The literature review assignment serves as the major scholarly project in this course, allowing students to demonstrate their ability to locate, analyze, and synthesize peer-reviewed research on a criminal justice topic of their choosing. This assignment progresses through three developmental stages designed to scaffold the research and writing process: (1) Topic and Reference List, in which students identify a research topic and compile a list of at least ten scholarly, peer-reviewed sources formatted in proper APA 7th edition style; (2) Annotated Bibliography, in which students summarize and evaluate each source, articulating how it contributes to their understanding of the topic; and (3) Draft Literature Review, in which students submit a preliminary version of their literature review for feedback prior to making revisions and completing the final submission. The final literature review will be a five-page synthesis of the scholarly literature that demonstrates students’ advanced knowledge of a component of the American criminal justice system, their ability to read and critically evaluate peer-reviewed journal articles, and their competence in producing graduate-level writing using APA formatting. Through this staged approach, students will develop skills essential to master’s level study in criminal justice connecting academic scholarship to real-world issues in the field while building the foundational research and writing abilities necessary for continued professional and academic success. The project will progress in multiple stages throughout the semester (see below and Course Calendar in Syllabus for specific due dates), with your final draft of the literature review due Friday, May 1st by 11:59PM. Requirements General Formatting Title page (not included in page count) Double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt font Page numbers (bottom middle of page) References in APA 7th style Follow the examples provided on the Canvas page All About the Literature Review Assignment Topic & References Example 1.docx Topic & References Example 2.docx Part 1: Topic and Reference List (100 pts) due Sunday, February 8th by 11:59PM Title page with your topic as the title List of at least ten scholarly, peer-reviewed sources that address your topic formatted in proper APA 7th edition style Tip: This is a minimum number of sources, I promise you, you will likely use more than this by the time you actually get to writing Abstracts for each source (copied/pasted or screenshot) Part 1 Rubric Criteria Excellent Satisfactory Needs Improvement Topic Selection & Title Page (20 pts) (18-20 pts) Topic is clearly defined, appropriately focused for a 5-page literature review, and relevant to criminal justice. Title page is properly formatted. (12-17 pts) Topic is identified but may be too broad or narrow. Title page contains minor formatting errors. (0-11 pts) Topic is unclear, unfocused, or not relevant to criminal justice. Title page missing or improperly formatted. Source Quality (30 pts) (27-30 pts) All 10+ sources are scholarly, peer-reviewed, and directly relevant to the topic. Sources represent current scholarship. (18-26 pts) Most sources are peer-reviewed but 1-2 may be questionable or marginally relevant to the topic. (0-17 pts) Fewer than 10 sources provided, multiple non-scholarly sources, or sources lack relevance to the topic. APA 7th Ed. Formatting (30 pts) (27-30 pts) All references are formatted correctly in APA 7th edition style with no errors. (18-26 pts) References contain minor APA formatting errors (1-3 errors across the list). (0-17 pts) Multiple APA formatting errors throughout, inconsistent formatting, or incorrect citation style used. Abstracts Included (20 pts) (18-20 pts) Abstracts are provided for all sources (copied/pasted or screenshot), clearly legible. (12-17 pts) Abstracts provided for most sources but 1-2 are missing or illegible. (0-11 pts) Multiple abstracts missing, illegible, or not provided.