This document provides instructions for students to complete and submit their final research paper. The paper must include: (1) the overview and literature review sections from a previous unit, and (2) a new section evaluating how the selected criminological theory impacts criminal behavior. It must be a minimum of five pages long, follow APA style guidelines, and cite at least four scholarly sources. The new section must discuss how the theory affects individuals and society, provide a criminal example, and summarize how the theory is supported by crime data for preventing criminal behavior.

1. During this unit, you will submit your final research paper. The
final research paper will consist of the following components:
(1) the overview section submitted in Unit V as part I of the
paper, (2) the review of literature submitted in Unit V as part I
of the paper, and (3) an evaluation of how the selected theory
impacts an individual’s decision to commit crime, which will be
added in this unit. Information presented for Units V and VII
should be supported with scholarly resources as noted in Unit
V.
First, you should review and incorporate your instructor’s
feedback for Part I of your paper. Then, add a section on your
selected theory’s effect on an individual and society. In this
section, you should do the following:
Discuss how the selected theory affects an individual’s decision
to commit crime.
Give an example of a criminal action and explain how it relates
to this theory. Be sure to also discuss how this criminal
behavior affects society.
Summarize how this theory is supported by crime data that aims
to target solutions intended to eradicate criminal behavior.
Your paper must be a minimum of five pages, and it should be
in APA style as detailed by the guidelines below. You must use
a minimum of four scholarly resources total (for parts I and II),
and any information from these sources should be cited and
referenced in APA style.

2. General Guidelines for Papers
APA style must be adhered to for the research paper which
includes but is not limited to the following:
Use 12-point Times New Roman font;
Double-spacing throughout paper;
All four margins set at 1”;
A cover and reference page must be included on separate pages;
Documents must be saved as either a .doc or .docx file. No
other formats will be accepted;
Only scholarly resources should be used. Sites such as
Wikipedia, blogs, or other resources where information has not
been peer-reviewed must not be used. If you have questions
regarding whether a resource is acceptable, ask your instructor
before using that resource;
Do not include an abstract (page 2 of APA Format);
Direct quotes should be used sparingly, if at all. The intent of
scholarly writing is to demonstrate the ability to comprehend,
interpret, and analyze information. Direct quotes do not
demonstrate these skills; therefore they should only be used
when the true meaning of the original author cannot be
appropriately expressed otherwise.
Do not use contractions in scholarly, business, academic or
professional writing.