Your paper for this course will take a traditional academic form with subheadings, including:
a brief abstract, (no more than 250 words)
an introduction to the topic,
how you plan to approach your topic, (using available case studies/journal articles, etc.),
outline of the papers’ main concepts/tenets, and discussion of their relation to your subject,
critical discussion of relevant theories (e.g. why they are relevant to your topic), and
conclusion
PLEASE NOTE: Format of your paper shall follow APA 7th Ed guidelines.
Your academic paper should be based on one of the topics shared and discussed in this course. Perhaps the most obvious topics will involve how public policy affects an aspect of public safety.
The purpose of your paper is to demonstrate your in-depth knowledge of the topic you chose as well as mastery of the relevant literature. Your goal, however, will not be to simply summarize what is already published, but to discuss what ideas/theories remain untested or what problems still exist, then consider how they can be solved. Your individual academic paper will be a culmination of your work throughout the course. For example, you may to examine public safety policy regarding crime (or any of the other three pillars of public safety). What policies have been effective in the past? What are their pros and cons? How could the goal of the policy become more effective? What steps are required to change that policy and who should be involved?
Make sure you use the usual layout, structure and the APA-7th Edition format for your academic paper. If you are continuing your academic studies, I recommend you buy the APA Manual. You will find it helpful.
Final Academic Paper: Part 2
Percentage of final grade: 20%. (Part 1 @ 10% and Part 2@ 20% will make up the total of 30% of your total mark for the Academic Paper.)
Length: 5-6 pages (a variance is allowed of up to one page at either end) not including the cover page, abstract, table of contents (if present) and reference page(s). Notice that the length of the assignment is shorter than most academic papers. The purpose of this shorter paper is to encourage you to think in terms of quality and conciseness! However, you must state your case well – and you only have a small space to do so. Choose well! Articulate well!
Note that Part 1 (Proposal) is NO MORE THAN 1-2 pages.
Part 2 (final academic paper) shall consist of a body of 5-6 concisely written pages on your selected topic, plus your Cover Page, Abstract, References
APA 7th ed. formatting guidelines will be STRICTLY followed throughout the paper.
The paper will be subject to “TURNITIN” – this is a program that checks for plagiarism.
