Contextualization of The Background

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Contextualization of the background

Depending on the type of problem being investigated, how to contextualize the background may include
one or more of the following:

1-Cultural: located within the behavior learned from specific groups of people.

2-Economic: relating to systems of production and administration of material goods and / or business
activities.

3-Gender: located within the psychological, cultural and behavioral characteristics typically associated
with men and women.

4-Historical: the time in which something happened or was created and how that has an influence on its
interpretation.

5-Interdisciplinary: explanation of theories, concepts, ideas or methodologies borrowed from other


disciplines that are being applied to the research problem.

6-Philosophical: the clarification of the nature of a being or phenomena in the way they relate to the
research problem.

7-Physical / spatial: it reflects the space around something and how that has an influence on how it is
perceived.

8-Political: cares about the environment in which something is produced indicating its public agenda.

9-Social: the environment of the people that surround the creation of something or its audience,
reflecting how the people around it use it and interpret it.

10-Temporal: reflects events or problems that are related or limited by time.

The background may also include summaries of important or relevant research studies.

This is particularly important if there is an essential or key study of the research problem or some key
study that supports or denies the stated thesis.

Research studies cited as part of the background should not include very specific or long explanations.
This should be discussed in more detail in the bibliographic background section.

Importance

Conducting prior research helps to gain familiarity with the overall context, so it is possible to find useful
sources for the job more easily.

Providing sufficient background in the introduction of an investigation serves as a bridge to relate the
reader to the subject of the study.

The length of the background will depend on the author: how much information do you think the reader
needs to understand the subject being discussed and its importance?
Examples

Research on doctoral programs

The next step is determining the extent of materials that suit your research needs in an individual
archives. Since every repository is different (by size, funding, technological advancement, hours,
collecting areas, regulations, etc.), even experienced researchers must familiarize themselves with how
a given repository describes its holdings. Utilizing the tools listed below will help ensure a thorough
evaluation of an archives:

Websites: Check the website of the archives you are evaluating, which will often list the repository’s
main collection strengths and the topics the materials address. Monitor websites for updates such as
new collection descriptions and the addition of digital resources.

Catalogs and Databases: Determine whether the archives you are evaluating has a link on its website to
catalogs or databases (similar to those in a library) allowing you to search holdings by subject, keyword,
title, author, etc. Many catalogs and databases will link you to finding aids (see below) which will
provide more detail about what a specific collection holds. If searching catalogs is new for you, ask a
reference librarian at a local library for assistance.

Finding Aids: A finding aid (sometimes called inventory, collection listing, register, or calendar) is a text
document providing a description of the contents of a collection, just like a table of contents outlines
the contents of a book. By using a finding aid, a researcher gets an understanding of a collection in its
entirety, sees the relationships between its component parts, and locates the portions of a collection
pertinent to research. Finding aids sometimes provide narrative portions describing the background of a
collection (how and when it was formed, how the archives acquired it, etc.), and how the archival staff
has arranged or ordered the materials in the collection.

Common Places to Find Research

Research resources are found in various places, both within and outside the traditional library.
Your research resources can come from your personal experiences; print media such as books,
brochures, journals, magazines, and newspapers; and electronic sources found on the Internet.
They may also come from interviews and surveys you or someone else conduct.

Libraries are a main resource for conducting academic research. Learning how to use them and their
resources effectively is important to understanding the research process. Libraries provide access to
information through online research databases and library catalogs, ebooks and ejournals, and Internet
resources, as well as traditional print resources. Understanding how to select and use the appropriate
resources for specific information needs is the key to successful research. To become adept at locating
and using information for research, you must know about the many different resources that are
available to you.
Things to consider

Consideration Questions to ask yourself

Are you likely to be able to gain access to the participants or data you need to
 Access to
actually conduct the research? Are the sensitivities of ethical considerations involved
participants or data
likely to be too challenging to be easily overcome?

If access is given, are the intended participants likely to give or be able to give their
 Consent
informed consent? Will they be willing or able to cooperate?

 Personal and Are your personal skills, motivations, beliefs and commitments compatible with the
professional sort of research you are intending to carry out? Do you have the right level of
considerations expertise to make appropriate decisions about what to prioritise?

Can the project actually be done (and is it manageable) within the time you have
available? Are participants or colleagues likely to be able to give up their time as
 Time
required? Have you factored in time for following up and writing up, and contingency
time for if certain things don't go to plan?

Are the resources and materials you need (human and material) within the scope of
your research funding? Will your research incur printing, postage or administrative
 Costs and resources
support costs? Will participants have access to the resources they need (e.g.
software or appropriate venues) to participate?

Is there someone available who can adequately supervise the research or provide
 Supervision
expert guidance?

 Value Can and will this research actually make any difference?

1. In order to make your profile more effective you should focus on one of the attributes which is
incredibly exciting to your readers for which is very interesting. No matter your subject your goal
here is to bring out the uniqueness of that political person or what is fascinating about it.

2. When you interview the person you want to make sure you have the questions before the
interview. Do some homework and figure out why that person is special, who they are, what
they do, and where they are located. Think about interview questions that would help you
investigate their accomplishments, their hobbies, or their interests in a much more effective
manner. You want to observe their behavior and their appearance while also investigating new
information that you can use for your thesis.

3. When you start writing you want to first open with the biographical sketch that answers all of
the questions your readers might have such as who they are, what they do, where they are
located, and why they should care. You want to hook your readers by offering an introduction to
their unique attribute and their biography.

A guide on how to write dissertation Political Science

Once you get a political science dissertation, use the following concepts and ideas to ensure you stay
within the track and craft content that matches the teacher’s and institute’s requirements.

1. Understand Political Science discourse analysis dissertation

Many students have an idea of what discourse analysis is but don’t know how to apply it and when to
apply it in the dissertation paper. In a simple explanation, discourse analysis is either written or verbal
communication between two people. In this context, it is written communication between the student
and the teacher. This implies that the language or symbols you use in your political science dissertation
should communicate clearly.

2. Define what Political Science dissertation paper is

Knowing what the paper entails is one perfect tip that can help students craft the best political science
dissertation paper. This isn’t just an ordinary essay since the wordings you need to use and how to
present your paper differ to some extent. So, before you even think of research methods and materials,
ensure you know what you want to research.

3. Check a well-written Political Science dissertation example

Technology has made it simple to access any relevant materials for academic work from online
platforms. Besides, you can also get a well-written example of a political dissertation from your school
library. You will establish the best approaches to use when writing such a paper through such examples.

4. Get a Political Science dissertation proposal example

A dissertation proposal is a document seeking sponsorship that will aid in doing the entire research or
simply a document a student submits to the teacher for approval before continuing with the research.
Writing this proposal as a student will the expenses during the research and assure students of the
research they are carrying out. Therefore, before you write such a proposal, ensure you check a perfect
example to write the best proposal and include all the required details before submitting it.
5. Analyze different Political Science dissertation topics

Before choosing a dissertation topic, you need to be sure the topic is worth your time and materials. It
could be bad when you get a topic only to realize it isn’t worth it when already halfway. Avoid such
instances that waste time by writing down several political science dissertation topics and choosing the
best overall.

6. Discuss Political Science how to find a dissertation topic with other students

One way to understand political science concepts is by discussing them with other students. Each
student can explain their understanding of the concept and ask any relevant questions while other
students answer.

7. Get more Political Science research topics from your tutor

While in school, your teacher should be your best friend. They have gone through many political science
research topics, and they know the common topics and the topics that aren’t relevant. When you feel
stuck at choosing a perfect topic, reach out to your teacher for extra advice on the tips you can use as
you filter down the topics.

Step 1: Choose your topic

First you have to come up with some ideas. Your thesis or dissertation topic can start out very broad.
Think about the general area or field you’re interested in—maybe you already have specific research
interests based on classes you’ve taken, or maybe you had to consider your topic when applying to
graduate school and writing a statement of purpose.

Even if you already have a good sense of your topic, you’ll need to read widely to build background
knowledge and begin narrowing down your ideas. Conduct an initial literature review to begin gathering
relevant sources. As you read, take notes and try to identify problems, questions, debates,
contradictions and gaps. Your aim is to narrow down from a broad area of interest to a specific niche.

Make sure to consider the practicalities: the requirements of your programme, the amount of time you
have to complete the research, and how difficult it will be to access sources and data on the topic.
Before moving onto the next stage, it’s a good idea to discuss the topic with your thesis supervisor.

>>Read more about narrowing down a research topic

Step 2: Identify a problem

So you’ve settled on a topic and found a niche—but what exactly will your research investigate, and why
does it matter? To give your project focus and purpose, you have to define a research problem.
The problem might be a practical issue—for example, a process or practice that isn’t working well, an
area of concern in an organization’s performance, or a difficulty faced by a specific group of people in
society.

Alternatively, you might choose to investigate a theoretical problem—for example, an underexplored


phenomenon or relationship, a contradiction between different models or theories, or an unresolved
debate among scholars.

To put the problem in context and set your objectives, you can write a problem statement. This
describes who the problem affects, why research is needed, and how your research project will
contribute to solving it.

Step 3: Formulate research questions

Next, based on the problem statement, you need to write one or more research questions. These target
exactly what you want to find out. They might focus on describing, comparing, evaluating, or explaining
the research problem.

A strong research question should be specific enough that you can answer it thoroughly using
appropriate qualitative or quantitative research methods. It should also be complex enough to require
in-depth investigation, analysis, and argument. Questions that can be answered with “yes/no” or with
easily available facts are not complex enough for a thesis or dissertation.

In some types of research, at this stage you might also have to develop a conceptual framework and
testable hypotheses.

>>See research question examples

Step 4: Create a research design

The research design is a practical framework for answering your research questions. It involves making
decisions about the type of data you need, the methods you’ll use to collect and analyze it, and the
location and timescale of your research.

There are often many possible paths you can take to answering your questions. The decisions you make
will partly be based on your priorities. For example, do you want to determine causes and effects, draw
generalizable conclusions, or understand the details of a specific context?

You need to decide whether you will use primary or secondary data and qualitative or quantitative
methods. You also need to determine the specific tools, procedures, and materials you’ll use to collect
and analyze your data, as well as your criteria for selecting participants or sources.

>>Read more about creating a research design

Step 5: Write a research proposal

Finally, after completing these steps, you are ready to complete a research proposal. The proposal
outlines the context, relevance, purpose, and plan of your research.
As well as outlining the background, problem statement, and research questions, the proposal should
also include a literature review that shows how your project will fit into existing work on the topic. The
research design section describes your approach and explains exactly what you will do.

You might have to get the proposal approved by your supervisor before you get started, and it will guide
the process of writing your thesis or dissertation.

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