Writing and research for Economics undergraduates
About this work
0.1
Preface
Licence
0.2
Examples of the sort of fancy interactive stuff I hope to incorporate in this web book
A Shiny app
My web pages
Scary math
R code and data
Other fancy stuff
0.3
Why am I writing this book?
0.4
Using this book
Is it helpful?
The structure of this book; what to read and when
Notes for instructors and course organisers
1
Doing a research project: why and how
1.1
Why is doing a research project valuable?
1.2
What you should aim for with an (undergraduate) dissertation; what you should aim for in an essay (coursework)
1.3
Ingredients of a successful paper/dissertation
1.4
Getting it right
1.5
‘Parameters’ of the assignment
1.6
Examples of successful undergraduate dissertations:
1.7
Following up after you have turned in your dissertation (or essay, or proposal/draft)
2
Getting started
2.1
Asking a good question
2.2
What makes a good question?
2.3
‘Economy theory, science, and previous evidence suggest testable hypotheses’
Reading to get ideas
2.4
Things you may want to try to get together early in the process, and put in your preliminary ‘proposal’
2.5
Meeting with your advisor and interacting with him/her
3
Economics: Methods, approaches, fields and relevant questions
3.1
Economic theory and empirical work: What is it?
3.2
Normative vs. Positive
3.3
Theoretical vs. Empirical (techniques)
3.4
Theoretical vs. Applied (focus)
3.5
Categories of empirical approaches
“Causal” vs. “Descriptive”
Structural vs. Reduced Form
Quantitative vs. qualitative (the latter is rare in economics)
3.6
Methodological research
3.7
Fields of economics, and some classic questions asked in each field
Microeconomics
Macroeconomics
Financial Economics (not as broad as the first two)
Econometrics (methods/technique)
Experimental economics (a technique)
Behavioural economics (an alternate approach to micro)
Applied fields
Do you know?…
4
Literature review and citations/references
4.1
What is the point of a literature survey?
4.2
What previous work is relevant?
4.3
What are “good” economics journal articles?
Unpublished “working papers”
4.4
How to find and access articles
4.5
Good starting points: Survey article, course notes, and textbooks
4.6
Backwards and forwards with references
4.7
Citations
List of works cited
Avoiding plagiarism and academic offenses**
4.8
How to write about previous authors’ analysis and findings
Use the right terminology
“Findings”: Critically examine sources
“Findings:” “They Proved”
“Findings”: How do you (or the cited paper) claim to identify a
causal
relationship?
4.9
…Stating empirical results
4.10
What to report
4.11
Organising your literature review
4.12
What if you have trouble reading and understanding a paper?
4.13
Some literature survey do’s and don’ts
4.14
Comprehension questions: literature review
5
Doing it: The process of researching and writing, organising your paper
5.1
The process of “researching while writing”
Getting help from other sources: the writing center, students, other lecturers, etc.
5.2
Slogging through
5.3
Organising your paper
5.3.1
Abstract
5.4
Outlining, structuring, and refining your paper
Why make an outline? How to do it?
6
Economic theory, modeling, and connecting this to empirical work
6.1
(From theory to) empirical work
6.2
Doing economic modelling and theory
6.3
Economic theory and empirical research: writing about your work
6.4
Empirical work: techniques and econometrics
7
Data please!
7.1
Why do we use data?
Descriptive
Causal: To make statistical inferences (and statistical predictions) about
effects
7.2
What data do you need to answer your question?
7.3
Some types of data
Some examples of datasets used by Undergraduate students
7.4
Getting and using data
Finding data
7.4.1
Downloading the data, raw formats
7.4.2
Inputting the data (into Stata, R, etc)
7.5
Understanding your data
7.6
What does data look like (brief)
Observations, variables
7.6.1
Cross-sectional, time-series, and panel data
String and numeric variables
7.7
Doing ‘coding’: cleaning, visualizing/summarizing, analysing, and presenting
7.8
Doing an econometric analysis
7.9
Presenting your results
8
Writing, argumentation, presentation, and (Economic) logic: Being clear and making sense
8.1
What is this and why would anyone read it?
8.2
Writing well: Clarity
How to write clearly - key rules:
8.3
General tips (especially for Economics)
8.4
Aspirations and Reality; learning by (counter-) example
8.5
Writing in a professional style
Tone
Terminology
8.6
Writing: Clarity, style, tone, and correct terminology. Common problems.
Content and narrative
Grammar and sentence construction
Tone
Word choice (aka ‘diction’) and terminology
Linking words and transitions
8.7
Revising, rewriting and proofreading
8.8
Sections to be added:
9
Thou Shalt (Not): Further specific “do’s and don’ts”, with further examples
9.1
Posing a good question
9.2
Organisation, structure, and focus
9.3
Literature review, citations, and attribution
9.4
Logic and argumentation
Opinion:
Critically examine sources
Non sequitur
Not economics:
Not “proven”:
Straw men: If you are claiming to be rebutting a “common argument” or “conventional wisdom” you need to show that others have made the point that you are trying to rebut.
Too strong claims
Units?
Vague, imprecise:** It is not clear what this is intended to mean.
Confusing statements
Define:
Anecdotal
9.5
Economic logic; avoiding fallacies; economic terminology
9.6
Statistical and econometric logic
9.7
Presentation of theory and equations
9.8
Data presentation and presentation of results
10
Econometric, statistical, and data issues
10.1
Some recommended applied econometrics and statistics resources
Time series
In Stata
With R
10.2
Regression analysis, regression logic and meaning
What is regression? When should you use one?
OLS: Estimating Actual Linear Relationship?
Identifying restrictions; CLM model assumptions
10.3
How to specify a regression – some considerations
Which dependent variable?
Which right-hand side (rhs) variables? The focal variables and control variables
10.4
Endogeneity
Reverse casuality
The omitted variable bias forumula; interpreting/signing the bias
Control strategies
Fixed effects/difference-in-between
Instrumental variables
2sls
Some other issues and “diagnostics”*
Heteroskedasticity
Interpreting your results 1: test for significance
Joint significance of a set of coefficients: F-tests
Interpreting results 2: magnitudes & sizes of effects
Interpreting results 3: interaction terms
10.5
(To add or integrate into the above)
10.6
Formatting figures and tables
11
Software and other tools
11.1
Computers and network resources
11.2
Document preparation systems
Word processors
Latex and Latex interfaces
Markdown-based and ‘dynamic documents’ and notebooks
11.3
Text editors
The ‘terminal’/command window/shell in Windows, Mac, and Unix
11.4
Citation management tools
Storing and organizing your references
Including citations and ‘bibliographies’ in your paper
11.5
Spreadsheets: just say no!
11.6
Statistical and coding software
Stata
R
Other stats packages and coding tools
11.7
(Other) Maths software
11.8
Software for creating explanatory figures (not data-driven)
11.9
Resources for further study and research
11.10
Backing up, saving/storing your workflow
11.10.1
Backups e-}
Git/Github and version management
12
List of other resources
12.1
Other research and writing guides
12.1.1
Overall dissertation and research guides
12.1.2
Guides to writing in Economics
12.1.3
General writing guides
13
Resources and advice for instructors
A proposed lecture programme
14
Works Cited
15
Appendix
15.1
Alphabetical list of abbreviations
15.2
Abbreviations: Notes for paper marking and commenting
Published with bookdown
Researching and writing for Economics students
14
Works Cited