TERM PAPER GUIDELINES
Topic: Youth Mental Health: Its Impact on Juvenile Courts’ Decision in Sentencing
Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point font, black font, Times New Roman, APA format. Title Page, Abstract (required), and References section. Your work must conform to proper use of grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and academic integrity expectations per University policy and the Plagiarism Guidelines. Your paper should read like a well-written journal article. You must have at a minimum of 8 sources (see the information below regarding the types of sources that are permitted for this paper). Your similarity score in Turnitin may not exceed 15%. This includes direct quotes and the Abstract but excludes the Title Page and References section.
The following are good sources to get you started.
You are only to use the following types of sources:
At least eight sources (total, not eight sources each) from the following:
Peer-reviewed/refereed academic journal articles
Books published by academic presses (i.e., no vanity presses and no textbooks!)
No more than two online sources (total, note two sources each). Please note that for the purpose of the term paper, academic journal articles and academic books are not considered online sources even though you will use the online database to read said materials. These online sources can only be from the following source types:
Government reports
Reports from academic institutions
Reports from credible independent groups such as the Innocence Project
When in doubt of a source, ask before using it. I will tell you immediately if a particular source is acceptable. As a reminder, you are to have at a minimum of 8 sources for this paper.
The term paper will consist of two distinct parts:
Part 1= Literature review:
In the first step, you will use scholarly articles to read and discover what others are saying about your research question. After reading and reviewing studies related to your research question. As you write, you will need to remember that the purpose of a literature review is to:
Inform the reader of the knowledge and ideas centered around your research question
Inform the reader of your reason for exploring your research question
Part 2: You will need to create a narrative description of what you discovered.
Step One: Plan
Find a focus-Make sure that your work is organized around ideas-not the sources but a direction or position that they will support. As suggested: start with the table of contents, select a chapter (broad topic), select subtopics from chapter headings, and identify two or three areas.
Create a working thesis-Unlike other types of research papers, your thesis does not create an argument or a position. What it does do is to create a way of looking at the research around your topic.
Think about elements of organization-This means that you must consider the way that the information will be presented. Creating an outline of topics and subtopics is a helpful way to organize.
Step Two: Writing (Introduction, Body, Conclusion)
Abstract
Introduction (1-page)
Define the general topic, issue, or area of concern
Point out trends in the published research in the area or conflicts in the theory, methodology, evidence, and conclusions, or gaps in the research or a new perspective
Detail your reasons for a review of the literature on your research question. Explain your stance and organizational structure
Body (4-5 pages):
It’s important to consider how you will present the sources you found. You may want to consider the following methods-
Chronological-Organize the research in the order it was conducted
By publication-You may group sources by the type of research they present or the area/field of research (for example, government reports).
Trends-Categorizing your sources this way will present changes in data interpretation over time.
Thematic-Organizing your ideas around topics or issues. This organizational structure presents an emphasis on ideas or themes.
Methodological-This approach groups research studies by the way the research was conducted.
In this section, be sure to include:
The current situation in regard to your research question
The history or related ideas that have influenced the development of your issues identified in your research question
Conclusion: (2-3 pages)
Summarize the major points of significant studies and articles, but your attention on the focus of your position
Evaluate the current thinking on your research question. This may be a place for you to suggest that there are flaws in the research, theories, findings, or areas of study
Conclude by providing insight into the relationship between the research question and the focus of your area of interest, study, or proposed position on the topic
Composing Tips
Use evidence-Your interpretation of the resources you have chosen must be backed up with evidence that shows a link between what you are saying and information to support it.
Be selective-Choose the most important parts of each source to highlight in your review.
Use quotes sparingly-Most literature reviews do not use direct quotes from the text.
Use short quotes if you need to once in a while, but do not use large passages of text. Your goal is to summarize in your own words the studies you have found that provide documentation of your position or serve as background.
Summarize and synthesize-You will summarize the work of others as you create your literature review. You will also need to synthesize it as a way to relate it to your own work.
Keep your voice-This means that even though you are presenting the ideas of others, you will still need to use your ideas and words. But give credit to sources used (i.e., referencing and citations). Paraphrase with caution-Retell the ideas of others with caution, being sure to watch that the ideas of others are presented as someone else’s, and your ideas are presented separately.
Upload your paper via Turnitin by the deadline
GRADING RUBRIC
Poor
0
Minimal
2
Fair
4
Average
6
Good
8
Excellent
10
Paper on pre-approved topic.
Using a minimum of 10 appropriate sources (as outlined in the instructions) and appropriately using said sources (information used in proper context, sources used in a meaningful way and not simply tacked onto a sentence, etc.)
Maximum Turnitin Similarity Score is 15% (including direct quotes). This excludes References and Title Page.
Note: Plagiarized papers will earn an overall score of 0 on this assignment
Paper follows the formatting requirements outlined in the assignment instructions (APA format, font, font size, margins, etc.)
Free of technical writing errors such as grammatical errors, syntax errors, spelling errors, punctuation errors, etc. Writing uses proper syntax structure, is grammatically sound, void of typos, etc. It is clear that: 1) the student used spell/grammar check in MS Word and Grammarly to check writing errors, and 2) the student carefully edited the paper before final submission.
Clarity of writing (no vague or undefined terms, each sentence has a purpose for the overall paper, no “filler” or unnecessary words/sentences, etc.)
Inclusion of required paper sections, the quality of those paper sections, and minimum page length for each section (i.e., Introduction, Literature Review/Body, and Conclusion). It is expected that for the Body of the paper, you come up with a main heading with subheadings, depending on how you choose to present the information (see the paper instructions for more information).
Paper organization and structure
Strong transition statements and topic sentences for each section
Page length a minimum pages excluding Title Page, Abstract, and References.
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