FINAL PAPER GUIDE FOR FALL 2022 Dr. Hayes
The research paper assignment for this class is split into several smaller assignments.
These assignments are described in detail below. You are required to choose a topic in
Module 2 by posting it in a discussion, and ideally stick with that topic as you move through
other stages.
Generally speaking, your goal is to choose a topic related to the course and provide a
general overview/literature review of that topic. This should be a lengthy descriptive essay
on a specific topic related to the course that is ideally not covered by the module readings
or your textbooks. You must use APA format for this paper. If you do not have a current
APA manual, I suggest you acquire one, as they are relatively inexpensive. Most major
booksellers (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc) have it priced around $20 the last time I
checked. Minus any references, figures, tables, etc., your paper should be a minimum of 10
pages of text. I would say no more than 15 pages of text if you were looking for a
maximum. I tend to want to move on to a new topic at that point.
A note on sources: Wikipedia is not allowed as a reference (this should not have to be said,
but I am saying it anyway). You can, however, use Wikipedia to find sources, since some
articles on Wikipedia have a list of source information from academic journals and other
acceptable sources at the bottom of the page. Websites that are used as sources generally
must end in .org, .gov, or .edu, and the content from any website must be approved by me
in advance. There are some good research and governmental reports online, but your
primary sources should be scholarly books and journal articles. Most nonfiction books and
academic journals are acceptable content and will not need approval. I will let you know if
any sources do not meet approval as long as you submit a list of sources with the earlier
assignments. You are allowed to use a reading or two from the course in your list of
references, but the bulk of the references need to come from outside sources.
The Prospectus: The Prospectus is a short plan for your paper and includes the following:
A title page, a summary OR outline, and an optional list of references (about 3-5
preliminary references for now). If, for example, you plan to write a paper on violence in
the South, you would tell me in your abstract that this is your topic and follow that up by
giving me the theory you plan to use to explain this phenomenon. You would also want to
tell me if you are going to focus on any particular time period. Are you going to be
discussing the present, pre- or post- Civil War, the Civil Rights Era, etc. (following the
example of violence in the South)? There is no minimum word count for the prospectus,
but it should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 to 2 pages of text, plus the title page
and references. The file for the prospectus should include a title page with your name
and a preliminary title in a standard format, followed by the summary, and optional
references (so, around 4 pages total). The prospectus is due at the end of Module 4.
YOU DO NOT NEED AN ABSTRACT.
The Rough Draft: The Rough Draft of your paper needs to be a 60-70% complete
version of your paper. You should have your sources finalized at this point, even if you do
not cite them all in your paper. I want to see a list of at least 10 sources. A maximum of 2
can be web pages (as long as they are approved by me). Sources can be journal articles
(peer reviewed), books, reports from government agencies, web pages (2 max.) and other
content with my approval. The file for the outline should include the title page, the text
of the rough draft, and the reference page in that order (all in one file). The rough
draft is due at the end of Module 6. YOU DO NOT NEED AN ABSTRACT.
The Final Paper: This should be the complete product, revised to reflect any changes I
suggest in the final draft. The final paper must meet the guidelines set in the syllabus with
regards to word count and follow all guidelines in the syllabus, on the research paper guide,
and for all previous paper assignments. The final paper needs to have a title page, an
abstract, the text, and a reference page, all in one file. The final paper is due at the
end of Module 8. YOU DO NOT NEED AN ABSTRACT.
It is not appropriate to submit a paper used in another class for this assignment. If
you plan to use the same topic you have used for another class paper, this version
must be substantially different from the one used in the other class, and you must
inform me that you are using a topic from a prior assignment, and tell me the
Professor / Instructor to contact regarding the previous assignment. The policies
regarding Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism apply to this assignment.
POSSIBLE TOPIC AREAS: Here is a list of general topical areas derived from past papers I
have graded in this area. This may be helpful in developing a topic for your paper. If this is
not particularly helpful, feel free to email me. You are not required to choose from this list.
For Police and Society: For Rural Crime and Justice
Agencies use of social media
Policing and Technology
Intelligence Led Policing
Crime mapping to improve patrol strategies
Police – Community Relations
Community Based Policing
Militarization of Police
Rural homicide
Domestic Violence in Rural Areas
Meth Production and Clandestine Labs
Agricultural Theft and Rural Crime
Poaching and Illegal Hunting in Rural Areas
Rural policing strategies for small agencies
Migrant communities and crime in rural areas
Rural culture and crime
For CJ Theory
Routine Activities Theory
Social Disorganization Theory
Biological Theories of Crime
Subcultures of Violence
Broken Windows Theory
Life Course Theory
Social Learning
Differential Association
Conflict Theories in Criminology
Feminist Criminology
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Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
