political science writing question and need a sample draft to help me learn.
CRS Insight report
You are a country/issue specialist for the Congressional Research Service (CRS). You have been assigned to write an Insight document evaluating a current foreign policy issue for the United States House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Your options here are quite broad – anything that falls under the umbrella of foreign policy and could conceivably be of interest to the US legislative branch is a workable option. The main goal is to familiarize yourself with policy writing in an introductory way. You don’t need to write this with a particular bill in mind, so you don’t need a “policy implications for Congress” section at the end.
When selecting a topic, you must observe the following guidelines:
You can’t write on a topic that has been covered in a previous CRS report within the last three-five years. If you are writing on a past topic but with updates for current political issues and interests, that would be fine.
Otherwise, it can be safest to choose a very recent issue that CRS is unlikely to have covered yet. This can be very niche/narrow – don’t worry if it wouldn’t actually be likely to serve as a CRS report topic.
Spy balloons – capabilities and implications?
Earthquake in Turkey/Syria – political dimensions of aid decisions
Canadian patrol aircraft and Haitian gangs
Your report should include the following:
Intro paragraph
Previews all main points of the Insight document
Brief overview of the conflict in question.
Roughly 1/4 of the report
Short timeline of recent events, the actors involved, the issues under dispute, etc.
In-depth discussion of US and other interests regarding this issue. Why does it matter to the US, and what evidence do you have to support this?
Use of evidence and examples to show how both were applicable and built off of each other.
3/4 of the report
Your report does not need to include any policy prescriptions or predictions. In addition, your report should adhere to the following style guidelines:
600-1000 word length requirement
Should include title and section headings
Title should be 12 words or less, and give full idea of what report contains. See this link for examples: https://crsreports.congress.gov/search/#/0?termsToSearch=insight&orderBy=Relevance&navIds=4294967211Links to an external site.
First section (intro paragraph directly under title) should first have the date of the report, and then should succinctly lay out your main points and the purpose of your Insight document.
Subheadings should clearly relate to that sections content.
No need for a separate conclusion section
Can include bullet points if they aid in clarity/understanding
Can include maps, charts, graphs, images, etc. if they support your points
Font sizes/style
Title: 18pt, bold
Date of report: 14pt
Section headings: 16pt. bold
Body text: 12pt
Author Information subheading: 14pt, bold
Author info: 12pt
Citation should be done through embedded links, not in-text citation, footnotes, or endnotes.
Include a bullet-point list of your sources/links at the end of the document just for reference. No need to format this – hyperlinks are fine.
No first-person language – write for the organization, not yourself
Formatting example: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/IN11350.pdf
Requirements: 600-1000 words