OVERVIEW
Research is the essence of scholarly discourse. The graduate student should, at a minimum, be
given to critical thought in a way that exposes gaps in the literature and offers new insight to
more improved methodologies and policymaking. The Socratic method is the workhorse of the
young scholar. Succeeding in failing to disprove a hypothesis is the hallmark of achievement in
this regard. For this course of study, you should identify critically apparent flaws in current
criminal justice policymaking and offer improved pathways to intelligence, enforcement, crime
reduction and prevention.
INSTRUCTIONS
The exact requirements of the assignment are outlined as follows:
Length of assignment: 10-12 pages; double-spaced; Arial or Times New Roman font; 12
pt.
o Title page, abstract, reference sections are excluded from the page length
requirements
Format of assignment: APA
Number of citations: 12
Acceptable sources: Peer reviewed scholarly articles published within the last five years,
scholarly volumes and books, and white papers or technical journals.
You may not copy and paste portions of the previous written assignments for this course
into this document.
You will write a Research Paper: Literature Analysis Assignment on a specific problem in
criminal justice that was identified by you during the Research Paper: Thesis Statement and
Annotated Bibliography Assignment. It should not be a descriptive paper but one that critically
examines the problems and the competing solutions. As the body of your analysis will require an
argumentative paper, be sure to identify scholarly resources that serve to answer the following
questions (as the research paper must provide answers to all of the questions a person would ask
if one defended the hypothesis to another person):
What is the current problem?
What does the literature say about the problem?
What is the solution?
What gaps in the literature will my solution address?
What do my critics say about the problem and my particular solution?
What are the implications of my research?
And a conclusion.
CJUS 550
Page 2 of 2
The paper must utilize at least 12 significant, scholarly resources that are significant to the topic
(current, relevant, credible, and each carries its weight) with a clear and meaningful connection
between all the resources. The paper must properly follow current APA style. If you are
struggling with current APA format, you may refer to the LU Writing Center for help. Organize
and format your paper according to APA style. If you need more help understanding how to
analyze scholastic literature consult the corresponding section in your APA manual.
Include the following elements in your paper:
Title page
Abstract and key words
Body
References
