Overview
CJC 207 Introduction to Criminology Research Paper Directions and Expectations WORTH 100 POINTS
The paper must be composed in 12 font and double spaced with 1 inch margins. The paper is to be at least 750 words. This should equate to 3 pages following the above directions. Do not go over 4 pages. Create as a word document and submit.
KNOW WHAT YOU NEED:
- State your topic in one sentence. This helps you identify keywords/phrases that describe your topic.
- How many pages do you need to fulfill your assignment? Knowing how many pages you need to write helps pinpoint just how much information you will need.
- How many and what kind of sources are required? Knowing how many and what type of sources you need helps you choose a database and limit to the sources you need whether it be scholarly journals, books, newspapers, and/or statistics.
You must cite all of the sources that you use when writing the paper. You can use your book as a source. You must use at least 3 sources. A citation is necessary for any information that you paraphrase or directly quote. If you do not have direct personal knowledge of the information that you use in the paper, then a citation is required. Be sure to cite your sources in the body of the paper and list them in a bibliography. Students may use either the APA, MLA formats for citations and bibliographies and Documentation Style. If you are not familiar with one of the styles, please do independent research, check the links below, and/or contact the CCAC library to learn a style.
- MLA: https://youtu.be/ypWxhhpGeyM OR https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html
- APA: https://youtu.be/aaRZeOQUYXg OR
https://www.scribbr.com/apa-citation-generator/
The purpose of the research paper is to fully describe and analyze a specific family of theory (pick one of the below that we covered this semester: Trait/Psychological Ch. 7, Choice/Classical Ch. 3, Social Process Ch. 10, Social Structure Chs. 8 and 9, Contemporary Classical/Deterrence Ch.4, or Labeling Ch.11. You must then explore the following types of crime (violent, property, public-order) from your theory’s perspective. In other words, you need to describe how your theorists would explain crime from each of the three categories. Finally, you will describe the prevention strategies that your theory would suggest we employ to reduce or eliminate crime.
Your paper will be broken down into five distinct categories and should be titled as such with topic headings for each section:
1. Introduction - Briefly present your chosen family of theory and what you hope to accomplish with this paper. (A good way to start is: “The purpose of this paper is….