FINAL PAPER AJ499

FINAL PAPER AJ499

RESEARCH PAPER (final essay 40%) REQUIREMENTS The purpose of this paper is to enable you to complete an original research project on a relevant topic in the administration of justice. Drawing on the extant literature and using your own unique research frame, you will develop and complete a research paper that answers your unique questions (your electives classes in AJ will help) about an issue in the administration of justice. While your own interests will guide your research, it is crucial to use the literature available to develop an informed and professional research paper.

Paper Requirements: After your topic is selected and approved. (1) Abstract: should include your research questions, the theory (AJ 100 or 105 will help) or theories that inform your research, the methods of data collection and analysis (see AJ 301/2) to be used, and what you believe you will find as a result of your study (see course objectives). (2) BODY: After you have identified a specific topic, you will then develop your own unique area of discussion and analysis: introduction, literature review, theory and methods, and possible finding (your previous courses in AJ will help such as AJ 100,105, 211,240, etc.). (3) Citations: You must use the APA guide for identifying authors cited in the text as well as the bibliography listing all sources used in alphabetical order. If you are not familiar with APA, there are reference guides in the library as well as on-line sources. (4) Placement of graphs, figures, or tables: If you use graphs, figures, or tables in your paper, I would prefer that you note their location in the text, [TABLE 1 HERE], and compile all tables at the end of the paper. This is easier for both the writer and the reader. (5) Format: Papers must be type, double spaced, with one-inch side, top, and bottom margins and use a 12-point font. A cover page with the title and your name is sufficient. The minimum page requirement for the paper is 15 pages (NOTE: cover, reference, graphs, figures and, tables pages will not be counted as part of the 12 pages). While I do not specify a maximum length, I am anticipating that most people will submit papers 12 pages long.

WRITING GUIDELINES: The guidelines presented here are meant as suggestions, tips for writing research papers. This is not an exhaustive list as there are numerous approaches to writing. The guidelines are a reflection of what I look for in good writing. Other instructors may have different perspectives. It is good to know the expectations of the audience for whom you write.

Be clear about your main theme or topic. It is sometimes easy to get side-tracked with alternative explanations or tangential issues. Stay focused on your topic.

Clearly define your research question(s). In Criminal Justice, people sometimes use the word hypothesis which may be accepted by some writers, but is a bit of a misnomer. Unless you are conducting an experiment in a controlled environment, you are not testing a hypothesis. Rather, you have a research question or questions that you will investigate.

If you are using quantitative analysis, you may be testing for correlation between variables. Correlation should not be mistaken for factual proof. You may have some assurances that there is a relationship between variables, but this does not necessarily mean one causes the other.

Qualitative analysis is no less rigorous than quantitative analysis, but is seeking to find a greater breadth and depth of information about the issues you are studying. This does not mean you only describe what is, but rather that you delve deeper into meanings, context, and content to better understand the subject you are studying.

The structure of your paper for this class will have four main components: introduction, literature review, theory and methods, and findings. For the rough draft of your paper, you will write each of these four components as standalone papers. After receiving feedback from me, you will then integrate the four papers into your final research paper.

The first paper is the introduction. In the introduction, you provide a detailed discussion about your research question(s) and how you define the variable included in your question(s); what is known in the extant literature about your topic; the theory or theories that help you frame your research questions and guide your research; and the methods you used to collect and analyze the data. This portion of the paper is written first to provide you with a template for structuring the rest of your paper.

The literature review paper (AJ 100, or 105 and your elective classes will be of help) should be designed to demonstrate what is known about your topic, but also to illustrate that there are still gaps in the knowledge. You can then discuss your own unique research niche. The literature review should include summarization of the major findings with citations for researchers who have completed comparable work. Discuss like topics together, rather than having a string of paragraphs where you can see and comprehend the development of the research. You can also verify whether the researchers completed a well-thought out project or if there are flaws in their theoretical frame or methods. You may not use popular magazines, web pages, or newspaper articles as often you do not know where people secured their information or whether it is valid. Often these sources rely more heavily on personal opinion or appeals to emotion rather than serious scholarly inquiry. If you cannot verify how someone arrived at their conclusions or where their data came from, then it is probably not the best source to use. If you find a report on-line from a reputable agency, such as the National Institute of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, or the Bureau of Justice Statistics, you must provide the hard copy citation, not the web address.

The theory paper should not be a literature review of different theories, but an application of how you used a particular theory or theories to focus your research. Explain how this frame is appropriate for the research you are pursuing. There is no one right theory to use for any one topic. You may find a variety of theories provide what you need to guide you better than just one theory (AJ 100,105, will be of great help).

Included in the theory paper is your discussion of methods (see AJ 301 and 302). This portion of your paper should be a through overview of how you intend to collect and analyze your data. Make certain to include clear definitions of the variables you use. This may not be the most exciting portion of your paper, but it is an important and central component. Be sure that anyone who reads your research could recreate your study based on the plan you have laid out. If not, then you need to keep working to provide sufficient detail.

The findings paper should be about your research and what you discovered or did not find. Provide through coverage of how your research question(s) were supported or refuted by your findings. Even though you know this very well because you have completed the research, do not assume that the reader will know nearly as much about it as you do. Be comprehensive in your coverage.

Always give credit where credit is due. If you directly quote or paraphrase someone’s work you must provide accurate identification of the researcher and where the information is located. In the text of our paper you could say: Jones (1999, p. 4) said… or provide the quote and include within the sentence so the period falls after the reference. Short quotes, less than three lines, may be kept in the paragraph enclosed in quotation marks. Longer quotes should appear as a block of indented text. APA format must be used for all papers submitted to me.

Do not cite the entire title of an article or book in the text of the paper. As noted in (guidelines on how to cite in the course content), the professional writing includes only the last name of the author or authors. If there are three of fewer authors, you list them all by last name, such as Jones, Albert and Brown (1993). If there are more than three authors, your reference in the text is Jones et al. (1993). You include all names in the bibliography.

Your bibliography or reference page at the end of your paper should be inclusive of all sources you cited in your text. Double check when proof reading that you have agreement between text source and your bibliography as well as the correct spelling of the author’s name and the right name. The bibliography is organized alphabetically by the author’s last name. (See APA guidelines).

Good writers provide transitions in their writing to knit the paper together (the use transitional words, statements is quite useful). Rather than having a series of disconnected paragraphs, make certain that you move clearly from one topic to the next. Simply using section headings and subtitles is not sufficient. Rather, you must guide the reader through your thoughts. When moving from one major section to another, summarize what you have said and tell the reader how that is linked to what comes next. This may seem somewhat redundant to you, but it will help the reader better comprehend your research process and paper.

Limit the number of direct quotations that you use. Too many quotes take on a variety of appearance, the first is that the author is too lazy to summarize or express the ideas presented in their own words. Another perception raised is that the writer is tentative because she/he does not really understand the material. Either of these appearances is a poor reflection on the writer.

Do on end sentences with “etc.” Either tell the reader what else there is to be said or simply conclude with the material immediately before “etc.”

Try to avoid ending sentences with prepositions, such as to, for, with or in.

Avoid the use of contractions and write out the two words, such as was not, is not or that is.

Always include page numbers for all written work you submit to me.

When all else fails, ask your instructor!