RESOURCES, ADVICE, AND TIPS
TIPS FOR TACKLING READING, WRITING, & RESEARCH
Reading Academic Articles:
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I wrote a short handout to assist in working through academic articles -- or chapters from academic books.
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For the handout with notes and comments, click here.
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For the blank handout, click here for the PDF version, or click here for the PowerPoint version.
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Research & Writing:
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If you're embarking on a new project (and working with me), consider breaking the pre-data and -analysis process into a series of smaller steps: begin with a short project proposal, then move on to a identifying sources and building an annotated bibliography, and then tackle the more larger research design. For more information, click here.
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Here's a related worksheet that can help in planning out projects before you start writing: (1) PDF version and (2) PowerPoint version.
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For advice on what goes where in a presentation and tips on presenting, check out my slides on presentations. Here's the beamer template for that slide deck: click here for the TeX code.
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Some of the best advice on writing and presentations I received in grad school came from Tom Carsey, who happily wrote and widely shared a (short) writing guide and presentation guide.
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For additional advice on tackling academic writing, check out these blog posts: (1) for a full blog on academic writing check this out or this; for something shorter check out a post on LSE's blog from 2014 on tips to strengthen your academic writing or this post on reverse outlining/paragraphing.
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For a refresher in data set basics, including documentation, click here.
General Resources
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Dr. Clare Brock's blog, which is geared towards students. She tackles topics many have questions about, such as how to effectively read a syllabus and getting started on writing.
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For public policy students, Paul Cairney has broken down a number of core concepts and theories in bite sized chunks in podcasts and blog posts in 1000 words, 750 words, and 500 words.
RESOURCES FOR PHD STUDENTS
A note on the resources that I've gathered here is that my PhD is in political science, and the advice gathered here is colored by that background. As such, it's geared towards those also pursuing a PhD in Political Science. However, it may be applicable more broadly.
General Resources for Surviving Grad School:
For advice on grad school and beyond, check out Tom Carsey's comments.
For advice on navigating and planning your time in grad school and for more general advice for early career political scientists, see Frank Baumgartner's "Tips and Advice" page.
Colleen Wood attended and distilled a myriad of panels at the 2019 MPSA on "How to Survive in Grad School" into a helpful blog post of key themes.
Preparing for, Understanding, and Surviving the Academic Job Market:
Based on my experiences on the Political Science job market and advice I received, I wrote up some advice aimed at demystifying the process. Take its contents with a grain of salt; I'm by no means an expert.
Related posts: (1) about the process; (2) about materials; and (3) about interviews
Tim Ryan, an associate professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, provides 9 tips for the academic job market based on his experiences.
For those interested in Post-Docs, Hannah Alarian, an assistant professor at the University of Florida, wrote a guest post for APSA Now on the Post-Doc market.
K. Anne Watson, a graduate student at UGA, compiled an extensive resource addressing each aspect of the job market and each standard part of an application in preparation for her first time on market. The result is a very useful guide, with numerous links to additional resources.
For those interested in non-academic jobs, PS published a special symposium in 2016 on transitioning from grad school or an academic job to the non-academic world.