for cutting
edge case study material, or for presenting certain perspectives
on a problem or issue. Even then, some tertiary sources (FT,
The Economist, Times/Guardian/Telegraph/Independent etc) are
more valid than others (The Sun, The Dail Mail etc). Of course,
if your essay is ON the Media then these sources can in effect
become primary sources…

5. The more material you use the better, to demonstrate the
breadth of your reading and your research skills (though
specific assignments in political theory for example may require
you to make more in-depth use of only 1 or 2 sources – the
specific assignment requirements matter!). Do not place any
sources in the bibliography that you have not actually cited in
the actual essay! Do not use arbitrary web-sites such as blogs
where you can never be sure of the quality of the material made
available. WIKIPEDIA, online Encyclopaedias etc are best
avoided. If you can’t identify the author that is a bad sign, don’t
use the source (The Economist is a tertiary source exception to
this rule – authors are not identified as a rule, The Economist is
the author). You need to be THOROUGH in referencing. Any
data, evidence, or fact you cite needs a reference! Individual
sentences are referenced, not entire paragraphs. If these means
your paragraphs are filling up with citations to the same source,
you should then ask yourself: Am I over-dependent on this
source? Can I diversify and find other sources to support? If
this scholar is saying all these things, what am I saying? What
is my analysis or evaluation of this material? Am I agreeing or
disagreeing with what this person is saying? Does this support
or contradict my argument? You should be able to separate what
other scholars are saying (which you are citing) and what you
are saying in the light of your argument.
3. Content
Essays should not be ‘polemic’ (heavily one-sided). You need to
address the weaknesses of your position and the limits of your
data/evidence/case studies. Attention must be paid to
counterarguments and counterevidence. What undermines the
credibility of an argument is not acknowledged weaknesses but
blindness to, or complacency toward, objections – especially
obvious objections – that might be raised against it. If you glide
over contentious claims too often your argument will fast lose
all credibility. If you treat credible adversaries in a dismissive
or unsympathetic way, the reader will find it very difficult to

6. trust your arguments.
Obviously, for regression analysis and other data-driven
methods, a large number of data points is usually required.
However, most essays in International Relations and Political
Science are based on qualitative case studies. It is usually better
to go into depth on a single case study than to provide a
multitude of brief, anecdotal examples. Depth trumps breadth –
at most, two case studies for comparison, but if you are going to
compare you need to be clear on exactly what the comparison is
focused on, and why the cases have been selected (i.e. the
comparative method). The two cases should ideally be different
from one another in some important regard which is then linked
to the position that your essay has taken i.e. to your argument or
your answer to the question. If your two cases say the same
thing, why not go into a single case in more detail? Case studies
MUST be based on multiple sources, and this should be a mix of
primary and secondary sources. Make sure your case study
evidence is solid by ensuring that multiple source support your
facts, evidence, examples.
You cannot write a speculative essay about the future! You need
to analyse and present material and evidence which has already
happened. A speculative essay about the future cannot be graded
in any objective terms, and this is not science fiction you are
writing. You are, in effect, using the power of hindsight,
ensuring that your evidence is real evidence and not
hypothetical or speculative statements masquerading as
evidence. “Will China be the next Hegemon?” is a non-starter,
while “How has the rise of China threatened US Hegemony” is
fine, for obvious reasons.
Your content should reflect the progression of a logical
argument or thesis. If you are setting out a particular theoretical
or conceptual debate in the first part of the essay, make sure
that your case study pertains to this debate! Critical engagement

7. with the material is important – don’t just describe empirical
facts, explain and analyse them in the context of your argument,
or of the theoretical/conceptual debates. Avoid arguing by
analogy, or using hypothetical cases when real ones are
required!
4. Presentation
In part, an essay must be looked at as an exercise in public
relations (PR). GRAMMAR AND SPELLING ARE
IMPORTANT. Always spell-check your work! And, if your
grammar isn’t so good, get someone to proofread your work for
grammatical errors. Always proofread your work anyway to
eliminate typographical errors (typos). Be professional! Use
non-gender specific language, don’t use slang, and don’t make
jokes or use other informal writing practices. Use proper
sentences to write your essay. You should be providing a
document that is well-presented and easy to read. Use an
appropriate font (i.e. Calibri, TNR) and an appropriate point
(12-point). Full-justify the text, and separate and indent (1cm
each end will suffice) long quotes – preferably using 11-point.
Clarity of expression is very important – writing clearly and
being easy for the reader to comprehend is far more impressive
than a jumble of big words that are difficult to make sense of.
Don’t over-quote – be judicious. Better to be quoting key
thinkers or key documents, making the most important points,
not a description which could easily be paraphrased. Quote in
full, and do not cut quotes up using “…” if this can be avoided.
Very long quotes are probably not a good idea – you want your
quote to say something, not many things. Don’t start the essay
with a quote, don’t quote in the middle of sentences. Separate
and indent long quotes. Essays do not use bullet points, or
numbered points (1, 2, 3, 4 – though written numbers first,
second, third are fine). Sub-headings can be a useful tool for
organising the material, but in a short essay the number of
subheadings should be very limited, or no subheadings be used

8. in the final draft at all. The essay should flow neatly and
coherently without sub-headings if possible. A dissertation,
obviously, needs to be broken up more as it is a much longer
piece of work. Essays are usually written impersonally,
avoiding “I” and the royal “We” – “This essay will argue…” is
the preferred approach. Again, use short, sharp and concise
paragraphs to organise – no paragraph, under any
circumstances, should run longer than a page – this block-text
look is extremely unappealing!
Are you meeting the set Word Count requirements for the
essay? The university has a clear policy (on the portal) with set
penalties for word count violation, so make sure you know what
you are doing. For example, the bibliography and footnotes (if
you are using Chicago) are not included in the word count. If
you are using Harvard (in-text references), then references are
included in the word count.
Writing Project #3
Analyze one of the following options in a well-developed essay.
Make sure you have a strong introduction with a very clear
thesis statement. Provide strong points in the body of your
essay and support them with details and examples. And finally,
make sure your conclusion is developed and reflective. This
essay must be at least 5 1/2 pages typed and double-spaced
using 12pt. Times Roman Font. Please keep in mind that all of
the questions in the prompt do not need to be answered. These
are there to get you thinking.
Topic:
In her essay, Rosin discusses the possible cultural changes
connected to our sex-roles in society. Women have progressed
to a point where they are dominant in many aspects of our

9. society. Similarly, one of the key themes in Fight Club is that
men have become emasculated and need to regain their
masculinity. Palahniuk suggests, “What you see at fight club is
a generation of men raised by women . . . and I’m wondering if
another woman is really the answer I need.” Discuss how both
Rosin and Palahniuk express these ideas and then take a stand
on this issue. Do you agree with what they have to say? Why or
why not?
Begin your essay with background information pertaining to the
topic you are choosing. This may contain some facets of the
book, text, or outside components. Incorporate elements in your
intro that captivate and draw in the reader and conclude with a
thesis that clearly states your position on the topic.
Your body paragraphs should focus on ideas that support the
claim you make in your thesis. You may utilize any details to
support said ideas, especially quotes and material from your
text, the novel, or outside sources.
Conclude your paper with a thoughtful conclusion that
summarizes the main points, keeps the reader’s interest and
leaves the reader with a sense of closure.