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Writing in the Discipline
The following links highlight some writing resources within the public policy field. LBJ students
are always welcome to either attend the Communicating
Policy workshops or visit the writing center for
training, supplemental materials and examples. For more policy research related resources, please see Professional Report Resources.
 Annotated Bibliographies
Briefing
notes
Case studies
Grant writing
KSA statements
Legal
documents
Literature
reviews
Memoranda and plain language
Op-ed Writing
Policy
analysis
Press Releases
Testimony: witness in a public hearing
Research
links
Annotated Bibliographies
Annotated Bibliographies—The
University of North Carolina Writing Center
Explains the purpose of an annotated
bibliography and describes various elements and categories. LBJ students will typically write annotations consisting of summary and evaluation (combination).
Briefing
Notes
How to Write a Briefing Note—Susan
Doyle, University of Victoria, British Columbia Canada
Discusses the characteristics of effective briefing
notes.
Guidelines for Preparing Briefings—Communications
Consulting Group and Publications Department at RAND
Summarizes how to structure a briefing and how to prepare presentation
graphics.
Case Studies
Case
Studies—Writing@Colorado State
University
Describes the case study research
method
and
examines “applications
and methods
including
data collection and analysis. A discussion of ways to handle validity,
reliability, and generalizability follows, with special attention
to case studies as they are applied to composition studies. Finally,
this
guide examines the strengths and weaknesses of case studies.”
Writing
a Case Study Analysis—Houghton
Mifflin
Summarizes how to write a case study analysis
SWIF
Learning: A Guide to Student-Written, Instructor-Facilitated Case Writing—Paul
M. Swiercz
Discusses background information about the case writing
process and offers a guide to data resources
Writing
the Case—Penn State: Teaching
and Learning with Technology
Offers tips for effectively structuring and writing a case
Lynn, Laurence. Teaching and Learning with Cases: A Guidebook. New York: NY Chatham House, 1999.
See Netlibrary
Yin,
Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. London: Sage Publications,
1984.
Examples: Case Studies
Center on Women and Public Policy Case Studies— Herbert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
Offers a collection of case studies from scholars across the curriculum
Teaching the Case Method: Materials for a New Pedagogy—John Foran, University of California, Santa Barbara
Provides teaching notes regarding cases and case examples
Grant
Writing
McKinney
Engineering Library Finding Funding Information Tutorial—University
of Texas at Austin
Offers an in-depth tutorial addressing how to search funding
opportunities available at the local, state, national, and international
levels. Features
the Community of Science as a comprehensive source for funding resources,
and offers a personalized alert service to receive notification
of new opportunities
Regional
Foundation Library of the Hogg Foundation
The local Austin library assists grant seekers research possible funding
Proposal
Writing Short Course—The
Foundation Center
Discusses the process of indentifying funding sources and drafting grant proposals
Grantwriter’s Starter Kit—Hudson
Valley Community College
Offers links to tutorials and samples addressing proposal planning
and writing; budget development; and articles about
fund
raising, and grant seeking
Grant Proposal Writing—University
of Wisconsin, Madison
Is a collection of links to proposal writing guidelines
Writing
Grant Proposals—UC
Davis Institute of Governmental Affairs
Provides a collection of resource links to grant writing, proposal writing,
and online grant databases
KSA Statements
The following list highlights KSA
resources available online and at the writing center. For career service
and résumé assistance, please see the LBJ School of Public Affairs OSAP
office.
- The
KSA Workbook: A Guide to Presenting your Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities,
Annadale, Federal
Research Service, 2d ed., 2001
- A
Companion to the KSA Workbook, 2d ed., Federal Research Service,
Inc. 2001
- Human
Resources Services Division (NHHO). All About KSAOs. College Park, MD:
National Archives and Records Administration, 2002
- McKinney,
Anne. Real Ksas—Knowledge, Skills & Abilities—For
Government Jobs: Improve Your Chances of Gaining Federal Employment
by Preparing
Top-Notch KSAs. (Government Jobs Series), 2003
- Troutman,
Kathryn Kraemer. Federal Résumé Guidebook: Write a Winning Federal
Résumé to Get In, Get Promoted, and Survive in a Government Job, 3d ed. Indianapolis,
IN: Jist Works, Inc., 2004
See Chapter 14: Boosting Your Employment Chances with Great KSAs. See Netlibrary
Legal
Documents
Drafting
Legal Documents—Office of the
Federal Register
Offers a brief guide to legal writing
Texas Legislative Council Drafting Manual—Texas
Legislative Council
Explains how to draft various legislative documents. Provides style and
usage rules as well as a bibliography of legislative drafting texts
Literature Reviews
Please
refer to the Edie
and Lew Wasserman Public Affairs Library’s list of relevant databases
in
the public affairs field.
How
to Write a Literature Review—The
University of North Carolina Writing Center
Discusses how to write
literature reviews in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences
Tools
For Preparing Literature Reviews—Gregg
Jackson, Adrianna Kezar, Maria Kozi and Nina de las Alas,
The George
Washington University
Explains how to research literature from
the social sciences
- Cooper,
Harris. Synthesizing
Research: A Guide for Literature Reviews. 3ded. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Pub., 1998. See Netlibrary
- Fink,
Arlene. Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet
to Paper. 2d ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Pub, 2005. See Netlibrary
Memoranda
The
Electronic Hallway—Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs
The online repository offers teaching cases and other curriculum materials
for faculty who teach public administration, public policy, and related subjects.
Their teaching
resources provide ample memoranda resources for teachers and graduate students
alike
Memoranda Writing—J.
Patrick Dobel, Richard F. Elmore, Laurie Werner
Introduces a memorandum writing process to students training for careers
in public service
Plain Language
Plain Language Action and Information Network
Promotes the use of plain language for all government
communications and offers extensive plain language resources
A
Plain English Handbook: How to Create Clear SEC Disclosure Documents —U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission
Targets writers who must adhere to SEC regulations, but offers
practical ways to develop plain language documents
McClosky, Deirdre N. Economical Writing. 2d ed. Prospect Heights, Ill.:Waveland P., 2000
Op-Eds
The opposite editorial, commonly referred to as the op-ed,
is located opposite the editorial page of most newspapers. The op-ed
is a timely and provocative text that focuses on controversial issues
usually aimed at influencing policy makers.
It is a common example of writing for social change with high visibility.
Op-Ed Writing Tips—DePaul
University Newsroom
Offers succinct guidelines for writing op-eds
Examples: Op-Eds
Op-Ed
Examples—John
F. Kennedy School of Government
Features op-eds which analyze a wide
range of topics
2007 Notable Op-Eds of the Year —New York Times
Links to “a selection of noteworthy op-eds, op-extras and art from throughout the year”
Policy
Analysis
The
Big Idea: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Effective Policy Reports—Suri
Duitch
Offers a guide aimed at communicating policy to decision
makers at all government levels. The text is required reading in some cultural
policy classes at the UT College of Fine Arts
Policy
Analysis Exercise Writing Guide (2007–2008)—John
F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University
Summarizes a writing process for a policy analysis writing exercise
Writing
Effective Public Policy Papers: A Guide to Policy Advisers in Central
and Eastern Europe—LGI Publications
“Aims to equip policy advisers in CEE with the knowledge and skills
to effectively plan, write and publish policy papers in English. It is
designed
to be used primarily for self-study purposes through the inclusion of
interactive features (analysis of published policy papers and writing
checklists), but can also support the teaching of policy paper
writing in the classroom”
Suggestions for Writing Policy Analysis—Philip
Doty, University of Texas at Austin
Offers general outlines for writing policy analysis based on the models
of Charles R. McClure and Stephen Dunn.
Adapt the models appropriately
to meet your particular context. For more models, please visit the
LBJ writing center
- Bardach,
Eugene. A
Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective
Problem Solving.
New York: Chatham House Publishers, 2000
- Dunn,
William. Public Policy Analysis: An Introduction. 2d ed. New
Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1994
Press Releases/Briefings
Notes on Writing a Press Release—Susan
Doyle, University of Victoria, British Columbia Canada
Discusses the characteristics of effective briefing
notes
- Bartram, Peter. Writing Press Release: How to Get the Right Kind of Publicity and News Coverage. Oxford: UK, How to Books, Ltd. 1999. See Netlibrary
Examples: Press Releases
• Environmental Protection Agency
• European Union: Delegation of the European Commission to the USA
• Office of National Drug Control Policy
• United Nations
• US Department of State
• The White House
Testimony: Witness in Public Hearing
Research Links
University
of Texas Libraries
Edie
and Lew Wasserman Public Affairs Library (closed for renovation)
Offers a list of selected resources for
policy research categorized by subspeciality
Tarlton
Law Library
LBJ
Library and Museum
Most primary and second-source materials in the library are available
to researchers. To get started on your research, refer to Information
for Researchers. Students will typically work with a senior archivist
who can assist students locate materials and provide lists of principal
resources in areas such as foreign
policy.
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