• Tell us in summary what your answer to the question is so that the audience will be able to orient themselves in the presentation, and assess the extent to which the evidence presented supports this argument. Try to frame this in one sentence as a ‘thesis statement’ which is a direct, legitimate and interesting response to the question.
• Tell us whether you are testing an existing theoretical claim. If it comes from a particular source in the literature, tell us about it, or what the relevant theoretical issue or concept is (as well, if you can, what the main debate about this theory is).
• Tell us whether the essay will develop a case-study or a cross-case comparison in order to resolve the theoretical question. Tell us what case(s) you have chosen and why. ‘Cases’ do not have to be countries: they could be states within one country, a particular civil war, intervention, donor policy, controversy or event in international diplomacy.
– You may not have finished your analysis at this point. But if you can tell us what the ‘story’ of the case is, do.