Research Methods in criminal Justice
Abbreviated Title 9
Title
Your name here
School name here
Full course name and number
Instructor name
Date of submission
Remember the font should be 12 point, Times New Roman or Arial for everything, including the title page
Abstract
You will not need an abstract until the final proposal in unit 9.
Title
This is your introduction. Your introduction should introduce readers to the main focus of your proposal. Make it interesting. Try to “draw” the reader in…… Make sure you write in 3rd person (don’t use words like I, me, us, we, you, and etc). This introduction should center around your general topic and problem statement. [At the end of a section, maybe write a summarizing paragraph that also provides a transition to the next section.]
Review of Literature:
[Notice that each paragraph is indented]. This section provides a brief history of the problem statement. You should summarize what others have written/studied about the topic. Don’t just list each study. But try to provide a structure of how they relate to the topic as well as to each other….. Remember to focus on the authors (for example, don’t say… in an article, blah blah but rather say Price (2009) argued that ……..). What did the authors conclude? Or what were the facts? Don’t list the name of the work unless it is famous – readers can get this information from the reference page. You should use some of the information that you provided in your unit 3 assignment.
Problem, Theory, Variables, and Hypothesis:
This section will contain a discussion of your problem in the context of theory, variables and hypothesis. You should briefly restate your problem statement and inform the reader of the general theory relating to the problem. Once the theory has been described, you are ready to introduce the specific variables, independent and dependant. [It is best to have a separate heading within this section for each aspect so that the reader can easily identify what aspect you are discussing.]
Problem Statement: This component should describe the problem in simple terms. Remember that you have already discussed this in the introduction section, thus, you are just providing a simple statement so that the reader has a reminder of the general focus.
Theory: This component should provide a general theory relating to the problem. Make the connection in general terms of the problem and the abstract concepts (which will later be your variables).
Independent Variable: In simple terms, you need to identify what the independent variable is. But remember, that the variable is different than the attributes (or characteristics) of the variable. Also, the focus is on the “change” of this variable. Remember, that in an evaluative study, you are evaluating what change in the DV is produced by change(s) made in the independent variable. It is best to include the “indicator” of how this variable will be measured.
Dependent Variable: This component will be the same as the independent variable section. However, there is a different focus. The focus is on the change or outcome that is expected to be produced when a change is made by the IV.
Hypothesis: This component is the linking of the independent variable to the dependent variable. In general terms, indicated the “expected” relationship between the two variables but do so in a measurable and testable manner. The key to this statement is wording it so that it can be tested. It is best to use the following structure:
Subjects that ______ are more/less likely to ________ than subjects that do not _______.
Research Design:
This section provides information regarding your research design. Discuss which design you will be using: true classical experiment, quasi-experimental design, or non-experimental design (NOTE: because the instructor has dictated your approach, students will not be using a non-experimental design). After indicating which design, provide a brief justification of why this design is appropriate for this topic (if you have two groups and can use random assignment, then it is a true experiment, but if there is no random assignment and you as the researcher are “matching” one group to another, it is a quasi-experimental design. If you only have ONE group, it is a non-experimental design (regardless if the observations are only made once (cross-sectional) or over a period of time (longitudinal). Likewise, you may have more than one group in a non-experimental design, but the groups are not equivalent or matched. They are simply different groups being observed [note that the information about the non-experimental design is just for demonstrative purposes only]. It is best to include an illustration of the research design as indicated below:
Exp. Pretest on DV Intervention of IV Posttest on DV
Group
Random
Assignment
Control Pretest on DV Posttest on DV
Group
Time 1 Time 2 Time 3
Population / Sample:
This section will be blank until the final proposal
Data Collection:
This section will be blank until the final proposal
References
References go on a separate page. Note the format used here. The line spacing is called a hanging indent. The reference formats are correct including lack of capitalization in titles except for the first word, lack of quotation marks, and italics for books or journal names. Also note the author’s last name is first on the line and the list is in alphabetical order. You should have at least 5.
Akers, R. (1985). Deviant behavior: A social learning approach. 3d ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Bursik, R. J, (1988). Social disorganization and theories of crime and delinquency: Problems an prospects. Criminology 26:519-51.
Glueck, S. and Glueck, E (1950). Theory and fact in criminology. British Journal of Delinquency. 7:92-109.
Hirschi, T. (1972). Causes of delinquency. Berkley: University of California Press.
Nye, F. I. (1958). Family relationships and delinquent behavior. New York: Wiley.
Shaw, C. R. and McKay, H.D. (1972). Juvenile delinquency and urban areas: A study of rates of delinquency in relation to different characteristics of local communities in American cities, rev. ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Suttles, G. (1968). The social order of the slum: Ethnicity and territory. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Wilson, J. Q. and Kelling, G. (1982). Broken windows: The police and neighborhood safety. Atlantic Monthly, March: 29-38.
