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In this article, the authors examine the importance of expressive and aesthetic truth claims to public administration scholars, and present a model to aid them in making and evaluating such claims. Sincere expression adds credibility to an argument, and quality of expression can lend elegance to a truth claim. Expressive or aesthetic truth claims are not merely used to heighten emotions or enhance sensory experience; more importantly, they can also contribute to the efficacy of an empirical or normative truth claim. Through the judicious use of these truth claims, significance and meaning can be attached to the bare facts of empirical inquiry or a recommendation to act.

This article presents a conceptual model related to normative truth claims and is advanced as part of a larger project involving the development of a logical taxonomy of options available to public administration scholars as they assess projects of various kinds. The model differentiates among five types of truth claims, two paradigmatic options, various theoretical perspectives, four forms of argumentation, and several kinds of evidence, creating a roadmap that can be used by scholars—particularly those just entering the field—to conceptualize and articulate their projects. It also provides a framework against which normative truth claims can be evaluated.

This article addresses the strategies and tools that public administration scholars use to understand phenomena of interest. The range of qualitative methods used has been limited, and the kind of rigor generally associated with quantitative methods has largely been absent in the application of their qualitative counterparts. Two conclusions are drawn from an analysis of articles published in two respected journals: Training on research methods in Ph.D. and M.P.A. programs should be expanded to include a broader range of strategies and tools, and the rigorous use of a broader range of research tools promises to better position the field of public administration to identify, examine, and answer the many big questions that it now faces.