Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:

Objectives
The objectives of this exercise are for you to demonstrate your ability to:

Locate and access digital academic literature from the online library system (technical competence)
Accurately classify scholarly literature and the research methods employed (critical thinking)
Summarize and communicate your findings clearly and succinctly (writing and communication)
Your task
You are to download three scholarly (peer-reviewed) studies relating to police effectiveness or crime reduction and evaluate the research methods employed by the authors against the evidence hierarchy scale found in the course module.

What you will need to do
You will need to access three scholarly research studies on a related topic. For example, you could access three articles that look at hot spots policing, or body-worn cameras, or community policing, or foot patrol. Any topic related to policing is fine.
See this module page for a video and information on how to access the online library.
Download your chosen articles (pdf files is best).
You should assess each of the studies carefully, paying particular attention to the studies’ methods. It will help you significantly if you use the two page evaluation sheet you were introduced to earlier (it is in module 07.3 “Interpreting articles”). To save time, you can sometimes skim the literature review and focus on the research methods.
Establish your best estimate of the research method and assign a score from 0-5 based on the evaluation sheet.
In no more than three pages per article (nine absolute maximum) describe the article using the following headings:
The article: Show the full academic citation for the article. See this important documentPreview the document.
Summary: A brief description of what the article describes, and what they found.
Research methods: A more detailed summary of the research methods.
Your ranking: Your assessment of the academic rigor of the study, based on your 0-5 score of the research methods (see below)
Justification: In a few sentences, explain why you gave the article the score you did. In other words, justify your scoring and explain your evidence for giving the article that score. (this is the part that is most important – dedicate one page to this)
Submit your assignment electronically through Canvas.
Important notes
Your three articles must be in the same general area. So for example, both should be on broken windows, or both on combating domestic violence. You can’t have one on each topic.
You are not allowed to examine CompStat, as this is covered in another course.
Many academic articles are not necessarily research studies. They might be literature reviews, or commentaries. You have to actively and carefully seek out peer-reviewed research studies that did some sort of study to answer a research question. Do not just blindly accept the first article you come across.
Paper mechanics
Your paper is to be typed, font size 12, double-spaced, one inch margins, and a maximum of nine pages.
Use a sensible, legible font. Calibri, Times New Roman, or Georgia are acceptable.
You should appropriately cite all work using the citation guide provided for you on Canvas. Cite all articles as the original published journal article, not as a Canvas or other type of web reference.
Carefully read the rubric so that you clearly understand where the marks are assigned.
Your paper must be submitted electronically through Canvas.
Nine pages is the maximum limit.
The 0-5 point scale
This is the metric you need to assess the articles you choose. It was originally introduced in module page 07.2.1 A hierarchy of evidence (scale). 

Evidence hierarchy.jpg