Political Science Homework Help

<1 page – 3 paragraphs. 

Submit (copy and paste) a rough draft of abstract (only – no required rough draft of the paper) into text box and submit as a progress check on the project, then include revised version in final paper as well. Single Spaced.  Make sure it fits on 1 page.  It is easiest to just follow my wording from the template exactly.

Needs to be an abstract not an intro: A summary, condensed statement of what you proposal will cover. Besides giving an overview of the project, the Abstract must also “capture” the reader and motivate them to read further.  Often in the professional/business and academic world,  a poor abstract will mean your proposal does not get read. Avoid wordiness and too much information. Use simple, clear sentences.  It’s supposed to be functional, not pretty. The Intro itself comes next…

Your abstract must have EACH of the following 3 facets, one paragraph for each facet:

1. Clear statement of your proposal. Needs specific wording: “I propose that…” or “This is a proposal to…”  Proposal Statement should be in BOLD text, and typically at start or end of the 1st paragraph.  Make it clear WHO is to enact the policy – US Federal government?  State? etc. If your proposal is not specific, you will FAIL.  You are NOT proposing to “examine” or “study” or “look at.”  If you use words like “increase” or “decrease,” they need to be followed by as specific actual numbers as you can get.  The reader needs to know at start what you are asking them to support.  So be precise.
2. Clear overview of what your paper will cover in order to support the proposal (ok to number: 1.,2.,3.) Ex: “In order to support this proposal the paper with examine the following:…”
3. Clear statement of expected outcome if proposal goes into effect.  Ex: “If this proposal goes into effect, the following outcomes would be expected:…”

(In case that’s not clear, WHACK THE READER OVER THE HEAD WITH THIS INFO.  Don’t overload them; just deliver the basics.)

Your abstract could be a paragraph that looks something like this (This is from a real academic article – it isn’t exactly what I want – WE ARE PROPOSING SPECIFIC changes clear up front, not just hinting that we will discuss them – but it should give you a good idea):

ASTRACT: Despite having the most costly health system in the world, the United States consistently underperforms on most dimensions of performance, relative to other countries. This report—an update to three earlier editions—includes data from seven countries and incorporates patients’ and physicians’ survey results on care experiences and ratings on dimensions of care. Compared with six other nations—Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom—the U.S. health care system ranks last or next-to-last on five dimensions of a high performance health system: quality, access, efficiency, equity, and healthy lives. This paper will evaluate the US on these comparative performance measures. The paper then proposes changes designed to rectify identified problems and areas for improvement. (but YOU need to give me the exact changes HERE.)  Enactment of health reform legislation in the U.S. will start to address these problems by extending coverage to those without and helping to close gaps in coverage—leading to improved disease management, care coordination, and better outcomes over time. 

This is sufficient –  but divide into 3 paragraphs (1 per objective) at most.  See sample Proposal Projects for student written abstract (“Summary” or Abstract – either is fine.)