Racial Bias and Use-of-Force Policies in U.S. Law Enforcement: Impacts on Public Trust, Accountability, and Justice Reform.”

1. The final paper should be 15-20 pages in length, not including the title page, the table of contents, and the references page.
2. The final paper should follow an APA basic format including one inch margins, 12 point Times Roman type, double spacing between each line and not more than that, and standard rules for manuscript preparation.
3. The paper must have at least ten references cited according to APA guidelines, Seventh Edition, including proper in-text citations and references which are listed on the last page in alphabetical order.
4. No more than five of the ten sources may be Internet sources; the other sources should be scholarly journal articles and books the student reads to conduct his or her research.
5. All sources must be cited at least once in the paper.
6. Graphs and charts are not mandatory but enhance the presentation. Adhere to appropriate APA guidelines to provide explanations and references for graphs and charts.
7. Consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (7th edition), or http://apastyle.org/
8. The paper must be written in the third person point-of-view. Do not use first person (I, me, my, mine, myself, we, our, ours, ourselves) except if it is included in a direct quotation. Do not use second person (you, your, yours, yourself) except if it is included in a direct quotation.
9. The paper should include a title page, a table of contents, an abstract, an introduction (Not labeled), the body with applicable headings, a conclusion (Not labeled), a page of references, and relevant visuals, graphs, and tables if suitable or germane to the topic.

CONTENT:

1. The research paper will demonstrate the student’s ability to use clear and concise writing at the college level.
2. The paper should encompass the coursework learned throughout the student’s bachelor-level academic career. It should address a topic that affects or is related to the student’s areas of study. Ideally, it will explore a convergence of the major fields the student studied during his or her college career. The student must select a topic which he or she may argue, one on which the student may take a firm stand. Although research is part of this project, it is not simply an informational paper or a report; it must include and represent the student’s view of the subject.
3. (Optional) Speak with someone at an institution, agency, government office, or company about the key issues explored throughout the research paper; the student should acquire an inside perspective. This citation and reference will be formatted according to APA standards for interviews. This does not include a first-person account although the student may, in fact, have a background relating to the subject.
4. (Optional) A Power Point is optional.
5. The oral presentation may be set up by using a video camera or YouTube. Directions about how to create a YouTube presentation are included under “Start Here”, “Course Resources”. You must have an audience (three people minimum), for your presentation; this can be family, friends, or anyone you would like to invite.