Research in Criminal Justice Profession

For this assignment, you will finalize your academic paper draft submitted in the previous unit's discussion. In completing your paper, keep in mind that criminal Justice writing may typically be viewed as existing in the field, but many criminal justice professionals actually work in more academic areas, including court analyst and journalism positions. Of course, some academic positions include teaching and research positions, as well. Learning to conduct research writing for a more academic audience and purpose is important for career prospects, but also to expose you to the sorts of texts you may be asked to read during your academic studies within the program.

You should expect to write between 5 and 7 pages, and use a minimum of 5 peer-reviewed, scholarly library sources for this paper. Your paper must include a cover page, a running head, in-text citations, and a complete reference list. You should also be sure to properly format the document with APA-appropriate margins (1 inch on top, bottom, and sides). You should also complete the following tasks:

• Argue effectively for a claim on a topic for an academic audience.
• Use accepted strategies for supporting a claim.
• Assess opposing viewpoints and defend your claim.
• Organize an argument clearly and coherently, using accepted organization patterns. Employ accepted APA standards for citing and documenting sources.
• Communicate in a manner that is consistent with the standards and expectations of criminal justice professionals.