"Fourth edition published by Pearson Education, Inc. 2010"--T.p. verso.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Political inquiry -- Critical thinking about politics -- Topic selection -- Locating research materials using indexes, databases, the internet, and mobile sources -- Creating evidence with primary and secondary data -- Properties of a good essay or research paper -- Common problems with writing -- Practices and expectations for manuscript format -- Referencing styles for author-date and footnote/endnotes systems -- Format and examples of activities to enhance comprehension and synthesis of class materials -- Format and examples of assignments for managing and processing information -- Format and examples of conventional research papers -- Format and examples of assignments requiring special techniques -- Format and examples of assignments with appropriate formatting for professional communication -- Format and examples of assignments organizing and documenting achievements for career development.