RESEARCH GUIDE 

Part 1 - Starting    |    Part 2-Researching      |     Part 3-Goal Statement     |     Part 4-Scope of the Problem     |     Part 5-Past Policy 

Part 6-Current Policy    |     Part 7-Policy Options    |     Part 8-Orgs & People     |     Part 9-Glossary      |     Part 10- Presenting

 

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Part 10 - Presenting the Work

1. Documenting the Issue Brief and Using the Wiki
2. Meetings with the Community Partner
3. Common Products for the Partner
4. Public Forums
5. Citations and Bibliographies
6. Finishing or Following up 

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Documenting the Issue Brief and Using the Wiki

 

Besides producing useful policy research and analysis in response to specific community partners and needs, a key goal for this project is to leverage the intellectual work of students, faculty, and campuses for the common good.  As an extension of ongoing community service projects and civic engagement, the development of policy research and issue briefs offers another way in which college students and institutions can help address the needs of our communities and nations.  Because we want to reinforce long-term impact on these issues and the potential for broader-based systemic change, we need to make sure we capture and share this knowledge.

 

To do this, the PolicyOptions Wiki has been developed as a place to share this research and knowledge. Each issue brief can be posted there and shared.  The mechanics of this are straightforward:

 

• Go to the working page for your campus: http://policyoptions.pbwiki.com/Campus-Working-Pages
• Make sure you are signed up as an editor/contributor.  If you do not already have access, you can request it by clicking on the link on the sidebar to do so. 
• Edit the information about the issue brief you are working on (headings are already listed).
• Follow the instructions for adding a new page (a template with the issue brief format will appear).
• [NOTE: THESE INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE EDITED TO INCLUDE LINKS TO INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS]

 

7b.  Meetings with the Community Partner or Community Stakeholders

 

As noted in the beginning section, issue briefs may be most powerful when driven by the research needs and interests of a community partner.  Even if the issue brief is not being developed for one specific agency or constituency, it is important to consult stakeholders throughout the research process.  Doing so ensures not only that the product is well-informed by the knowledge and expertise of individuals who work on the issue, but also that its end-product will be useful to individuals and groups who are playing roles to impact the issue.  

 

It is strongly suggested that reviews of the issue brief happen throughout the process, at the very least at the following junctures:

 

• To narrow or tailor the issue brief at the beginning of the process
• To review the research and information collected after initial library research, internet research, telephone calls, and interviews.  Here, we'd recommended that the researcher review the research in a digested form, pointing out key finding and presenting initial thoughts about the options
• Once more detailed research to flesh out the policy options (policy tree or matrix) is completed, touching based with relevant community partners or experts can be very helpful. This is an opportunity to test one's thinking about the proposed solutions.
• If time permits this for both the student and partner, having the partner review the student's final brief or paper (on the wiki or in writing) can be another step in the process.  This may be a chance to address any final questions or gaps, as well as give the partner a preview of the issue brief.
• Finally, the student generally presents a final product to the partner.  Again, besides the issue brief, this can take a number of forms.  See the next few sections for examples of other products and public forums.

   

7c.  Common products for the Partner

 

The issue brief itself is designed to be a concise, practical document — especially for elected officials and community partners who may want to understand the information and make choices for future legislation, program models, and other initiatives.  Elected officials or those who can influence legislation and governmental initiatives may want this knowledge to inform their policy work or support of particular legislation.  Non-profit organization staff, board members, or volunteers may find the information can help them shape their mission, vision, and programs.  But besides the issue brief, the information contained may be translated or integrated into a variety of other products that can inform effective public policy and other forms of citizen or organizational work.  Some of these include:

 

• Needs assessments
• White papers or analytical reports
• Programmatic literature, such as brochures, fliers, and other program descriptions
• Documents intended to educate the public or raise awareness, such as presentations, readings, and reports
• Educational products, such as training, workshops, or components for a broader course
• Information to share with relevant advocacy and lobbying groups

 

7e.  Public forums

 

In many cases, after the students (and/or faculty) carry out the research, construct an issue brief, and create a related product for the community partner or community, they also present this information publicly.  In doing so, they share the relevant knowledge with a broader set of stakeholders, community residents, campus representatives, or others who can benefit from this work.  Common forums may include:

 

• A simple presentation to the staff and board of the non-profit organization
• A broader community forum or town meeting, with targeted invitations to individuals such as the Mayor or city council members
• A campus-based forum or presentation, which could be for students involved in civic engagement (such as the Bonner Program) or  

 

7f.  Citations and bibliographies

 

Students may want to consult faculty members for specific guidelines and expectations regarding the contents and format for citations and bibliographies to be included with the issue brief or course assignment (research paper).  Various disciplines (such as Sociology, Political Science, and so on) may have slightly different guidelines.  

 

Here are two links that might be helpful on footnote style:

 

• http://www.csuchico.edu/lref/pols/APSA.pdf
• http://dept.lamar.edu/polisci/DRURY/drury.html

 

Below are some guidelines drawn from the American Political Science Association, which we suggest so as to keep the PolicyOptions Wiki consistent.

 

Reference list entry: Article

 

The table below illustrates APSA reference list entries for sample articles.

Type of source	Sample entry in reference list
Journal article	Aldrich, John H.  1980.  "A Dynamic Model of Presidential Nomination Campaigns."  American Political Science Review 74:651-69. [The "74" is the volume number; what follows are the inclusive page numbers for the article.]
Magazine article	Prufer, Olaf.  1964.  "The Hopewell Cult."  Scientific American, December.
Chapter in a multi-author collection	Hermann, Margaret G.  1984.  "Personality and Foreign Policy Decision Making: A Study of Fifty-Three Heads of Government."  In Foreign Policy Decision Making, ed. Donald A. Sylvan and Steve Chan.  New York: Praeger.

 

Reference list entry: Book

The table below illustrates sample APSA reference list entries for books.

Type of source	Sample entry in reference list
Book (1):
Single author	Kessel, John H.  1968.  The Goldwater Coalition:  Republican Strategies in 1964.  Indianapolis:  Bobbs-Merrill.
Book (2): Two authors, later edition	Sorauf, Frank J., and Paul Allen Beck.  1988.  Party Politics in America.  6th ed.  Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman.
Edited collection	Ball, Terence, James Farr, and Russell L. Hanson, eds. 1988.  Political Innovation and Conceptual Change. New York:  Cambridge University Press.
Corporate author	American Political Science Association.  1993. Style Manual for Political Science.  Rev ed. Washington: American Political Science Association.

 

Reference list entry: Government document

 

Type of source	Sample entry in reference list
Congressional reports and documents	U.S. Congress.  Senate.  Committee on Foreign Relations. 1956. The Mutual Security Act.  84th Cong., 2d sess., S. Rept. 2273.
Congressional debate	Congressional Record.  1966.  89th Cong., 2d sess., vol. 112, pt. 16.
Presidential proclamations and executive orders	Reagan, Ronald.  1984.  Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, Proclamation 5142.  Federal Register, vol. 49, no. 2, p. 341. [The p. is used here to distinguish the page number from the volume and issue numbers.]
Executive department document	U.S. Department of Commerce.  Bureau of the Census.  1975.  Statistical Abstract of the United States.  Washington:  Department of Commerce.
Treaties	U.S. Department of State.  1963.  Nuclear Weapons Test Ban, 5 August. TIAS no. 5433.  U.S. Treaties and Other International Agreements, vol. 14, pt. 3. ["TIAS" indicates the treaty series.]

 

Format the reference list

The reference list should begin on a new page at the end of your paper, titled simply "reference" (without the quotation marks).

•  Include reference only for works that you have actually cited in the paper.

• Alphabetize the entries, by author's last name.

• If your list includes several works by the same author, arrange them chronologically and repeat the author's name at the beginning of each reference.   

 

Finishing or following up

 

Often times, the process ends in conjunction with the termination of the given course and related assignments (in a particular quarter or semester). The student finishes the paper, issue brief, and related product, then shares these with the community agency and other individuals.  Hopefully, its contents and process have been educational, not only for the student but also for the community partner or agency, providing them with useful information for future decision-making.  The process need not end there.  If the issue brief is being completed in the context of broader civic engagement work with the agency or community—for example community service projects, other service-learning initiatives, issue-based organizing, and multi-semester community-based participatory research—there is the opportunity to define additional next steps. Some of these next steps may include:

 

• Strategy sessions to determine how to incorporate the issue brief findings into future programmatic work or policy creation
• Drafting of legislation or sample policies
• Using the brief and process to reinforce new partnerships and collaboration
• Identifying subsequent research projects
• Passing information on to relevant advocacy or lobbying groups
• Organizing new initiatives and programs on campus to continue to work on the issue

 

In many of these cases, other individuals (besides the researcher) will need to be involved.  Most importantly, be clear with community partners and constituents about what to expect and how long it will take.  Some use the adage, "Underpromise - overdeliver."  The campus-community partnership process is a complex, ongoing one, often requiring small steps taken over time.  Nonetheless, look for and implement one or two concrete strategies for using the policy research and issue brief process as a community organizing tool, on and off campus.