In the search bar, type in a specific Criminology Theory (i.e., Social Control Theory, Rational
Choice, etc.), or be more general and type “Criminology Theory” and then Click on “Search.”
Search for articles of your choice (all 5 articles must be Criminological Theory related, whichever are fine as long as it is related).
Email the PDF articles to me please if possible
Instructions:
1. Summarize each article in 450 words or more —meaning, no less than 450 words per article summary (summary titles & reference information is not included in the 450-word requirement). You will NOT receive partial credit for partial work. Partial work is a failed requirement. You get ZERO credit for failed requirements.
2. You research summaries are restricted to quantitative (non-qualitative) – Criminology peer reviewed articles. There is a 20-point penalty for failing to use quantitative research articles.
3. Each summary should include a discussion of the goal of the article (what the researchers were trying to do find – what are the article hypotheses?), the literature review (past research), the research methods (the steps taken to conduct the research study –data, population, sampling type, statistical techniques – ANOVA, ANCOVA, Logistic regression, etc.), the results (what they found), and the discussion/conclusions of the research article (were the findings consistent with the hypotheses?, why what they found is important to the particular field of study, etc.). It is tremendously important to discuss the policy implications/directions for future research/limitations of each article. It is recommended that you outline each article with all of the components you are responsible for providing.
4. All pertinent Journal, Article, & Author information (article title, author name(s), journal name, date, journal volume #, issue #, page #s) must be provided in the REFERENCE page. (please write reference page).
5. Each article summary should be well written and in NO way mirror the abstract. This WILL result in severe penalties. In other words, paraphrase—read the article and summarize the information using your own words, do not just copy and paste.
6. Do NOT use any quotes—you must paraphrase the information from each article (use your own words). If you use quotes (even if they are properly cited) you will be severely penalized.
7. You will only need ONE cover page for the entire assignment, with your name, the class name, and the date (I will add this part after it is done).
8. Each subsequent research article summary should be separated from the last by using the “Insert” and “Page Break” feature provided by your word processor (“Insert” function using Microsoft Word). There will be a 25-point penalty for failing to use Page Breaks.
9. A “peer reviewed” journal article is not a magazine article. Do NOT get the two confused. A general rule of thumb is that peer-reviewed academic journal articles are usually over 10 pages in length, they do not have pictures/ads (aside from tables), and they all start with an “abstract.”
10. You need to provide a cover page and only use: (a) double-spacing, (b) Times New Roman font, (c) 12 font size, and (d) 1” margins.
11. APA Format is required. There will be a 25-point penalty for failure to use APA format.
12. I will NOT accept any paper that exceeds 20% replication. Be absolutely sure you are
paraphrasing.
13. I do NOT want to know your opinion on the research article summaries. This is a research project, not an opinion piece. You will be penalized 25 points on every article that includes your opinion.
14. You are required to submit your paper in WORD (or a word processor) format. Do NOT submit your paper in PDF (or any other non-WORD) format. Failure to meet this requirement will result in a 25-point penalty.
Note: students are required to summarize 5 research articles (you may choose to summarize 5 articles on 1 theory, or you can choose 5 different theories). Each article summary must be a minimum of 450 words (2250 words for all 5 summaries). Your research project grade is based on 5 summaries, each a minimum of 450 words. For every summary that fails to meet the minimum requirements, you will automatically lose 20% of the research project grade.
Be sure to meet all the requirements. If you have questions, comments, and/or concerns please feel free to contact me at your leisure.
Research Paper Guide
I: Goal/Hypotheses of the Research Paper
II: Literature Review (a summary of the past research presented by the authors)
III: Research Methods (should include data, population, sampling type, and statistical techniques)
IV: Research Results (the research results will be linked to the hypotheses – only provide statistically
significant results)
V: Discussion/Conclusion/Policy Implications/Directions for Future Research/Research Limitations