You will submit a paper (10-12 double-spaced pages of text, discounting references, abstract, etc., in APA format). The paper will propose a study related (at least in some way) to crime/criminal justice. Students are encouraged to develop a topic that interests them, not to simply write a paper just to satisfy achieving a grade. This paper is your opportunity to become an expert on something you find interesting. The paper should include at least 10 empirical research articles (papers have method/results sections) from reputable journals. Try to find review articles and other basic information to use for background. No websites may be referenced. In your paper you should describe/summarize empirical articles and critically analyze them. Make sure you are providing your own take on the idea and not just reiterating someone elses ideas. You MUST show that you have critically thought about the topic. There should be NO quotations in this paper. Each section is graded for content (75%) and writing (25%) Title Page (5 points) Running head is appropriate Title is descriptive Name is present Abstract (5 points) For the abstract page, write a summary of your research question, describe the study, and anticipated results in less than 250 words. Introduction (35 points) An introductory paragraph(s) that presents your topic/research question, convincingly argues why the proposed research is important, and briefly summarizes what the literature review will discuss. o Follows a funnel, where the first sentence is broad and then the paragraph narrows down (gets more specific) o Thesis statement: this should be the last sentence of your first paragraph. This is the main idea that well be presented and tested A literature review; an integrated discussion of past research specific to your topic. This should go beyond simply summarizing past research. Your literature review should (Pyrczak, 2003): o Review relevant research to your topic (e.g., What has previous research found? How does that inform your proposed study?). Purpose/research question Discuss importance of the proposed research project/problem. It is essential that you demonstrate you have critically thought about the research rather than just regurgitate the literature. Current research (10 points) How does that previous research lead to your question? Explain how the proposed study will advance the existing knowledge of the topic (e.g., What is different about your study?/What is the importance?). o Discuss the specific hypotheses. A hypothesis should: o refer to specific variables being tested (IV and DV; predictors and criterion) o specify the expected direction of the relationship (positive/negative, larger/smaller scores compared to) o refer to the population of interest Method (20 points) A participant subsection: how many participants will you recruit, how will they be recruited (sampling procedure), what demographic information you will collect, inclusion/exclusion criteria and/or special participant requirements (e.g., sampling children ages 5-8 years old, equal number of European and African American participants). A materials subsection: describe your variables. How will you operationalize them? What materials will you use (e.g., for a scale, describe the number of scale items and response format)? Have the operationalizations/materials been used in previous research? If so, cite the previous research. If not, explain why you are using a different operationalization. Be sure to describe all materials you use, such as scales, vignettes/summaries, puzzles, etc. For example, you may not use the demographics page in your analyses, but you need to explain that you collected age, gender, race/ethnicity, etc. A procedure subsection: what is the design of the study (e.g., experimental, correlational, how many IVs, DV, levels of each IV, within or between?)? If you are comparing groups, how are participants assigned to conditions? Provide a step-by-step explanation of how the research was conducted (What did the participant do from start to finish). Final notes on the method section: o A method section should provide all the necessary information for another researcher to replicate the study. When revising your paper, ask yourself whether you have provided enough information for another researcher to be able to replicate the study exactly. If you have not, add the missing information to the method section. o Typically, a method section is written in past tense because it is describing research that you have already conducted. Because you are writing a proposal, write this section in future tense, because you are proposing to collect this data in the future. Proposed analyses (5 points) What analyses will you be running? Bayesian vs. frequentist stats o ANOVA, regression, etc. Typically, results sections are written in past-tense. However, write the results section in future tense, as if you are planning to do this research in the future. Provide an overview of the analyses: which statistical analyses will you use (t-test, Chi-square, etc.) and what is it testing (refer back to your hypotheses). Report (in words) what you expect to find. Use the specific IV and DV terms to describe the anticipated findings. Implications (10 points) Write the implication section as if your hypotheses were supported/came out as expected (use past tense). Restate your research hypotheses and the results. Explain why the results are important (e.g., discuss previous research, tie back to literature review). Discuss limitations of your research (minimum of two; think of your materials used, procedure, sampling, etc.) Propose future research: what can be improved, what new questions are raised? Provide a brief closing paragraph: what you did, what you found, and the implications. References Include a reference section with a minimum of 10 peer-reviewed article citations. Academic books are allowed. No websites may be referenced. Quoting in-text is not permitted. Provide the materials you intend to use in an appendix after the reference section (e.g., vignettes, demographic questionnaires, scales, etc.). Formatting: The paper must be written in APA format (10 points).
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