I'm writing a research paper on political polarization, and I kept getting tangled up in definitions. What do I mean by "polarization"? Ideological? Affective? Elite? Mass? The words all sound similar but mean different things. My arguments were getting muddy because I was using terms inconsistently.
So I started a "definition page" at the beginning of my research process.
It's simple: a running document where I define every key term I'm using, specifically for this paper.
My definition page for this paper:
It's a small thing, but it's made my papers so much clearer. No more vague terms. No more accidental contradictions.
Anyone else do something like this? How do you keep your terms straight?
So I started a "definition page" at the beginning of my research process.
It's simple: a running document where I define every key term I'm using, specifically for this paper.
My definition page for this paper:
- Affective polarization: Dislike or distrust between party members, not necessarily policy disagreement.
- Ideological polarization: Divergence in policy positions between parties.
- Elite polarization: Polarization among politicians and party leaders.
- Mass polarization: Polarization among the general public.
It's a small thing, but it's made my papers so much clearer. No more vague terms. No more accidental contradictions.
Anyone else do something like this? How do you keep your terms straight?