Policy Brief.
First, read this helpful background paper that explains the nature of a policy brief and how to write one effectively. Please note, however, that this is an academic assignment. While the guidelines in the background paper suggest that most executives and policymakers prefer limited documentation, an academic assignment needs to be fully and accurately cited. Papers should include 6-8 pages of content (1750-2500 words). The title, abstract and reference pages do not count toward that total. Papers should be double-spaced, with standard 1-inch margins and a standard 12 point font and there should be no additional spacing between paragraphs. Avoid excessive subheadings. You may use either APA or Chicago Turabian, as long as you use parenthetical citation (author, year, page #), rather than footnotes. See the sections below for information on source selection, and proper use of materials. See Rubrics for specific details on how papers will be graded. Sources, Citations, and Rubrics An “A” paper will have at least ten sources (see the rubric below). All sources must be cited so that the reader knows the *exact* location of the information – in other words, you would cite the specific article you used, not just include a citation to the Washington Post. See the rubric for the number and type of sources to be used. Textbooks from other courses can be used, but do not count toward the minimum primary or secondary sources. Reference works also do not count toward the minimum number of sources. Restrict your sources to newspaper articles from major national and international papers, published journals and magazine articles, academic sources and websites from major organizations and government agencies. (Your textbook and other assigned readings may be used as a reference but they do not count toward the minimum number of sources.) Your best sources will be online, from places like human rights organizations, the UN, the State Department and other government agencies. Online sources must be authoritative sources. Wikipedia, InfoPlease, About.com and other non-academic websites are not acceptable sources. (Bear in mind that anyone can submit an article to Wikipedia.) If you are unsure about how to determine if an online source is a good one, the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University has an excellent resource guide: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/evaluating_sources_of_information/index.html. If you still have doubts as to whether a source is acceptable, just send me an email and I’ll let you know. Sources more than a few years old may be useful in some cases for historical background, but most of your sources should be written within the past year. Encyclopedias and dictionaries are not appropriate sources for college level work.