Purpose: The purpose of this paper project is for students to explore and document a
segment of the world of policing. This will be done mainly in the form of a Literature
Review. A literature review is a text of scholarly/empirical papers, which includes the
current knowledge on a topic, its substantive findings, as well as theoretical and
methodological contributions to this particular topic. Literature reviews are secondary
sources that can and will be found in our library, and you do/will not report new or
original experimental work. The overall focus of a literature review is simply to
summarize and synthesize the articles and ideas of others without adding new
contributions.
For this paper you will be highlighting prominent studies that others have completed.
This is not an opinion paper. The following list of potential topics and areas are
appropriate and may help you get started with developing the final project paper.
Potential Topics that may be turned into a Literature Review
Police policy, practices and evaluations
-Problem-oriented policing
-Community policing
-Zero-tolerance policing
-COMPSTAT
-Hot Spots policing
-Task forces
-Crime mapping
-Hot spot policing
-Police injunctions
-Procedural justice
-Community justice
Police experiences and work culture
Police perceptions
Citizens perceptions of police
Police and patrol-vehicle, by foot, by bike, etc.
Police impact on fear of crime and incivility
Police in the media and/or social media
Police and body cameras
Police and racial minorities
Police and gender
Police and education research
Police and LGBT
Police and hate crime
Police accountability
Police and gangs/extremist and supremacist groups
Police and terrorism
Police and the military
Police and PTSD
Police and the community (or police and other organizations)
Police and technology (personal/body cameras, taser guns, police science/forensics, etc.)
Comparisons of American police and International police (Africa, Asia, India, Turkey, S.
America, etc.)
Private police or private security
Final project paper topics are due in class. See below for the final project paper
requirements.
Article Search Instructions: Go to Rowan University Library webpage. At the near top
select âDatabases.â Go to the letter âJâ and click on it. Select at the bottom âJSTOR.â
JSTOR is a database for journal and/or empirical articles that will be needed for the
Literature Review. You may want to Narrow your search by Articles and Research
Reports and even by years at some point. For the most up-to-date information and
knowledge please work to find articles within the past ten years (2006-2017). You may
use some more historical articles if the concept stems prior to these dates. However, and
again, please proceed to find the most current research.
Requirements: This final paper must be 5-7 pages in length, double spaced, and include
in-text citations and a full reference section. The double-spaced paper should be in APA
format and is expected to be based on current research, not opinion. To organize your
paper you will need an introduction, history section, literature review subsections, and
conclusions.
Structure:
-Introduction
-Background or History
-Empirical Research and Findings
-Summary and Conclusions
-References (both in-text and a references section)
Things to Keep in Mind: No last minute read throughs and no emailed papers. The
writing center is located in Campbell Library on the first floor. Remember: start early!
Empirical Articles: What were their methods, sampling frame, analysis procedures, and
did they find support? You want to be sure to summarize the previous research on a
subject. Sometimes there are theories and sometimes not involved in this portion of the
paper. At the end of this section summarize the whole section for the reader. This section
of the paper should be around 2 to 3 pages in length.
While there are a number of unique approaches one may take to fulfill the requirements
of this final project paper, the student must show an understanding and knowledge of
their topic through readings that go beyond the in-class textbook such as historic writings,
news reports, and, of course, at least 2 to 3 academic journals/articles. This is not an
opinion paper. Please see the select list of potential topics and areas that may be
appropriate and may help you get started with developing the final project paper:
You can choose one topic to use and the minimum length is 5 pages and max is 7