RESEARCH PROJECT –Career Investigation (Social work/criminal justice)

Question description

RESEARCH PROJECT –Career Investigation (Social work/criminal justice)

Length: 12-16 pages.

Overview:

The remainder of the semester will focus on a major research project. This project will be broken up into parts to make it manageable and keep you on track.

Complete the assignment fully and follow all directions for page length requirement for each part of the project.

Assignment Description:

For this assignment, you will complete a major research project in five parts. You will investigate different aspects of your (future) career field, analyze the process of becoming a professional in that field, interview someone currently working in that field, keep a detailed annotated bibliography, and reflect on your research process.

Each part of the project will have specific guidelines for you to follow. Pay close attention to the guidelines for each specific part of the assignment.

Although you will complete this project in different parts—the final draft needs to combine all parts into a single document. Review the student samples for examples of what the finished product should look like.

Here are some general guidelines regarding your research:

• You should synthesize information you learn during the research process.
• Do not simply cut-and-paste a collage of source material—that does not demonstrate any critical thinking.
• All sources should be discussed, properly integrated, and cited appropriately both in-text and in the annotated bibliography.
• Do not use a quote more than two lines in length.
• The majority of the work should be written by you—that means you must have something to say (again—no collage of what others have said).
• YOU MUST HAVE A MINIMUM OF 5 SOURCES (of which only 2 can be websites)

**READ and FOLLOW DIRECTIONS for each of the parts of the project listed below.**

Part 1: Research Report:   20%

Part 2: Process Analysis  20%

Part 3: Interview:     20%

Part 4: Annotated bibliography:     35%

Part 5: Reflection:       5%

Total:   100%

Below are the instructions for each part of the research project.

PART 1—Research Report 20%

Length: 2-4 pages

Instructions:

Part 1of this research project is a research report. Don’t let the name fool you—you are not simply reporting information—that does not require much critical thought!

Think of Part 1 as an essay in which you will have the dual purpose of both informing and arguing a position regarding your future career. You will provide some history and background information about the career field (the informative part) and argue who is the most significant person is in that field OR who you think is significant but does not receive enough recognition for their contributions to the field. You need to back up your claims with evidence to prove your points.

Remember that you will learn a lot through research and it is vitally important to keep track of your sources so that it is clear what information came from you and what came from a source. You have to figure out what you have to say about the information—form your own thoughts. You are NOT just reporting here—you must have something to say!

Part 1 criteria:

• information on the history and background of the career field from its beginning (this should not take up more than 1 page of the 2 page minimum)
• argue who is the most significant person is in that field OR who you think is significant but does not receive enough recognition for their contributions to the field
• clearly distinguish the thoughts/ideas/words of others from your own by discussing and integrating sources appropriately
• cite all sources correctly both in-text and in the annotated bibliography
• follow an essay structure (introduction with thesis statement, body paragraphs, conclusion)
• maintain a formal tone and use third person point of view only
• avoid major grammatical or spelling mistakes