Some (Somewhat) Brief Notes on Writing Briefing Notes
Some (Somewhat) Brief Notes on Writing Briefing Notes
Martin’s motto: “It could always be briefer…”
1) Read about writing for economists, before writing a briefing note.
2) See the sample briefing note template on the course website.
I recommend following this, at least loosely.
3) Formatting
Briefing notes for Econ 525 should be no more than 2 pages, double spaced with margins of 2.54cm up and down, and 3.17 right and left (Microsoft Word defaults to these margins). The font should be Cambria 12 point. If needed, include an extra page with references. This will not count against your 2-page limit. I prefer if Briefing Notes are done in Microsoft Word and submitted to me electronically, as I can then edit them electronically, and pass that file back to you to learn from.
Note: The 2-page limit is common in government. Other rules are arbitrary and may vary across ministries.The point of you all facing the same constraints is that you all must focus on adjusting your writing to meet them (rather than playing with fonts, margins, etc.).
4) Fitting a sophisticated argument in 2 pages is very challenging. Allow yourself to exceed the page limit on your first draft, even if it takes you up to 3 or 4 pages. Then look this over and find ways to tighten your argument, eliminate unnecessary words, sentences, and paragraphs, and generally edit down to the page limit.
5) You are writing for a non-specialist audience, so try to avoid economics jargon.
6) There is a strict page limit, so make every word count. If you see a sentence that does not seem to be contributing to your point, drop it. You could be putting that space to more valuable use.
7) Use simple sentence construction. Clear writing often uses boring structure and plain language. That is OK. It helps to make the writing clear. If you find yourself writing large compound sentences, consider breaking them into smaller simple sentences.
8) Plagiarism
Before doing any writing assignment, read what the University has to say about plagiarism. You are responsible for reading and understanding this. Ignorance is no excuse. If you make a mistake it could lead to expulsion from the University.
Never copy source material without citation. Plagiarism is very bad in an academic context, but also in a government context. Imagine if your minister quoted you and your words were copying someone else’s words without citation. Both you and your minister could end up on the evening news and lose your jobs.
Since this is an academic program, we will use the usual method of citation used in academic economics (citation might not be as formal in real government jobs—though you still need to give credit where credit is due).
Examples:
“Farnham and Gugl (2015) find that….”
“Some studies (e.g., Farnham and Gugl, 2015) find that…”
You would then list the Farnham and Gugl article in your bibliography.
If, instead of just using an idea from another person, you want to use their actual words, put those words in quotes and cite the person. If you ever find yourself copying text from a document you are reading to a document you are writing (even with some modifications) you are treading on very thin ice with respect to plagiarism.
If you are unsure about what plagiarism is, you are responsible to contact your instructors to seek clarification, before handing any assignment in.
9) Read the question carefully, and make sure you answer it. You might even write the question(s) out on a separate piece of paper and tape them above your workspace, so that you know you are focussing on the right questions. It is easy to get distracted by interesting side issues, but you should focus like a laser on the questions you have been asked to address.
10) Do not feel like you have to be super conservative in your recommendations—this is a class after all. Save being cautious for when your job is on the line. Be prepared to be bold and make strong recommendations. Of course—those will look silly and ill-advised if you fail to back them up with strong arguments. So go for it. Make good, strong recommendations.