The readings in this unit describe the growing use of crime mapping in police work. As a professional in the criminal justice system, or in the field of criminology in general, it is increasingly important to be able to effectively evaluate a crime map. For this assignment, you must find an academic journal article or government report that presents at least one crime map. Write a paper that describes one of the maps in the following ways:
In your own words, give a thorough explanation of what the map conveys. This can include the stated purposes of the map, or your own interpretation of what it conveys, or both. However, it is important that you be thorough, and that you put it into your own words rather than simply repeating what the authors wrote.
Identify shortcomings in the map. For example, could it have been more effective if it included other information? Is it confusing? Is it poorly structured?
Describe the ways in which the use of a map is more effective in this instance than if the author had used a table, simple description, or some other form of analysis. What does the map allow the author to show that could not have been shown some other way?
You will write this in the form of a 3-4 page paper following the outline provided below. Be sure to thoroughly address each of the components listed above. You must write with correct grammar and punctuation, and at a level suitable for a graduate course. Failure to do so will result in a loss of points. Also, at the end of your paper, include a full bibliographic reference for the source of your map so we can find the map and examine it alongside your paper. Refer to the instructions provided below for finding an article using Google Scholar. You might try searching for terms like “robbery map” or “violent crime map.” Keep in mind that not all maps will be easily interpretable for this assignment, so you might not want to choose the first one you find. Also refer to the instructions provided below for the appropriate formatting of your reference.
Important notes:
Your paper must be submitted as a MS Word document or PDF
Your paper must be double-spaced using 12pt Times New Roman font
All pages must have a margin of 1” on all sides.
Type your name in the header of your document.
Do not include a title page.
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Outline
introduction (approx. 2-3 paragraphs)
brief discussion of spatial analysis in policing
purpose of this paper
body (approx. 2 pages)
conclusion (approx. 2-3 paragraphs)
summary of what you learned about using maps to convey information
statement about the importance of, and/or caution required when, using maps
bibliographic reference for the article or report providing the map (on separate page – not included in the 3-4 page total)
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Instructions for Finding Journal Articles
There are many different ways to find relevant academic journal articles. For this assignment, it may be best to use an expansive search rather than a highly focused search. Therefore, we will use Google Scholar. If you are searching from off-campus, it is imperative that you follow the instructions below rather than simply going straight to Google Scholar. If you do not follow these instructions and log-in with your FSU credentials when asked, you will not have free access to the articles and reports.
Step 1 – Set up Google Scholar to use FSU subscriptions
Go http://scholar.google.comLinks to an external site.
Click on the Settings menu on the right.
Click on Library links.
Type Florida State University in the box that appears.
Click on the blue Search button.
Click in the check box next to “Florida State University- Find It @ FSU” (Not Cengage Gale Full Text)
Click on Save
Scholar should now recognize you as an FSU patron
Instruction video:
http://myweb.fsu.edu/bstults/courses/ccj5078/google_scholar.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Step 2 – Find relevant articles
Enter your search terms in the box (e.g. “violent crime map criminology”).
View the results of your search and scan the titles for something interesting.
When you find a potential article, click the html link, the PDF link (if available), or the “Find it @ FSU” link. This should take you to a website where you can view the abstract and find a PDF or full online version of the article. Every site is a little different, so just look around until you find a link to the PDF file.
Review the article to see if it will be useful.
Do not use sources that are books, dissertations, government reports, or that are published by an association (e.g. American Society of Criminology), as they are likely to be conference presentations.
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Instructions for Citation and Reference Style
There are numerous different styles for providing citations and bibliographic references. This assignment will use an adaptation of the APA Citation Style. Guidelines are provided below.
Referencing citations in the text of the paper
In the text of your paper, the first time you refer to an article, you must provide a citation that refers the reader to an entry in your bibliographic references. Use the following examples:
for articles by a single author
The last name of the author and the year of publication are inserted in the text at the appropriate point.
… as argued in a classic study (Simon, 2005).
If the name of the author appears as part of the narrative text, cite only the year in parentheses.
Simon (2005) argued that…
for works by a multiple authors
When a work has two authors, always cite both names every time the reference occurs in the text. In parenthetical material join the names with an ampersand (&).
… as has been shown (Leiter & Maslach, 1998)
When names are included in the narrative text, join the names with the word “and”.
As Leiter and Maslach (1998) show…
When a work has three, four, or five authors, cite all authors the first time the reference occurs.
Kahneman, Knetsch, and Thaler (1991) found …
In all subsequent citations, include only the surname of the first author followed by “et al.” (Latin for “and others”) and the year of publication.
… as found by Kahneman et al. (1991).
… as found in a key study (Kahneman et al., 1991).
Bibliographic references
At the end of your paper, you must include a list of bibliographic references. You must include a reference for each of the articles that you cite in your paper. They should be in alphabetical order according to the first author’s last name. This reference page will not be included as part of the 3-4 pages. All references must include the following:
authors’ last names and first initials
year of publication (in parentheses)
title of article (in double-quotes)
title of journal (in italics)
volume number
page numbers
use a hanging indent, as shown below
Johnson, G. (2008). “The effects of regret in escalation of commitment.” Organizational Behavior
and Human Decision Processes, 105, 221-232.
Smith, M., R. Jones, & A. Stevens. (2010). “Self control and white Collar crime.” Criminology,
102, 541-566.
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