Instructions
The final draft will possess six structural elements: title page (one page), abstract (one page), introduction (one or more pages), discussion (eight or more pages, a literature review with a minimum length of six pages and a comparison with a minimum length of one page), conclusion (one or more pages), and references (one or more pages). Since the abstract is a compressed discussion of the introduction and conclusion (no more than 250 words), it does not count against the ten pages of length (Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced) of the final paper. The rubrics presented in Table 1 and Table 2 (see below) will form the evaluation of the final paper.
With the discussion section of their final draft, students will provide a literature review and a comparison exploring their research question. The literature review section is similar to the preliminary literature review assignment, but it should contain all ten of the references. The comparison section is similar to the preliminary comparison assignment, but it should be more sophisticated.
Concerning the references, the instructor will require students to find a minimum of ten peer-reviewed articles (not editor’s notes or commentaries) from academic journals for their sources. Sources should come from either the Academic Search Complete or JSTOR database, both of which are available through Drake Memorial Library. Students should make sure to cite each source a minimum of one time in their discussion and should avoid quoting from any source (use paraphrasing instead).
Students shall use 7th edition APA citation and reference style for the final paper. Students shall not quote any content within their essays and will lose points for every quote (the instructor will deduct more points for longer quotes). Any attempts by students to quote a source without proper citation, to avoid the loss of points, will result in automatic failure of the assignment and the instructor will report the attempted plagiarism by the student to the department chair for appropriate disciplinary action.
Each section of the completed paper will have its own requirements and penalties:
Universal Penalties:
-5% per quoted sentence (-10% if the quoted sentence is not cited correctly)
-5% per section that is cut-and-pasted rather than revised (-10% if the instructor’s recommended corrections were not followed).
Title Page: The title page must include the student’s name, the title of the paper, the date of submission, and the class name.
-1% for each of the above that is missing.
Abstract: The abstract must include a research topic and must be a minimum of 120 words long.
-2% for an unclear research topic (-4% for a missing research topic)
-2% per 12 words under the minimum length
Introduction: The introduction must be a minimum of one full page long, must include the research question, and must include citations from every source.
-1% per article title repeated (please mention the authors or cite the articles instead)
-2% if the introduction is three-quarters of a page long, -6% if it is a half-page long, and -10% if it is a quarter page long.
-2% for a research question unmarked by a ‘?’ (-4% for no discernible research question.
-1% per incorrect citation (-2% per missing citation)
Literature Review: The literature review must be a minimum of six pages long, must include citations from every source, and must focus on the concepts and themes in the cited articles rather than the cited articles.
-1% per article title repeated (please mention the authors or cite the articles instead)
-1% per incorrect citation (-2% per missing citation)
-1% per page that focuses on the cited articles rather than the concepts and themes of the cited articles.
-1% per page that lacks an integrated comparison of the component articles.
-2% per missing half-page of length.
Comparison: The comparison must be a minimum of one full page long and must answer the five questions about the comparison of the criminal justice system of two or more nations.
-2% if the comparison is three-quarters of a page long, -6% if it is a half-page long, and -10% if it is a quarter page long.
-2% for each of the following five questions that are not answered within the comparison:
What nations are you comparing?
The nations may not include the USA and must come from different continents.
What aspect of the criminal justice system are you comparing?
The aspect must be narrower than the fields of adjudication, corrections, and policing.
What are the primary differences between the aspects of the criminal justice systems that you are comparing?
What are the strengths and/or weaknesses of the aspects within the criminal justice systems that you are comparing?
Which nation performs better when it comes to the aspect and why do you think that?
Conclusion: The conclusion must be a minimum of one full page long, must include the research question, and must include citations from every source.
-1% per article title repeated (please mention the authors or cite the articles instead)
-2% if the conclusion is three-quarters of a page long, -6% if it is a half-page long, and -10% if it is a quarter page long.
-2% for a research question unmarked by a ‘?’ (-4% for no discernible research question.
-1% per incorrect citation (-2% per missing citation)
References: The references must have a minimum of ten peer reviewed sources in APA reference style:
-1% per non-peer reviewed source attempting to substitute for a peer reviewed source (-2% per missing source)
-1% per source with more than one APA style mistake
