Term Paper
For this class, you are to write a research paper. It is strongly suggested that you put a great deal of time into this as it is important that you submit a paper that is detailed, informative, and professional in appearance. Please do not use any previous papers as the assignment will be submitted to the college's research paper data bank for previously viewed or purchased papers in the U.S. Review more information under the Scholastic Dishonesty link in the menu. This should be your work and your work alone; that is what college is about. The experience and knowledge you gain will be invaluable. Remember, it is 80 points of your grade.
Your paper should be a total of not less than five (5) pages in length. Out of that five-page paper, the first and last page should be the title page and the bibliography. Illustrations and photos do not count as a page. A chart may not be counted for more than half of a page. This paper must be written in MLA format.
The title page should be the first page and include:
- The title of the paper
- The following class information.
- Criminal Investigation
- Semester designations, example: Spring 2017
- Name of instructor
- The date submitted.
- YOUR full name and email address.
The body of the paper should be:
- Times New Roman 12 point font.
- Typed and double-spaced. (Do not single-space the paper.)
The main content:
- Should be college level writing.
- Does not have to use footnotes.
The last page of the paper should be a bibliography in MLA style and include:
- Sources, titles, and authors that can be verified or web pages that the URL that can be verified.
- At least three (3) sources with at least one being a web page (It is acceptable to use web pages for all three sources.)
- No textbook references as sources.
This is an easy way to help your grades along. Research papers do not have to be difficult unless you wait until the last minute. There are 2 months to complete this...get started NOW....and you won't sweat the deadline...
- Submit the paper when it is complete. This paper is due by the end of Lesson 8. If it is not completed prior to the end of the term, you will lose one grade level on the paper. You must complete a paper to get a final grade. Having a passing grade without a paper will result in an F for the course.
- Be sure to read and understand the information about Scholastic Honesty which is located in the course menu. Every paper that is submitted will be checked in SafeAssign (a database of books, articles, Internet, other student papers, and other sources from all over the U.S.) Do not cut and paste your paper from another source. Give credit where an author is quoted using MLA style. SafeAssign will show the percentage of copied work, and if it is high, it will be obvious that it is the work of someone else who has published or submitted a paper.
You only need to pick one topic for your paper. Do not attempt to write one paper with all the topics.
Topics to choose from:
- Wrongful death investigation in America
- Specialized investigative expertise versus general investigative expertise (Example: an auto theft unit that only works auto theft versus general detectives that work auto theft, homicide, and rape)
- Photography in modern criminal investigation
- Military shift to law enforcement work and law enforcement shift to military work
- Training in the 21st century for police officers (legal, ethical, physical, and mental)
- Use of computers in the modern investigative process of serial killers
- The "CSI effect" and how it impacts a jury and prosecutors preparing a case
- Serial killers in modern American society
- High speed pursuit: pros and cons.