CJ490 Florida International Research Methods in Criminal Justice Research Proposal Research Proposal Instructions
You must pick a research question of interest to you (criminal justice related) , learn what other scholars know about the topic, and decide and explain how best to answer your question. You must craft a research proposal that includes 1) a title page, 2) introduction with thesis statement, 3) literature review, 4) methodology, and 5) references. The breakdown of components is as follows:
Title page: 5 points
Introduction with thesis statement (research question): 10 points
Literature review: 10 points
Methodology: 10 points
References: 5 points
Total: 40 points
Title page
Follow the formatting on https://guides.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/c.php?g=285714&p=1902489 and the ASA sample paper provided.
Introduction with thesis statement (research question)
Your introduction should be designed to interest your reader in your topic and proposal and provide some historical/cultural context for your project. At the end of your introduction, include a tentative thesis to indicate to your reader that you are entering your project looking at your topic through a critical, analytic lens — your thesis should clearly state your intentions using a metadiscursive structure (i.e., “In this project, I will…” or “This research project will investigate …”). A good formula for an introduction is context + problem/complication + proposed argument or research question. Each stage in this formula should be a few sentences long.
Literature review
Your literature review should summarize at least five scholarly articles relevant to your topic. Discuss why the topic being reviewed is important and what other researchers have learned about the topic. Be sure to discuss why your proposed research will add to the body of knowledge about this topic.
Methodology
In this section, you should discuss the methods you will use to conduct your research. Be specific and thorough. You should troubleshoot the research project, or weigh the benefits and drawbacks of certain types of sources (i.e., availability, bias, etc.). Make sure your reader understands how the methodology/sources you have chosen are appropriate to your specific topic.
References
You must cite at least five academic sources. Do not use Wikipedia or other non-academic sources. Be sure to use the ASA style guidelines to properly cite your sources.