Paper Topics and GuidelinesSummer 2016
Please review all information before emailing with questions. If you have read
everything and still have questions, please email both of us (myself and Adar) at the
same time.
General Grading Criteria
1. Understanding and incorporation of applicable course materials (Griffiths & CJC
Reader)
2. Appropriate use of academic sources (including two academic journal articles
outside of the course materials)
3. Appropriate use of one or two recent newspaper articles (from within the last six
months) **Not including news articles discussed in class
4. Evidence of critical thought and analysis
5. Meets assignment instructions (Paper Guidelines provided below)
6. Grammar, syntax, spelling, organization
7. Proper referencing and citations (Referencing below)
Instructions for Written Assignments
Your four-to-six (4-6) page essay (approximately 1500 words) is due at the beginning of
lecture on Thursday, July 21st, 2016. This essay is worth 25% of your final grade.
Late papers will be penalized 5% for each day they are late including weekends
(Saturday and Sunday each count as one day), and late penalties will be assigned
based on the date/time stamp on your submission. Late assignments can be
submitted in the FASS Assignment Drop Box at the Surrey campus. NOTE: Late
assignments cannot be submitted through a drop box at any other campus. If you
submit your paper late please let your TAs and me know via email when you have
submitted it. Do not place your paper under my door, as it is a shared Sessional
office meaning there is a good chance I will not receive your paper. I will not mark
papers submitted this way. I will not accept electronic papers.
NOTE: The inability to meet the deadline requires advance notification to the instructor
and appropriate documentation. All extensions must be granted by the instructor, as
TAs do not have the power to grant extensions. Review the syllabus if you have
questions about these (or any other) policies.
Topic Choices:
Topic #1As discussed in class, a recent trend in Canada has been the creation of
regional police forces. Drawing on your course texts, discuss the major benefits and
drawbacks of regional policing. Your response should consider the current use of
regional police services in Canada, common critiques of and support for regional
services, and how regional policing affects police officers and the community. Your
response must focus on the Canadian criminal justice system.
Topic #2
As discussed in class, the use of remand custody has been increasing dramatically over
the last decade. Drawing on your course texts, discuss the potential consequences of
this shift. Your response should include a discussion how individuals are placed on
remand, the benefits and drawbacks of remand custody, and should also consider the
ways this form of custody affect various criminal justice actors and offenders. Your
response must focus on the Canadian criminal justice system.
Regardless of chosen topic, papers must include:
• The integration of all applicable course materials (do not cite lectures unless
materials cannot be found in the readings)
• The use of at least two outside academic journal articles (see Including
Academic Sources below). While there are no date restrictions on academic
articles, keep in mind that recent articles are preferable (aim for within the last 15
years)
• The use of at least one Canadian newspaper article as part of your discussion.
The articles must be recent (published between May 2016 and July 2016) and
may be from a print or online news source. Articles must be attached to your
paper, include the publication date, and be cited appropriately
NOTE: We will sometimes discuss newspaper articles in class that are related to
the reading topics. Selected news article(s) CANNOT include articles
addressed in class. For the purposes of this assignment you need to find
appropriate articles on your own. You are free to cite in-class articles if they
apply, but you will still need to cite at least one additional article meeting the
above requirements
• Completion of the online Paper and Academic Integrity Quiz by 11:55PM on June
26th, 2016 (details below)
Your discussion should also include a critical analysis of the topic. For example,
consider whether your argument fairly acknowledges each side of the issue, the role of
public perceptions and the media, and any assumptions you have made in your
arguments. If you are unsure about the concept of critical analysis, see the following
link: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/slc/strategies/writing/critical-thinking-writing
Completion of the Paper and Academic Integrity Quiz (due June 26th, 2016 by
11:55PM)
During week 7 you must complete an online Paper and Academic Integrity Quiz in
Canvas. Your score on this quiz will count towards 5% of your paper grade (which can
mean the difference between a D and a C- or an A and an A-). If this quiz is not
completed, papers will have a 5% penalty applied. If the quiz is completed late (June
26th, 2016) but prior to paper submission, a late penalty will be applied to the quiz only.
I will need to manually re-open the quiz in such cases, so you will need to contact me
and let me know.
Before completing the quiz, you should review the following information:
• This entire document
• The online library tutorial on plagiarism in Canvas. If you have already
completed this for another class it is still a good idea to view it again as a
refresher. Pay particular attention to the section on patch writing, as this is the
most common form of plagiarism we encounter
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/plagiarism
• SFU policy S10.01.1.03 on Student Conduct
http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
Paper Guidelines
Each of the following components must also be included in your paper.
Title Page
Your title should convey the subject in 15 words or less. Give it a meaningful title (no
Crim 131 or Criminology Paper) that captures the topic. Your page should include your
name, student number, course title, date, and instructor and TA names. Please also
include the score and date of completion for your Paper and Academic Integrity Quiz.
Your TAs will verify your score.
Introduction
This section should introduce your topic, contextualizing it and stating your objective
(thesis statement). It should also include a brief outline of what your paper will cover.
Try to be specific about the topic and explain your approach to it. Include proper
citations for anything borrowed from an outside source.
Discussion
The body of your paper should address each component of your selected topic. This
includes the incorporation of your news article(s).
Conclusion
This section should include a summary of your findings. Keeping all of your sources in
mind, what can you conclude about this topic? Do any questions remain unanswered?
Editing
Your final step should be to edit your paper carefully, looking for any spelling,
punctuation, or grammatical errors. You should also look for sections with unnecessary
wordiness and repetition.
Your TAs and instructor cannot proofread your paper before submission. This is viewed
as a form of academic dishonesty, as it is not something we can offer to all students. If
you need writing assistance, contact the Student Learning Commons (but do so early):
http://learningcommons.sfu.ca/
How to Write an Academic Paper
Some helpful resources from the Student Learning Commons:
http://learningcommons.sfu.ca/tools/handouts-tips/writing
http://prezi.com/ibrqy61nabeu/top-10-things-to-know-about-university-writing/
Academic Sources
Sources other than the course materials are required for this assignment. Only cite the
lecture as an absolute last resort- if the point is made anywhere else cite that
instead. A minimum of two academic journal articles must be included in your
resources. Your paper needs to use APA 6 style (see Referencing below). Please
consult the Library website if you need citation assistance:
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/writing/apa
Finding Academic Articles
You can search for articles on SFU’s library site. To determine if articles fit the criteria
for being an academic source, see the following link:
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/publication-types/scholarly-journals
Course Textbooks
When citing the chapters from the online text, be sure to cite the authors properly
(Roberts and Grossman are the editors, not authors of these chapters).
Newspaper Articles
These must be attached to your assignment, and be recent articles (published between
May 2016 and July 2016). As mentioned previously, articles may not be ones previously
discussed in class. To search for electronic articles, you may wish to use the Canadian
Newsstand database through the Library. Access this link:
http://cufts2.lib.sfu.ca/CRDB/BVAS/browse/facets/name/C.
Scroll down to Canadian Newsstand and click Connect. Aim for articles that either
support or refute your own argument.
Referencing
All students are expected to review SFU’s policy S10.01 Code of Academic Integrity and
Good Conduct: http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
Citations
You must appropriately cite all sources.
1. You must use APA 6th edition. While this version of APA notes that page
numbers are preferred (whether using direct quotes or paraphrasing), page or
paragraph numbers are required for quotations AND paraphrases in this
class (this is for all sources, including news articles)
2. Your reference list needs to be complete, including all cited sources
3. Quotations of four or more lines must be single spaced and indented on both the
left and right margins
4. Direct quotes need to be in quotation marks.
5. The source and page number must follow quotes and paraphrases. If page
numbers are not available, include paragraph numbers
6. If your paraphrase is nearly identical to the original material, cite directly using a
quote
7. Patch writing is a form of plagiarism that involves changing very few words or
the order of words. This is a form of academic dishonesty.
8. When citing chapters in edited texts, you need to cite the author and the editors.
For example:
Reference list:
Verdun-Jones, S. N. (2016). Plea Bargaining. In J. V. Roberts & Michelle G.
Grossman (Eds.), Criminal Justice in Canada: A Reader (pp. 168-184).
Toronto: Nelson Education.
In-text citation: (Verdun-Jones, 2016, p. 170)
9. When using a website as a reference, provide a complete citation and web
address (if PDF is unavailable). See the Library APA manual for more details
10. If you use secondary sources acknowledge it, but if at all possible refer to the
primary source. If you have not read the article you cannot cite it as though you
have- acknowledge that it is taken from a secondary source, and only include
that source in your reference list
11. Submitting assignments for two different courses is academic dishonesty (even if
you wrote it and/or altered it
Your TAs and I will assume that you have both read and understood the above
instructions. If anything is unclear or you have questions, please ask.
Checklist
NOTE: This must be printed, completed, and attached to your paper. A
penalty will be applied if this has not been used to proof your paper, is not
completed, and/or isn’t attached to your paper.
Basics
?Ensure paper is securely fastened. If it is too large to staple, please use a secure clip
?Avoid use of plastic covers/folders
?4-6 pages (not including title and reference page (margins 1.25 inches/3.175 cms)
?Font either Times New Roman 12 pt or Arial 11 pt
?Double-spaced throughout (except reference list- each reference should be single
spaced with one space in between). Do not include extra space in between paragraphs.
?Title page includes name, student number, date, title of course, title of paper,
instructor and TA name, and Academic Integrity Quiz date and score
?Pages are numbered (page one should be 1st page of text, not title page)
?News articles attached
NOTE: Papers must be printed single-sided. Double-sided papers will not be marked.
Grammar/Spelling/Punctuation
?No inappropriate capitalization (e.g. criminal justice system NOT Criminal Justice
System)
?Avoid use of semi-colons unless you understand how to use them properly
?Use Canadian punctuation and Canadian spellings
?Proofread and spell check
Style
?You can use the first person, but use it sparingly
?Do not include extra, unnecessary information about sources (e.g. author’s full names,
titles, chapters, information about the source that is irrelevant). This is a waste of
valuable space and is unnecessary if you have cited properly
?Avoid use of informal language, contractions, and colloquialisms (e.g. do not instead
of don’t)
?Watch your assumptions and interpretations and be sure to provide academic
evidence to back these up
?Be gender neutral unless the concept is gender specific (for example, both men and
women serve as police officers)
?Do not use etc.- tell me exactly what you mean
?Use paragraphs properly (aim for approximately 8-10 sentences for body paragraphs,
under one page) and start new ones when you shift topic
Citations
?Direct quotes that are longer than 4 lines of text (35+ words) must be in block quote
style (.5 inch indents on both sides, single spaced, no quotation marks, citation at end)
?Include page or paragraph numbers for every single citation (even paraphrases)
?Make sure to cite edited texts properly and fully
