Auburn University CRJ Gangs Article Review Essay

Students are required to prepare one critical review of an article related to one of the topics covered in the course. Article reviews may be turned in for any of the modules (i.e., Module 1, Module 2, Module 3, Module 4, Module 5, Module 6, or Module 7).

Specifically, the paper must:

1) Provide a brief summary of the article and its findings. What is the main question/central focus of the research? What are the sources of data? What are the main findings?

2) What did you learn that was worth knowing from the article? (if your answer is nothing, explain why)

3) How does the article relate to the topic of your selected module?

The article reviewed must contain data and test a research question and/or hypothesis.

Moreover, the article must be published in one of the following peer-reviewed journals:

American Journal of Criminal Justice;

American Journal of Public Health;

American Sociological Review;

Criminal Justice and Behavior;

Criminal Justice Policy Review;

Criminology;

Criminology and Public Policy;

Deviant Behavior;

Feminist Criminology;

Homicide Studies;

Journal of Criminal Justice;

Journal of Crime and Justice;

Journal of Developmental and Lifecourse Criminology;

Journal of Gang Research;

Journal of Family Violence;

Journal of Interpersonal Violence;

Journal of Urban Affairs;

Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency;

Journal of Quantitative Criminology;

Justice Quarterly;

Police Quarterly;

Race and Justice;

Security Journal;

The Prison Journal;

Victims and Offenders;

Women and Crime;

Youth and Society;

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice;

Or any other credible source, WITH PRIOR APPROVAL FROM INSTRUCTOR

The paper must adhere to the following guidelines:

1. APA formatting and citation style (Note: you do not need to include an abstract)
2. Separate title page including student name, course and section, and paper title
3. Microsoft Word Document
4. 1’Inch (72 points) Margins all around
5. The overall indentation should be set left and right at a 0 pt, while the first line of the paragraph at 18 points, tabs should also be set at 18 points (however, in cases of using extended large direct quotes the tab should be at 36 points)
6. Do not justify the paper since that causes spacing issues. Always align the paper to the left
7. Times New Roman font
8. 12-Point font
9. Double-spaced (Sometimes word documents are automatically defaulted to have extra spacing. In order to make sure this is not the case, click on Page layout, and in the spacing section make sure that the before and after are set to 0 point)
10. Include page numbers.
11. Pictures, graphics, figures, and/or tables should not be included in the text. If you choose to include these in your paper they should be in an appendix. Please note that Appendixes do not count toward the assignment minimum/maximum page requirement noted in point 11 below.
12. 5 pages of text (not including title page or references)

In addition, to the above formatting guidelines, when writing your paper keep the following in mind:

1. Avoid using contractions and first person in formal writing (i.e., in all of the papers you will submit for my course)
2. A proper paragraph should include at least 3 sentences
3. Make sure you do not have run-on paragraphs. A paragraph should never be over a page long
4. Make sure to use proper citations.
5. Do not include tables and figures in text as they mess up the formatting of the paper. If you are going to employ a table or figure to illustrate a point, do so in an appendix.
6. Never blindly rely on referencing programs that create citations for you. Always, ALWAYS double-check your work. You are responsible if the program that you use has glitches and does not properly format your citations.
7. All of the sources included in the reference page should be cited in the text, and all of the citations in the text should be included in the reference page.

Finally, be aware of the differences between paraphrasing, direct quotes, and plagiarism. Paraphrasing involves saying the same thing the author (or source) says in your own words, and then properly citing in the beginning or end of the thought you have written. Direct quotes refer to stating, word by word, what someone else has written, and indicating this by putting the text within quotation marks and providing a proper citation, which includes the page number from where the material was taken. Direct quotes should only be used in instances where there is no other way for you to accurately rely on the concept being discussed in the source. Keep in mind that you are only allowed one direct quote for every four pages of text; hence if you write a 5-page paper you can only have 1 direct quote. Finally, plagiarism involves stating, word by word, what someone else has written without giving the author proper credit with a citation or including quotation marks around the copied text. For guidance on the difference between paraphrasing, quoting, and plagiarism see ASU online tutorial on how to avoid plagiarism to prevent future problems: https://www.asu.edu/lib/tutorials/storyline/plagiarism-awareness/story_html5.html.