Your Research Paper   YOU CANNOT SUBMIT A PAPER WITHOUT HAVING AN ABSTRACT SUBMITTED AND APPROVED.   Plagiarism will not, in any way, be tolerated.   Ask your instructor if you have questions regarding proper citation of material that is not your own.   An abstract must be submitted for approval before your research paper is accepted. Your abstract is due at mid-term (Week Five). Links to help you with an abstract are provided below or you can ask for help.   How to Write an Abstract (PDF file) http://calfed.ca.gov/Programs/Science/adobe_pdf/How_to_Write_an%20_Abstract.pdf   How Do I Write a Proposal? (Very simplistic – but covers all the bases) http://www.graduationprojecthelp.org/abstract.html   Your research paper, should involve just that…research. That means that the content will be culled from material that has not been assigned – although you may use material from the texts to augment your research. The paper needs to be from 10-15 pages (no, not including the Works Cited page or the Title Page). Because the topic should be something for which you have a passion, you may find that 10-15 pages are more restrictive than you think!   All of your sources need to be cited on your ‘Works Cited’ page in MLA format. If you do not already own a copy of the MLA Handbook and 12 Easy Steps to Successful Research Papers, you may look at them in Professor Thornicroft’s office. Also, there will be a meeting time scheduled (if there is enough interest) in which you can discuss your research, get helpful hints on MLA citation, and whatever else you may need help in. (Dr. Ayers has graciously provided her Capstone Research Paper guidelines to aid in clarification should you need it. Follow the link in “Assignments”.)   What should I research? Your best point of reference will be to chose a case history to research and analyze the evidence, or the procedures, or the autopsy, the trial, etc.   Hopefully, this paper will be the most interesting paper you’ve written to date. Your topic can fall within any area that we have, or will cover. If gunshot wounds fascinate you, your paper can be written on some aspect of gunshot wounds – analysis of the wound, caliber of weapon, ballistics, grading direction, etc. If you are interested in the trial aspect of the presentation of evidence, you can explore a case in which forensic evidence was used – or misused. There is a mountain of information available to you. We can help you on the research path once we see your abstracts.   The purpose of the abstract is to get you on point and to narrow your focus. It is not uncommon to choose a topic that is too broad for this length of paper. You will need to introduce your topic, analyze and support the course you are taking and have a contracted conclusion.   An example: I want to write about the Simpson trial. What about it? I want to research how the prosecution presented DNA evidence. What about it? I want to show how the DNA evidence was presented poorly to the jury. What about it? I want to show how the poorly presented DNA evidence against Simpson helped produce the acquittal. Can you show how it was presented? Can you show why it was presented poorly? Can you show it could have been presented more effectively and support your thesis?   Another example might be presented the in the area of a compare/contrast paper on SIDS controversy. Is it truly a syndrome or a form of infanticide?   One more direction might be to research the latest development in an area of forensic analysis – new DNA or toxicology technology. There are many journals that deal with forensics and forensic evidence – including those in the medicolegal, the medical and legal counseling fields. And please don’t forget newspapers!   Either way, you must support your arguments and your research.   Links for Harvard, Yale and Columbia libraries as well as the New York Times and FindLaw will be posted. Our Orbis search system is a wonderful resource for obtaining whole journal articles (search early!). You’ll find these reference links and other resources under “Bibliography.”     Don’t panic! Seek help. Narrow your focus as much as possible and have fun!   Paper Rubric (Grading scale)   Introduction/Purpose (15 points) ·        Focus ·        Scope (reader had a clear picture of what was going to be discussed) Methodology (15 points) ·        Selection and rationale for sources ·        Value of sources and criteria for selection (through investigating/researching your topic, many things were revealed to you Why did you choose you resources…where did you look.  Document your trail)! Analysis (25 points) ·        Integrated discussion of literature/research into the theme(s) of the topic (create your case…why is this important, who has researched it, how is this coming together…remember to support your argument with experts/researchers)! Conclusion (25 points) ·        Cogent synthesis based on evidence in Analysis section (here you can start to intertwine your thoughts and why you see the direction of change or integration of support.) References (10 points) ·        Cited according to MLA format ·        10 references Quality / Scholarship (10 points) ·        Spelling ·        Grammar ·        Clarity / Articulation of thought