Posted: November 19th, 2022

Crim 170 Final Project: Research Proposal

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Crim 170 Final Project: Research Proposal
Your final project for this class is to complete a Research Proposal. For this assignment, you will
imagine that you are applying for a grant to conduct professional research to answer your
selected research question. You may only use one of the identified questions below. The topics
listed have been pulled from current and previous research proposal requests from government
agencies. For your paper, you will be expected to complete an introduction, a thorough literature
review, and a proposal of methods you would use for your research project.
I will schedule a Question-and-Answer Zoom session for anyone who has questions about the
paper requirements, and/or you can e-mail me.
Research Proposal Module in Canvas
I have added suggested dates for you to keep your paper on track. This paper is tough for a lot of
students and it is very apparent when you write it in a day or two. It is a major portion of your
grade so use these dates as a guide to completing your paper well and on time. Each
“assignment” has additional resources for your review. These are provided for your convenience
and are not required. However, they will help you complete your paper and I recommend at least
skimming some of them. The last “assignment” is the only requirement and that is submitting
your final paper.
Paper Requirements:
This paper should be approximately 10-15 pages in length with at least 7 pages of the paper
consisting of the literature review portion and the Methods section comprising the second
majority of the paper. The final paper is due by 11:59 p.m. on December 2, 2022.
You may include a title page, but it does not count towards the page count.
This paper should include only the following sections:
Introduction:
The introduction will typically encompass 1-2 pages and will introduce your proposed research.
The introduction should include a background of the issue you are researching and some context
for your proposal. Discuss who would be interested in your research. Would it be applicable to
other researchers? Policymakers? Law Enforcement? Why would they be interested in this area?
Why is this research important? How does it add to the field?
Research Question – Due 9/2/22
This section should only identify the research question you intend to study. It needs to match the
question you selected from the options below and was approved at the beginning of the semester.
You will notice a couple of options in the “Topic” section of this assignment.
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Literature Review:
The Literature Review is a comprehensive summary of what previous research has uncovered.
Please read the textbook and sources below for more information on conducting a literature
review.
The Literature Review will require you to collect a minimum of 7 current (within 7 years),
scholarly, peer-reviewed research articles on your topic and discuss those sources in relation to
each other (also known as a synthesis).
Please see the following information regarding APA-style literature reviews:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/writing_a_literature_revi
ew.html
You may want to ask “How Do I Find Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles?” and that is a
great question! Try the Henry Madden Library website:
https://guides.library.fresnostate.edu/english/findarticles
Methods:
The Methods section will identify the type of study you are proposing to answer your research
question, and the type of analysis you intend to use with your proposed project. This is not an
overview of how you found the literature for your Literature Review. It should be the proposed
methods for the research you are proposing in your Research Proposal.
A helpful resource for the methods section can be found here:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_the_social_sciences/writing_in_
psychology_experimental_report_writing/apa_sample_paper_experimental_psychology.html
This article from Scribbr gives some helpful guidance on what is expected in your methodology
section: https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/research-proposal/
At a minimum, this section should cover the type of research proposed, your proposed sample,
type of sampling, type of data collection,
Works Cited:
The Works Cited should be completed using the APA style formatting. It should include at least
7 articles (published within the last 7 years). The Works Cited is not included in the page count.
APA Style:
This paper must be in American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition style. You have a
few options for identifying the requirements of APA Style. You can purchase the book, which I
recommend if you are early on in your educational career (Seniors who will not pursue a Masters
can probably use the websites to get by) or intend to do professional research.
Please use 12-point Times New Roman Font.
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APA Manual: The newest version ISBN: ISBN: 978-1-4338-3216-1.
The Henry Madden Library has these resources for APA Style:
https://guides.library.fresnostate.edu/c.php?g=289023&p=7231719
The Purdue Online Writing Lab has a helpful resource here:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/ge
neral_format.html
Need Help?
Are you nervous about this paper? Do you need writing assistance? Please utilize the Writing
Center: http://www.fresnostate.edu/artshum/writingcenter/index.html
I will allow the submission of one draft for review of your paper. There will be no points
awarded for draft submissions, but I will provide feedback to you about some general areas to
focus on or improve. Please do not use my review as a substitution for utilizing the Writing
Lab/Peer Review. Submission to me for review should be in addition to utilizing the Writing
Lab. The draft should be fully formatted and ready to submit as if it were your final copy. This
means you have identified spelling errors; the formatting is complete, and you have completed
your thoughts. I will not review a partially complete assignment.
If you would like a draft of your paper assessed, please submit it no later than 11:59 p.m. on
Saturday, November 12, 2022.
Topic Selection:
You may select from the following research questions:
• What are the participants (both offender and victim) satisfaction with the restorative
justice process, both short- and long-term?
• What other governmental services will benefit from a diversion of police resources?
• What is the impact of a diversion of police resources on public safety overall and fear of
crime?
• What are the effects of caseload size on outcome when supervising medium- and high risk offenders in a probation or parole population?
• What are the effects of swift and certain sanctions and rewards in enforcing
probation/parole rules and conditions?
• What is the impact of the experience of incarceration on incarcerated persons?
• What is the impact of incarceration on families and communities from which offenders
are removed, more specifically, the impact on children of incarcerated parents?
• What factors are related to long-term desistance from crime?
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• How effective are law enforcement-victim advocate teams in responding to certain calls
for service that involve a range of violent crimes
• What are the long-term emotional, financial, and medical impacts of violent crime
victimization, especially crimes such as robbery, assault, and carjacking, on victims, and
how often are victims of these crimes afforded meaningful access to victim assistance
and compensation?