Order Description
Chose Two articles testing strain theory OR two articles testing learning theory
This paper assignments are designed to teach you how to accurately identify, locate, read, analyze, and evaluate contemporary, scholarly criminal justice research articles, in order to stay abreast of new developments in the field. In Paper 1, you learned how to identify articles that are considered high quality by the academic community based on their peer review status. In Paper 2, you learned to critically evaluate the substance of a scholarly criminal justice article.
This Assignment is designed to teach you how to synthesize and compare material from multiple articles. You will read and evaluate two articles from the same theoretical tradition to compare and contrast their arguments and to synthesize their contributions to the field.
Follow the steps below to identify and evaluate two contemporary criminal justice research articles, empirically testing one of the theories covered in this course. Write a 56 page paper synthesizing and comparing the arguments of those articles and discussing how they contribute to the selected theoretical tradition.
Part 1: Using the CL
Search the College Library (CL) for two contemporary, empirical criminal justice research articles testing the same criminological theory; for instance, two articles testing strain theory OR two articles testing learning theory. One of the articles can be from the course syllabus or from the previous paper assignments, but the second article must be new. You can also choose to find two new articles for this assignment.
You should find articles from the year 2000 or later from the Library. Make sure the articles are peer-reviewed and high quality.
Part 2: Reading the articles
Repeat the steps that you used for Paper 2 and thoroughly read both research articles.
Part 3: Writing a Draft
Draft a 56 page paper that answers the following questions:
What theory do both papers test Describe the theory in your own words to demonstrate your thorough understanding of it.
Compare and contrast the two empirical studies. What parts of the theory do they test To what extent are their findings complementary or contradictory
It is important that you actively compare and contrast the papers, rather than simply summarizing each one separately.
Synthesize the main findings of both papers and discuss how they contribute to the advancement of the theory.
Part 4: Revising and Writing the Final Paper
Revise your draft into a final paper that is thorough, accurate, well organized, and interesting to read. Proofread your work carefully for spelling and grammar mistakes. Seek help with your writing before the paper deadline.
Writing quality is an important part of all graded assignments. In addition to using proper spelling and grammar, the words you choose and the tone of your writing should be the same as you would use in a business environment. You should use sophisticated vocabulary and avoid “text-speak” at all costs. You should also maintain a professional tone and avoid phrases that are too casual or colloquial for the business world.
When you cite use page numbers as well. Two references