ABSTRACT
Scholarly research is exciting and fun to do. Admittedly, some students, caught in the grind of daily and term assignments, may not see it this way. Social research is an attempt by social scientists to develop and sharpen theories that give a handle on the universe. Reality unrefined by theory is too chaotic to absorb. The way a particular political scientist conducts research will depend both on the uses visualized for the project and on the way the scientist marshals evidence. Engineering research is geared to solving problems. Normative theory is taught extensively in political science departments, but often this means primarily the history of normative theory and its development, not the active formulation of normative theories. Theory-oriented research is recreational, empirical research. Positive theory is the most recently introduced form of political research. Like normative theorists, positive theorists posit certain facts about politics; but in contrast to normative theorists, they posit facts as empirical conditions.
