CCJ 4700 – Introduction to Research Methods in Criminology Writing Assignment: Literature

CCJ 4700 – Introduction to Research Methods in Criminology

Writing Assignment: Literature Review

GUIDELINES

To begin the project, you must choose an outcome that is typically studied in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Examples include, but are not limited to, delinquency, drug use, homicide, sentence length, property crime rates, the consequences of hate crime victimization, etc.

You must then choose two independent variables that are commonly used to explain variation in the outcome you have chosen (this could be things like age, gender, race, self-control, weapon use, etc.). You can come up with these variables on your own, or use the literature to guide you, or perhaps they will be theory driven. Importantly, for each independent variable you have chosen, you must find at least two studies that have examined the effect of that variable on the outcome. All of these sources must be articles from peer-reviewed academic journals. You must have a total of at least 4 cited sources.

After finding and reading these studies, you must write a 2-4 page literature review that includes:

Introduction (approx. 1 page)

The first paragraph of your assignment should introduce your topic. You may give background information, including relevant statistics, history, and theoretical background. You should also provide a rationale for studying this particular topic. Some of your 4 sources may be cited here.

Literature review (approx. 2-3 pages)

In this section, you will summarize the studies you read as they pertain to the variables you have chosen. For each variable, you should have at least two paragraphs. The first will include an explanation of why it is expected that this variable will influence the outcome you have chosen. The second will describe what prior research has found regarding the effect of this variable on the outcome you have chosen. This description should include how the researchers studied this relationship, what they found, and any explanation they give that you did not already include in the first paragraph. Since you have chosen two independent variables, that means there should be at least 4 paragraphs in this section of the paper.

Bibliography (approx. 1 page)

The bibliography should be on a separate page at the end of your paper and should include all articles cited in the paper. You do not need to submit copies of the articles you cited. However, to give an acceptable review of the research, you must have read all of the articles, and you must cite them appropriately. Instructions for how to cite sources in the text of your paper, and how to construct a bibliography are included and posted on the course website. BE SURE TO CITE AN ARTICLE WHENEVER YOU 1) DIRECTLY QUOTE IT AND/OR 2) PARAPHRASE IT.

DUE DATES

Chosen topic (DV and three IVs): WEDNESDAY, May 18th via Email (ztm19a@fsu.edu)

Final literature review: FRIDAY, JUNE 10, by midnight on CANVAS

Professional Writing Skills

In addition to including the elements discussed above, you must also demonstrate professional writing skills. This will account for 10% of your grade on this paper. In order to satisfy this requirement, you must adhere to the following guidelines:

Provide a title page all information centered on the page

Include the following

Short title for your paper

Your name

Course name and number

Instructor’s name (Zachary T. Malcom)

Date of submission

Include page numbers in the upper right-hand corner excluding the title page

Double-space all lines

Use correct spelling and remove all typographical errors

Use an appropriate font

Easy-to-read such as Arial or Times New Roman

12 point font size

Include a heading for the “Literature Review” section

Use correct citation and bibliographic format as described in the Citation Guidelines

BE SURE TO CITE THE ARTICLE WHENEVER YOU 1) DIRECTLY QUOTE IT AND/OR 2) PARAPHRASE IT.

Be sure to cite an article every time you refer to it, not just the first time.

When using acronyms, spell them out the first time, put the acronym in parentheses, and then use just the acronym throughout the rest of your paper (e.g., spell out American Sociological Association (ASA)).

Bind the paper with a single staple or binder clip in the upper left-hand corner (i.e. no paper clips or report covers).

Before submitting your paper, read it closely one final time to check for spelling, typographical, and grammatical errors. Simply spell-checking the document is not good enough. It can help to read it out loud to yourself or have someone else read it to you.