The Research Paper must be a minimum of 4,000 words in length, but must not exceed 6,000 words. The paper requires a minimum of 10 different references.
It will be typewritten, double spaced-standard margins, and follow the APA style format. The paper will be submitted through the Dropbox, which is linked to Turnitin. No previously submitted papers, articles, reports or projects, in whole or part, to any university or college will be accepted. It is expected that this will be the student's original work.
No more than 15% of your entire document can be quoted. The research paper is comprised of three parts: the topic selection, the annotated outline, and the final paper. Combined, these three parts make up 25% of the overall grade for this course.
Course Research Project Part 1 - Topic Selection Essay
The student should submit a 200 - 500 word essay to the instructor (via the Assignment box) that addresses all of the following:
State the working title of your Course Project Topic.
Identify the main issue to be examined.
Provide a brief explanation of the problem or issue.
Explain how this topic is related to the learning outcomes outlined in this syllabus and/or to the policy related topics discussed in the textbook of this course.
Explain how the topic is related to criminal justice.
A PDF attachment titled List of Suggested of Suggested Criminal Justice Topics has been provided to help the student decide; however, the student may choose a related topic not found on the list as long as it is approved by the instructor. Once approved by the instructor, the student may proceed to the second part of the course research project.
Part 1 of the project is due no later than Sunday 11:59 pm EST/EDT of Module 4.
Course Research Project Part 2 - Annotated Outline
Part 2 of the Course Project consists of an annotated outline. The annotated outline is the framework of the final project and will include most, if not all of the student's reference sources. This annotated outline will give the professor a chance to see how far along the student is in his or her project, and allow the professor to give each student feedback on ways to improve. The more a student puts into the annotated outline, the more feedback the professor can offer back to him or her. The idea is to make sure the student is on the right track so that there won't be any surprises at the end.
The student will be provided with a PDF document titled Annotated Outline Format and an MS Word document titled Table of Contents for the CRJ-560 Project. These two documents provide the student the general framework for the final project.
Part 2 of the project
Course Research Project Part 3 - Final Research Paper
The student should submit his or her final Course Research Project to the Assignment box. This Assignment box may be linked to Turnitin.
The final Research Paper is due no later than Sunday 11:59 pm EST/EDT of Module 8. Click on the Research Project Rubrics link in the Start Here menu to view the scoring rubrics for each of the three parts of the project.