In order to gain a better understanding for the research being done within the field of political science it is critical for you to research some of the current academic publications.

Article Review Paper (DUE 4/8/16)
Summary In order to gain a better understanding for the research being done within the field of political science it is critical for you to research some of the current academic publications. For this assignment you must select and provide a thorough literature review of one of the academic articles posted on the course Moodle site. The assignment must be between 450-600 words and have one (1) cited source.
Overview: In order to gain a better understanding for the research being done within the field of political science it is critical for you to research some of the current academic publications. For this assignment you must select and provide a thorough literature review of one of the academic articles.  The assignment must be between 450-600 words and have one (1) cited source.
Research Steps:
Select an article.  I have pre-selected 13 academic articles for you to choose from for the assignment. The cover the following topics: same-sex marriage, gun control, environmental regulation, immigration reform, education policy, and legalization of marijuana. Pre-selected articles will be posted on the course site by the end of January. Feel free to review some of the articles before finally selecting the one you want to review for the assignment.
Structure your review.  When writing a literature review it is critical you focus on four sections of the article: literature review, methods, hypotheses, and findings. First, each article will have their own literature review, which is often several pages long and located in the first section of the article. Focus on pulling out a few key ideas from that section that you believe are important and summarizing in your own words. Second, each article will mentions the methods they use for their research. Briefly summarize the types of methods used in the article (i.e. survey, interviews, participant observation). Third, there will often be clearly stated hypotheses or research expectations. In your own words, summarize those hypotheses or select one or two you find particularly interesting. Fourth, there is the findings section. Focus on summarizing the findings and don’t get too focused on minor details. Instead, think big picture. Did their findings reaffirm or disprove their hypotheses? Finally, provide a brief 1-2 sentence conclusion in which you can talk about the validity or quality of the article.
Write properly.  This is a highly structured paper and words will be at a premium, so write efficiently. Additionally, you will have to cite the article you are reviewing, so make sure to properly cite using MLA formatting. You can find resources for that hereand here.