This assignment presents the analysis and conclusions of each student’s research on their chosen “problem”. It should be at least 8 double-spaced pages, excluding appendices. Key headings and elements to include are described below:

INTRODUCTION Provide a clear specification and description of the problem. Remember, your problem should be very specific, recurrent, and likely involve recurring events (see Clarke and Eck’s [2005] CHEERS test to confirm that you are on the right lines). This description should be informed by a review of the literature (below). Review the available literature on your problem, or similar types of problems. This should cover at least 6 scholarly references and perhaps some other sources of information (e.g. newspapers, websites). This should set the stage for understanding the context and causes of the problem.

METHODS AND DATA You should identify the data sources you obtained, and the measures and variables you were able to examine. You should also outline the types of analyses you performed.

ANALYSIS OF PROBLEM PATTERNS Describe the patterning of the problem. This description should draw on available data and published statistics. You can also fill some gaps in available data and statistics referring to literature that has examined the same or similar problems. You should try to assess: Who is involved in the problem? When does this problem occur? What are the trends in time of the problem? Are there any strong patterns of concentrations of this problem (on particular people, places, times etc.) What are some of the apparent causes of the problem? Remember to include some selected tables and graphics, to illustrate key points. Don’t throw loads of these into the main text, just include the critical ones. However, you may use an appendix to present additional tables and graphics. CONCLUSIONS Drawing on the results of the analysis of problem patterns (drawing both on data and existing literature) and assess: What are the key characteristics of the problem (including its distribution across people, space and time) What can we identify as likely causes of this problem? (In particular, focus on causes that may be changeable through intervention.) What, additionally, do you hypothesize might also be causes of this problem, based on the data you have analyzed? (Again, focus on factors that may be changeable through intervention.) Based on your conclusions, what kind of interventions (policies, programs, or practices) would you recommend to help reduce the problem? In describing these, talk about the agencies or actors who would need to implement your ideas.

FURTHER DATA COLLECTION The final part of your assignment should discuss the further steps you would take to find out about your problem, and to help test hypotheses you could not test in your initial study. Remember, you have been limited to relying only on publicly available data, often aggregated to counties or states. Maybe you next would want to analyze administrative data broken down to individual crimes or people, or perhaps you would talk to key players around a problem. Or maybe it’s useful to carry out a small survey to find out more. The goal here is not to design a giant research project that will take 5 years to complete. Rather, it is to outline modest data collection and analysis you could do over a few weeks or months with limited resources. Be strategic and thoughtful; don’t throw in the whole kitchen sink.

REFERENCES Don’t forget a correctly formatted bibliography.