Pay attention on theoretical part, so you will need to provide some theories that you will use on this essay, e.g. institutalism, constructivism, realism etc. It will evaluate that you can study terrorism from different theoretical perspectives.
It is important to mention, that probably key book for this essay will be Robson, Colin, Real World Research (Oxford: Blackwell, 1993).
- Abstract
1.Introduction
Terrorism related studies have been into existence since a long time however there has been a drastic increase in the concerns related to terrorism due to which there has been a significant change in the model and thought process behind the latest researches that are happening in this domain. Although, it is eventually a matter of fact that the research work on terrorism is primarily related to the past effects of incidents and an analysis on the history that has been associated with the same, the theories that are usually discussed as a part of these studies proclaim to be generated in nature however most of the times these theories are friends specific and do not offer concrete, rational understanding of similar happenings.
Terrorism is a highly controversial subject and more importantly can be covered under the roof of various domains and therefore multiple methodologies can be successful in conducting detailed research work using intellectual paradigm however in order to be successful it is important to have a balanced approach including field research, ethical perspectives and qualitative and quantitative analysis. There is no doubt in the fact that there are multiple studies that exists today however there are various common issues with the interpretation of theories leading to lack of accuracy and precision along with a deficiency of empirical evidence to support the facts and figures that may have been arranged as a part of the research.
Another major issue that has been ignored in the past is related to the dissemination of information in a terrorism research, now is the balance is lacking it is usually observed that the qualitative aspect of the studies provide a lot of information for analysis however at times it is too much in abundance however the processing piece is unable to provide the right shape. Similarly, the purely quantitative aspects of the research are directly criticized in this domain with the reason that ‘Terrorism’ is a social and political concept and therefore it needs to have strong qualitative definitions even if there is subsequent quantification for the purpose of data processing and to identify the results.
Hence, looking at the multi dimensional perspectives of research in terrorism it is easy to understand that Positivist research seems not the right critical epistemology to this type of study because it relays on testing a theory to increase the predictive understanding of a phenomena however this has been done by various researchers in their works, related to terrorism and critical examination suggests that there must be other designs that can provide empirical theory and framework, which may provide a better rational understanding of complications of ‘Terrorism’ as a subject.
2. Definitional Issues
The Orthodox methods of research of terrorism have lead to various issues in designing and creating a boundary for the discussions. There have been several studies that have intermixed the concepts of terrorism with those of political violence and communist theories. Hence it becomes an important factor to discuss about the various aspects and definitions of terrorism, related differences and biases.
Although, terrorism has been defined in detail by various researchers from political, social and legal perspectives however it is important to discuss the contradictions that have appeared in the past ten decades of terrorism based researches. Seemingly, researchers have used terrorism in various personal perspectives as well leading to an intense variation between different works, authors, national declarations and literature. The definitional issues related to terrorism can be understood by the fact that various hegemonic powers have produced their own definition in order to legally support their perspectives related to terrorism on a global scale.
Arguably, it can be discussed that if the definitions of a concept have a variation then how difficult it would be to select an adequate research methodology for the subject.
3. Literature Review
-Mention the main theorists in the area and a critique of their work (Important!)
Methodology and design of a research is based on the kind of output that is expected from research to provide the readers however considering the fact that there is a drastic difference between few studies getting lesser criticism then the others is due to the clarity of information dissemination and the correct choice of method in terrorism studies. Hence, there are various aspects that provide strength to research work and there are various others that add to the weaknesses. Dolnik (2011) mentions that the researches on terrorism have been criticized and appreciated for various reasons that include ““necessary” and “crucial” to “dangerous”, “unethical” and “impossible” comments. Generalisation of qualitative research is limited in terrorism studies, because the intent of this form of inquiry is not to generalize findings to individuals, sites, or places outside of those under study. Hence Gordon (2004) discussed about various databases and literature based studies that have used generalization theory for qualitative data and it has resulted in ambiguity in the conceptualization of issues related to Terrorism that are researched.
The legal perspectives on Terrorism are also covered by various studies, Saul (2005) discuss about triangulation as a validity strategy, which has been used in various researches related to legal issues on terrorism however there is a distinct differentiation between this method of research as used in conceptual qualitative studies rather than the ones where legal perspectives are discussed as definitions and critically analyse for their effectiveness. It is important to understand that this type of strategy may not be enough to suffice to the complexity related to the subject and although it may provide a definitions and boundaries related to the legal aspects on terrorism however from a research perspective, it would be missing the analytical angle which is required for a positive contribution from the research.
There are few researchers, analysts and those interested in the 9/11 attacks have generally shown the use of quantitative analysis in order to contribute through calculation of terrorist incidents and casualties related to the same, there are further distinctions to the distribution of data as for example there are researchers that have attributed the attacks to the Saudis. Additionally, there were other claims that provided along with the discussions on terrorist financing and various other aspects but failed to materialize the qualitative perspectives along with quantitative data due to which similar studies were not effective to create a rational theory for analysis of terrorism activity. Similarly, from a qualitative perspective, the recent studies lacked the use of constructivism and realism as the backbone of analysis of terrorism case studies which may have been far more effective in terms of logical association with various grounds of criticism.
Jacson et al. (2011) presented an excellent discussion on epistemological aspects of research studies based on terrorism and there was a clear expectation that academic studies must be completely free from biases like personal identity, values, perceptions and worldview hence neutralization is one of the great strengths of terrorism researches and it must be present to add to the epistemological aspects. Robson (2003) discussed about generalization as a method to present data specially coming from qualitative collection methods like interviews, surveys and case studies.
Various researchers have also proclaimed about the effectiveness of generalization, and it is usually important in the case where multiple perspectives are concentrated in order to develop a theoretical framework for a specific idea by generalizing the collected information and processing it in order to achieve homogeneous material for analysis. Miles and Hubberman (1994) provides his view on the fact that casualty must be avoided and the researcher should define the variables in both the qualitative and quantitative studies in order to support homogeneity while maintaining adequate differences between the analyzed variables. Hence, generalization may provide strength through homogeneity and specialized approach however at the same time it is important to ensure that there is lack of casualty and the variables related to terrorism or related aspects are clearly defined during the discussion process.
-Issues around research in the area
-Perhaps some voids in the research
4. METHODOLOGY
Based on the underlying research epistemology the qualitative study can be classified to be positivist, interpretive and critical. This is a critical study, where mixed methodology will be used, along with an application of both Qualitative and Quantitative techniques. Yin (2009) states that case study method is relevant when research questions seek to explain some present circumstance extensive and in-depth description of phenomena. However, Yin (2009) state that every research method can be used for all three purposes (exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory). In this research it will be useful to apply theoretical propositions as a strategy to analyse the qualitative and quantitative data which will be collected. As I have employed analytical and critical framework, the contexts research, organisation, and empirical approach will guide the discussions to focus attention on certain aspects and to ignore other.
There are several strategies of inquiry in qualitative research for example; ethnography, grounded theory phenomenological research, narrative research, and case studies. Considering the fact that this study will incorporate various other researches on terrorism, it is important to use multiple strategies so that there is an abundance of techniques to critically examine the works and provide empirical evidence in support of the arguments. Also, since a mixed methodology is being used in this work it is important to include strategies that coordinate with the quantitative aspects of the study and therefore ‘relational’ technique will also be used in order to deal with the quantitative data will be analysed as a part of the study.
2. Main Body Of The Essay
You have to understand, that your topic is NOT strengths and weaknesses of terrorism STUDY, it is all about RESEARCH. So, you need to evaluate your arguments based on different research types, assumptions, designs and theories.
You need to focus than on more theoretical assumptions of a social research as well. Firstly, speak about differences between methods: qualitative and quantitative. Each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses that may have impact on terrorism research particularly.
Also, you can discuss some stereotypes of terrorism.
I will upload this.
Please, have a look on this book:
You can speak about different theories of data collection, such as ground theory in qualitative research.
Make sure that this is relevant.
I really like how author divided strengths and weaknesses on different categories. You can do something like this.
Remember, that you need support your arguments with relevant examples from literature (!)
You need to focus on streanch and weaknesses of particular methods and approaches. Please pay attention to it.
-Make your point
-How does the point you are trying to make sit with the main body or research in this area?
You will start with providing some main definition of the topic
3. Implications/Conclusions
-What does your research and insight have to say about the area and the research in the area?
-What suggestions do you have for future research or to improve current research
-What are the implications of your findings?
Every essay should have a clear and concise conclusion. It should summarize what you have done in the essay and how you have done it. It should also state clearly your major findings or reasoned judgments.
4. Summary
-Summaries the main points of your essay
Do not include any new information here
5. Bibliography
-Alphabetic order
-APA format
