Research Paper Instructions
This assignment is to write a scholarly research paper that is based on a forensic discipline that has recently made scientific advancements in the investigation of forensic evidence. Some examples would be:
Digital Forensics
Digital Photography
Forensic Nursing
Fingerprint Analysis (AFIS and IAFIS database)
Forensic Genealogy
Touch DNA Analysis
Ballistics (NIBIN database)
Students will write a scholarly paper that is a minimum of 8-10 pages in length (8-10 pages excluding the title page, abstract, and reference page). The paper is required to be in the most current edition of APA format.
References may be found in the APUS library or search engines such as Google Scholar. The paper must include at least five, peer-reviewed sources. Keep in mind that 5 is the minimum. A good quality research paper usually contains in excess of 10. Sources should be less than 10 years old and if using statistical data, it should be less than 5 years old. Do not forget to use in text citations to credit your sources.
Note that references used for your research need to be peer-reviewed/scholarly journals. These journals typically have the following characteristics:
articles are reviewed by a panel of experts before they are accepted for publication;
articles are written by a scholar or specialist in the field;
articles report on original research or experimentation;
are often published by professional associations;
utilize terminology associated with the discipline.
Use of newspapers, news magazines, and similar periodicals must be kept to a minimum, and will be acceptable only as sources for supplementary information.
References like “Wikipedia,” “Psychology Today,” and “Court TV” are not primary sources, are not peer reviewed (reviewed for empirical integrity, accuracy, and authenticity), and are not appropriate references for scholarly writing (with the possible exception of use for anecdotal background information).
The paper should be of high quality, free of spelling and grammatical errors, and the student’s original work. Papers are automatically submitted through Turnitin.com and an originality score generated upon submission.
IMPORTANT NOTE: It is recommended that you submit your paper earlier enough to make revisions if your originality score is high (above 20-25%). Note filters can be used to filter out reference information and direct quotes.
