An important aspect of economics is writing to communicate ideas.  Albeit, an aspect that is often given little emphasis in undergraduate economics' courework.  This class will emphasize writing.  Seventy five percent of the grade for this course will be determined by three writing assignments.  Therefore, we will spend a significant amount of time talking about the writing process.

Ideas are the life-blood of any discipline and the ability to communicate these ideas in written fashion is what allows for the dissemination of these ideas.  This is not to say that all ideas should be written down, but at least this way we can determine which are worthy of publication and which are relegated to the trash heap.

When I write a paper I like to think about five distinct sections of the paper.

I.       a. Introduction
         b. Background

II.     Literature Review / Theory

III.   Methods / Data

IV.   Model and Results

V.     a. Discussion
         b. Conclusion

Introduction
    The introduction needs to tell the reader about the problem or issue to be addressed.  It MUST be interesting, if it is not, people will not read the rest of your work.  It should explain the general field in which you are working and what makes your study/thinking important. This is A of the introduction.  Part B is the background.  This is where you get to fill in some of the detail and really get the reader hooked on your topic.

Literature Review / Theory
    Here you describe what others have done in order to focus your work and keep from "reinventing the wheel."  We learn from the body of work that precedes us.  Please organize it from general to specific, so that you take increasingly detailed looks at an ever narrowing range of ideas, action and/or products.  Make sure that you do not rely solely on the internet (it is ephemeral at best).  At least one of your sources should be the seminal or groundbreaking works in the field. Please cite your book and journal references as follows (Harbor, 1999).  Or if Casey (1999) said it.  For books, please give the page number (Harbor, 1992, p. 42).  For internet sites, give the organization and year, and put the full address in the citation.  Use MLA or APA style for the references cited (See "A writer's reference, your Official W&L style guide).

Methods / Data
    This is the "road map" that you're going to write.  Tell us what, how, etc. you're going to do to get "results"  It might be how you're going to compare different case studies, how you're going to sample flowers, how you're going to interview stakeholders, etc.  It should be based on the methods designed by others as given in your literature review.

Model and Results
    This is where you estimate your model and present the results.  First, you will want to present a Y = a + bX + e.  This should follow directly from your theory and data.  Then, its  "Just the facts, ma'am."  You tell the reader just what should be obvious from the estimation of your model.  Offer no interpretation, per se.  Explain the ins and outs, but refrain from valuing the results.

Discussion
    Here's where you can finally use the words "I think."  Run with the results in terms of what they mean to you, how you would act based on this information, how what you learned differs from or compares with what others have learned from their work.  In the discussion, you have the opportunity to advocate for policy and/or programming changes.

References Cited

Paper 2: 5-7 pages in length consisting of the theory and methods. (sections II and III)

Paper 3: 7-10 pages in length consisting of the model and results and conclusion. (sections IV and V)

turn in 1 for 20 points
turn in revised 1 for 5 points and 2 for 20 points
turn in 1, revised 2 for 5 points and 3 for 25 points

Use the writing center!!!  I will be available for conversations about ideas and style and content, but I will NOT be your editor.