Fall 2017 Criminal Justice Research Experience: ParticipantGuidelines

This information applies to the following courses:

Course / Sec / Course Title / Meeting Pattern / Instructor
CJ 1310 / 1 / INTRO TO CJ / MW 2pm-3:20pm / Eckert, Mary
CJ 1310 / 2 / INTRO TO CJ / TR 5pm-6:20pm / Tillotson, Stephen
CJ 1310 / 4 / INTRO TO CJ / TR 2pm-3:20pm / Hewitt, Ashley
CJ 3346 / 1 / RESRCH IN CRIM JST / MW 11am-12:20pm / Withrow, Brian
CJ 3346 / 2 / RESRCH IN CRIM JST / MW 12:30pm-1:50pm / Morley, Richard
CJ 3346 / 3 / RESRCH IN CRIM JST / MW 2pm-3:20pm / Withrow, Brian
CJ 3346 / 4 / RESRCH IN CRIM JST / TR 11am-12:20pm / Tillotson, Stephen
CJ 3346 / 5 / RESRCH IN CRIM JST / TR 12:30pm-1:50pm / Tillotson, Stephen
CJ 3346 / 6 / RESRCH IN CRIM JST / TR 3:30pm-4:50pm / Jones, Angela
CJ 3346 / 8 / RESRCH IN CRIM JST / Does Not Meet / Jennings, Wesley
CJ 3347 / 1 / STATS FOR CRIM JUS / MW 11am-12:20pm / Morley, Richard
CJ 3347 / 2 / STATS FOR CRIM JUS / MW 12:30pm-1:50pm / Withrow, Brian
CJ 3347 / 3 / STATS FOR CRIM JUS / MW 3:30pm-4:50pm / Vasquez, Bob
CJ 3347 / 4 / STATS FOR CRIM JUS / TR 5pm-6:20pm / Carreon, Jennifer
CJ 3347 / 5 / STATS FOR CRIM JUS / MWF 10am-10:50am / Morley, Richard
CJ 3347 / 6 / STATS FOR CRIM JUS / TR 2pm-3:20pm / Summers Rodriguez, Lucia
CJ 3347 / 7 / STATS FOR CRIM JUS / TR 12:30pm-1:50pm / Noh, Keeyoon
CJ 3347 / 8 / STATS FOR CRIM JUS / TR 3:30pm-4:50pm / Summers Rodriguez, Lucia

As you progress in the Criminal Justice major, you will learnaboutresearchinmanyareasof criminal justice.Toenhanceyour understandingof thenatureof social scienceresearch,itisimportantthat you getsomefirst-handexperiencewithresearch.For thatreason,studentsare requiredtohave direct experience with social science research.

Allresearchwithhumanparticipantsmustbecarriedoutinanethicalmanner.For example,you cannotberequiredtoparticipateinstudiesagainstyour wishes.Therefore,you havetwooptionstofulfillresearch experience requirement:oneoptioninvolvesparticipationinstudieswhereastheotherdoesnot.Bothoptionshavebeendesignedtotake thesameamountof effort.You arefreetochooseeitheroptionor bothfor atotalcreditbalanceof 4 credits.The research requirement will be worth 5% of your final grade!

If you failtocompletetheresearch experience requirement(eitherOption1 or 2 below, or a combination), then your final course gradewillbereducedby one-half ofa letter grade(i.e.,5%). The due date to complete your research requirement is Friday, December 8, 2017 by 5pm. No late submissions will be accepted.

Option 1. Volunteer as a Research Participant.

If you are18 yearsof ageor older,you areeligibletoparticipateinstudies(theagerestriction isduetofederalpolicy).Your participationinstudieswillgiveyou achancetohavedirect contactwithresearch. Participationinstudies at Texas State University thatrequire30 minutes or lessare worth 1credit; studiesthattake between 30-60 minutes areworth2credits; studiesthattake between 60-90 minutes areworth 3credits; studiesthattake between 90-120 minutes areworth4credits. The number of credits will benotedinthe studydescriptionthatyou seewhenyou signup. Only studiesapproved by the criminal justice department qualify for credit (they will be listed at In addition, paid studiescannotbeusedto satisfy theResearchRequirement.

  1. To sign up for a study, follow the steps below:
  • Go tothewebsite on or after September 18, 2017 (the subject pool will be opened on the Monday following the Official 12th Class Day, and your user account will have been created by that time).
  1. Log in with the following credentials:
  • User ID: Your Texas State net ID e.g., ab1234
  • Password: CrimJustice (You may change your password after logging in)
  1. After you log in, you can sign up for studies, view your accumulated credits, and edit your profile, including your password as shown in the screen shot below.

  1. Look up studies that fit your schedule.
  • Online studies can be completed at any time in advance of the researcher’s deadline.
  • For in person studies, do not sign up to participate unless you intend to show up.
  • You may not be able to sign up for future studies if you fail to show up for an appointment that you have made with a researcher, or any time you arrive more than 5 minutes late.
  • You may avoid this penalty by canceling your appointment at least 2 hours in advance. You may cancel the appointment by visiting
  • Please do not argue with researchers if you arrive late. Once a study has started it is often impossible for a late student to be accommodated.
  1. Sign up for and complete the studies to get research credit points for your class grade.
  • The system will assign you 1 point for each half hour you spend participating in research. Four points of participation, or two hours worth of research, will complete the requirement for 5% of your grade.
  1. Keep your own record of the studies you participate in.
  • In case a problem occurs and they cannot find your study records, you will want to have information about the studies you participated in.
  1. The last day to participate in the studies is Friday, December 8, 2017.
  • Studies WILL fill up at the end of the semester – get them out of the way early in the semester so you aren’t left without study options. Complete studies early in the semester so you can choose studies that fit your schedule and then you do not have to worry about it later.

Option 2. Research Article Summaries

As an alternative to participating in a research study, you may also demonstrate direct contactwithresearch by submitting a written summary of a research article published in Volume 55, Issue 1 or 2 of the journal Criminology or Volume 34, Issue 4 or 5 of the journal Justice Quarterly. Each written summary is worth 2 credits. To earn credits in this way, follow the steps below:

  1. Obtain the article(s)in the most recent issues of either Criminology or Justice Quarterly. Download the article(s) from the online library database. Follow Tab 4 on the “Start your research” page of this guide to learn how to locate research articles:
  2. Read and summarize the article. Each summary shouldinclude a description of the research problem, the theory being tested, the methodology used, the findings, and why the study was important for social science research.
  3. Papers should be written in complete sentences USING YOUR OWN WORDS and avoiding direct quotes. If plagiarism is detected in your article summary, you will lose the opportunity to earn that credit through article submission. You might then (a) complete a study to replace it or (b) lose the credit.
  4. Each summary should betwo typed, double spaced pages totaling 500 words with one inch margins and 12-point font.
  5. Submit article summaries to the following email: y the research experience deadline (Friday, December 8, 2017 by 5pm).

Summary

Research Experience is worth 5% of your course grade. Research credits can be tracked by logging into described above. Additional details, including frequently asked questions, can be found at: Please direct any questions regarding the research experience requirement to the Research Experience Coordinator .