Criminal Justice Research Project

Project A: Research Problem

Select an appropriate criminal justice research topic. After selecting a topic, you will work on formulating a statement of the problem. The purpose of Project “A” is to introduce your topic, formulate a research question and hypotheses, and provide the justification or motivation for the research proposal. It is essential that you follow the instructions to establish the format upon which you will build your project.

Project “A” Instructions

The first page of Project A should be a title page which includes the title of your research proposal, your name, your instructor’s name, and the date. The introduction to your research topic will begin on the second page of Project A. Project A will explain what you are going to study and why this issue is important (statement of the research problem). You will need to propose what you will do and how your research will contribute to the literature in your area of study. After introducing your topic and describing the importance of the topic, you will formulate a research question related to your topic that you want to answer. Next, formulate a hypothesis that provides an answer to your research question (what you think you will find if you conducted a research study on your topic). A well-written hypothesis is similar to the “thesis” of a paper: it provides a statement that can be tested. Your hypotheses should be presented in just one sentence (remember, it is an “idea” and not a “fact”). The final product for Project A should be approximately three to four pages including the title page.

Format

· ; Use Times New Roman script with a font size of 12 for the entire document.

· ; The paper should be double-spaced.

· ; Margins should be at least one inch all around.

Content

· ; Include a title page with the title, your name, instructor’s name, and date.

· ; The topic/research problem is introduced and the purpose is clearly evident.

· ; The research question and the hypothesis are clearly articulated.

Documentation

· ; APA should be used for in-text citations and the reference page.

Writing

· ; The paper should be well written and error free. Use spell check and proofread paper for grammatical errors.

· ; The paper should be written in a professional tone. Familiar language (slang) should be avoided.

· ; Use direct quotations sparingly (paraphrasing is encouraged) and make sure quotes are properly documented.

· ; Be as concise and clear as possible throughout your paper.

· ; Each sentence should logically flow into the next sentence and each paragraph should transition smoothly to the next paragraph.

Additional information:

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· ; National Criminal Justice Reference Service: http://www.ncjrs.gov/viewall.html

· ; Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/

· ; National Institute of Justice: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/

· ; Criminal Justice Mega Links: http://www.drtomoconnor.com/

· ; Sample APA Literature Review: http://faculty.mwsu.edu/psychology/Laura.Spiller/Experimental/sample_apa_style_litreview.pdf

· ; Writing the Literature Review: http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/library.nsf/3cc42a422514347a8525671d0049f395/46c31e3773d8747b852570ad00700699?OpenDocument

· ; Criminal Justice Ethics: http://www.paulsjusticepage.com/cjethics.htm