Project: Contemporary Research Paper on Criminal Justice Policy Issue
Contemporary Research Paper on Criminal Justice Policy Issue should include sections on the following:
History and development of the policy.
Goals of the policy.
Current implementation of the policy.
Positives/negatives of the policy (differing views and sides).
Effectiveness or use of the policy and/or the extent of the problem that it is addressing, including any contemporary research findings and/or data.
Remember that your paper/topic needs to focus on criminal justice/crime angles of policy.
Paper Specifications
6 page minimum paper, double-spaced
Minimum of 5 outside sources for paper (scholarly, peer-reviewed, govt., university)
1” margins on all margins
Font: Arial 11 or Times New Roman 12
No Excessively sized section breaks or header on first page
Incorporate a minimum of 5 outside resources (scholarly works – books, journal articles, etc.).
Do not use the word(s) “I” or “I think” in your paper.
MLA or APA format is fine. As long as the references section clearly delineates the author and source information.
Doing Original Work
Do not plagiarize. As a simple rule, remember any time you use 7 words in a row verbatim, you must use double quotes and do an in-text citation for that specific quote.
If paraphrasing specific author, you need to do an in-text citation for specifically referred-to ideas and/or sections where the author’s findings are discussed in sum. Especially lengthy quotes should be single-spaced, indented on both right and left margins, and the font reduced by 2 points.
Plagiarism in part or in whole is a crime; it is theft to use someone else’s work without their permission and it is fraudulent to then represent it as your own original material. As such, plagiarism is taken very seriously, especially by a department that is tasked with preparing and educating students for the field of criminal justice. Plagiarism will minimally result in a failing grade on the assignment and possibly failure in the course.
So, don’t plagiarize. It will be found. Your chances are better by simply turning in something less complete than to plagiarize. (of course, neither are recommended though)
Assessment Activity
Criteria for Acceptability
Contemporary Research Paper on Criminal Justice Policy Issue
Quality of Research
Identified and discussed the following:
(1) history and development of the policy,
(2) goals and mission of the policy,
(3) agencies and resources required, and
(4) an overview of how the policy (and possible change) would impact criminal justice agencies on both the macro- and micro-levels.
Provided an analytical conclusion in the final section of the paper (e.g., policy implications, allocation of resources, etc.)
Clarity
Effectively uses language
Transitions lead to change of subject
Coherent use of resources
Appropriate citation
Paper must have a minimum of seven current citations
Grammar and Mechanics
The paper is generally sound in terms of grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure
The paper is generally sound in terms of spelling errors
Structure
Paper includes the following: title page, table of contents, subject headers, and reference section
Paper meets minimum page length
Paper includes and uses at least 5 outside references
Grading: quality of research (50%), clarity (20%), grammar and mechanics (15%), structure (15%).
Grading will be conducted by the instructor for the course.
