Final Paper

The Final Project will be a 10- to 12-page research study that will require you to gather and explain raw data, arrange the data, analyze the data, and offer meaningful conclusions as to what the data show. Use Chapters 5 and 6 of this week's required readings for assistance on the construction of the paper's introduction and purpose statement. Raw data may be drawn from a singular source, though referral to multiple sources, including secondary sources, is highly encouraged. The arrangement, analysis, and conclusions must be original. Specifically, you will evaluate criminal justice data, interpret published research findings, and apply scientific methodology to answer a criminal justice research question.

IntroductionIn this section, you must

• Introduce a research problem or question.
• Include a thesis statement that identifies the purpose of conducting the research study.
• Encapsulate the impact of the conduct of the study.

Literature ReviewIn this section, you will

• Provide the body of knowledge that previous researchers have generated. 
• Describe how your research builds upon the base of knowledge already in existence.

MethodologyExplanation of Data SetsIn this section, you must

• You must explain where your data were originated.
• Identify and specifically define the data set being used, its origin(s), and its composition.
  • Data can be acquired from a variety of sources.  The sites listed below are excellent sources from which to obtain secondary data.
    • Southern Poverty Law Center (www.splcenter.org/)
    • Anti-Defamation League (www.adl.org/)
    • Bureau of Justice Statistics (www.bjs.gov/)
    • Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics (http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/)
    • Federal Bureau of Investigation (www.fbi.gov)
• Explain why this particular data set was chosen.
• Identify particular strengths and weaknesses of the set.

Arrangement of DataIn this section, you must detail the manner in which you arranged the data set so as to permit analysis and inference. Particularly in the case of a methodological approach applying quantitative principles, you are encouraged to use charts and graphs to explain your data arrangement. Specifically, you must

• Explain the methodologies and statistical techniques used in research in criminal justice.
• Evaluate criminal justice data with specific reference to a methodological approach.
• Explain the principles of your selected approach.

ResultsData AnalysisIt is important that you use this step in the process for analyzing the data to determine what it shows, not the meaning of what it shows. In this section, you must

• Describe how you analyzed the data.
• Explain the conclusions drawn from the data analysis.
• Explain the inferences drawn from your data analysis.

ConclusionFinally, in this section, you must

• Identify and discuss the findings of your research study.
• Examine justifiable conclusions and inferences resulting from the data analysis.
• Explain the methodologies and statistical techniques used in research in criminal justice.
• Apply scientific methodology to answer a criminal justice research question.
• Summarize the entirety of your study by restating the purpose and consolidated outcomes of data set selection, data set arrangement, data analysis, and conclusions.

The Final Project

• Must be 10 to 12 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style
• Must use at least six peer-reviewed sources in addition to the course text.
  • The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.