public policy

 TERM PAPER GUIDELINES
 Introduction
 Chose a public policy topic that matters for you. Explain the public policy content. Explain the main challenges. Propose policy solutions to overcome those. Give your opinion on what would work the best.

 Method
 You are required to develop a literature survey and use it as evidence base in your term paper. 
Elements of the Term Paper 
The outline for your term paper is the agenda you set for the things you want to accomplish. A good term paper will ask an interesting question and offer a plausible answer. It should be plausible in that it is (probably) true, but also not obviously or patently true; and it should be supportable in that it is subject to factual observation or logical demonstration (Gordon Harvey, Harvard Writing Program). No matter what your field or topic, there is a fairly standard set of things you want to accomplish in the paper: 

i. Cover page: The cover page contains information about the seminar and the author of the work:
 Information about the Paper University, faculty, professor 
Title of the course Semester 
Title of the paper
 Name of supervisor 
Name Semester and academic year

 ii. Table of Contents (Similar tables if necessary, e.g. a table of symbols ): Your paper should include a table of contents. • A table of symbols is helpful if you use many symbols. • Tables of tables, abbreviations, and figures are usually not necessary
 iii. Introduction: Your introduction is very important. Pose an interesting question or problem. Use it to do the following things: • Motivate the topic: Why should the reader be interested? Are there current developments that make the topic relevant? What is the larger context of the topic? • Clarify the question: Which issues are discussed, and which are avoided in the essay? • Outline related literature and explain how you chose it.

 • Briefly summarize your results. • Outline the structure of the rest of the text. iv. Literature Review: Survey the literature on your topic v. Methods/Data: Formulate your hypothesis and describe your data  2 vi. Results: Present your results with the help of graphs and charts vii. Discussion: Critique your method and/or discuss any policy implications viii. Summary and conclusions: Summarize what you have done; pose questions for further research ix. Bibliography x. Appendix (if necessary) (for example: formulae, diagrams, tables) Formal Requirements Formal aspects of your paper will enter into the grading process. Expression, Orthography, and Grammar The work must be written in clear English. Pay attention to spelling and punctuation. Make sure to have your work proofread by somebody else. Avoid designations like ‘I’ or ‘we’. Use the passive voice instead. Graphics, Tables, and Formulae: Main Text vs. Appendix: Figures and tables can appear in the text or the appendix. • Calculations and proofs, which are not necessary for the understanding, belong to the appendix. • Numbering: Figures, tables and formulae should be numbered consecutively. • Headlines: Each table and each figure should have its own caption. • Sources of tables and figures have to be specified. Page Layout: Please note that we require a slightly different page layout than other chairs. • Margins: left 2.3 cm, right 4 cm, upper 3 cm, lower 3.3 cm • Main text: 1.5 line spacing, font size 12pt • Footnote: single spacing, font size 10pt • Use justified text (“Blocksatz”) and make sure to switch on hyphenation (“Silbentrennung”). • Page numbering: Pages should be numbered. Page numbering should start (with number 1) on the first page of your introduction. You can start submitting your paper as of today. Deadline for submission is April 26, 2019. Please, no requests for extensions beyond the last date. Some students will be asked to present a summary of their term papers during subsequent lectures. The term papers which will be chose for in-class presentation will be selected in the light of relevance to the themes of the course as well as diversity in the set of presentations. Recommended Literature on Academic Writing Belcher, W.L. (2009): Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks. A Guide to Academic Publishing Success. Sage Publications Booth, W.C., Colomb, G.G., Williams, J.M. (2008): The Craft of Research. 3rd ed. University of Chicago Press Cargill, M., O’Connor, P. (2012): Writing Scientific Research Articles. Strategy and Steps. 2nd ed. Wiley-Blackwell Gladon, R.J., Graves, W.R., Kelly, J.M. (2011): Getting Published in the Life Sciences. WileyBlackwell Hartley, J. (2008): Academic Writing and Publishing. A practical handbook. Routledge  3 Murray, R.: Writing for Academic Journals (2013). 3rd ed. McGraw-Hill Swales, J.M., Feak, C.B. (2012): Academic Writing for Graduate Students. Essential Skills. 3rd ed. University of Michigan Press