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CRJ/SOC 469/569: Juvenile Delinquency

Research Guide for the CRJ/SOC 469/569: Juvenile Delinquency

Writing Your Final Paper/Literature Review

Literature reviews survey research done in a particular area. Their main emphasis is on bringing together theories and results from a number of studies to describe the "big picture" of an area of research.

Sections

1. Title Page

2. Abstract: brief summary of your paper in a short paragraph

  • Start with a statement about your topic/research question which includes contextual background 
  • Discuss why your topic/research question is important and why your reader should care
  • Outline the main points of your paper 

3. Introduction: summarizes what you will write and puts it into context

  • Start the introduction with background that contextualizes the paper's main research question/topic
  • End the introduction with a thesis statement, which outlines the main points of the paper and how you will address them

4. Literature Review and Discussion: Presents the main points of the paper, with each paragraph representing one aspect of the paper's main topic. Prioritize and organize your main points and paragraphs to logically build your arguments to a compelling conclusion. Each paragraph should include a topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and a transition sentence:

  • The topic sentence summarizes the paragraph's main idea
  • Use evidence from your research sources to support or make the argument for your main ideas
  • Analyze your evidence to show how it makes you think about your your broader research question/topic
  • Include a transition sentence at the end of each paragraph to connect what you discussed in that paragraph with the main idea of the next paragraph

5. Conclusion: summarizes what you wrote and what you learned

  • Restate your research question/topic from the introduction in different words
  • Briefly summarize your main points or arguments and pull them together to answer your main research question or draw conclusions about your topic
  • End with a strong, final statement that ties the whole literature review together and makes it clear the paper has come to an end
  • No new ideas should be introduced in the conclusion, it should only review and analyze the main points from the body of the paper (with the exception of suggestions for further research)

6References list: a list of the sources you cited 

  • Cite your sources in APA Style
  • Format your References list in APA Style

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