Case Study Term Paper Assignment #2 (Due November 21, 2020, at 8pm) … closes on November 21,
2020, at 8pm (considered late from 8:01pm on November 21, 2020, until closing on November 28, 2020, at
8pm). A student should consider other factors that can hinder the timing of submitting the paper in Canvas.
If the submitting student waits until 5:55 on the date due to submit their paper and experiences any
technical difficulties the paper will still be considered late at 8:01 pm. If a term paper is considered late then
20 points will be automatically deducted from the paper prior to grading. Any paper that properly submitted
in Canvas at 8:01 pm on November 21, 2020 through November 30, 2020 at 8:00pm will begin with an
80%, prior to reading and grading the paper for content and other criterion. It is not to be e-mailed to me or
sent to me by any other means other than proper submission through Canvas. If the paper is not properly
submitted, this may result in the paper being late, unless it is properly submitted by the stated deadline. No
excuses will be accepted if the paper is not submitted on time or before the closing date and time. This
assignment has been posted since the first day of class. Students have weeks to research and write this
paper. No paper will be accepted after November 28, 2020, at 8pm (Canvas time). A grade of 0 will be
given for that assignment (meaning 25% of that student’s final grade would be a 0). Students do not have
to wait until November 21, 2020, to submit it. The paper may be submitted early.
Students will write an 8-11 page term paper on a case study. This is an actual investigation/court case
where all the forensic evidence will be fully discussed in this case study paper. According to the facts of the
case did law enforcement correctly or improperly collect the case evidence. What should law enforcement
done at crime scene(s)? Students will discuss how all the forensic evidence either strengthened orweakened the case investigation. Discuss how the evidence was or should have been collected, preserved,
processed and analyzed. If law enforcement made mistakes than explain what they did wrong and how it
should have been done correctly. If the technology did not exist at the time the crime(s) occurred then
discuss how it would have been handled if it had been available in that time period (such as DNA
Evidence). Students are to show their knowledge and understanding of processing of the crime scene(s);
the technology that did or could have made an impact on the case, the steps in locating, collecting, and
processing the evidence. All the forensic branches that are part of the case study should be included in the
paper. In this paper students may discuss multiple branches, if they apply to their case study. This criterion
is part of grading the content of the paper.
The paper should be well written with correct spelling and proper grammar. Students should begin the
paper with a thesis statement, followed by the body of the paper and end the paper with a conclusion. The
paper should easily flow from point to point within the body of the paper. The paper should display the
student’s understanding and knowledge of the topic. The paper should not contain the student’s opinion on
the topic. It should contain the facts and demonstrate the student’s knowledge of those facts. If these
criterions are not followed than points will be deducted from the grading of the content of the paper.
The term paper should contain at least ten academic resources cited in it. The class textbooks for Intro to
Forensic Science may be used but do not count as an academic resource for paper purposes. Students
may use textbooks as academic resources if they are not the textbooks required for this class. The three
class textbooks books could be used but an additional 10 academic resources would still be needed for the
required academic resources. Some of the resources that should be used are “peer reviewed”, “academic”
or “scholarly” journals. (Examples of these types of journals: Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Public
Administration Review, Criminal Justice Review, Criminal Justice Review) Students may use credible online resources. (Examples of these types of credible on-line resources are The DEA Government Website,
The FBI Government Website, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Government
Website, United States Secret Service Government Website, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and Bureau
of Justice Statistics). Do not use Wikipedia, newspaper articles, magazines (Examples Time, People,
Newsweek, The New Yorker) or any blogs as the required academic resources for the paper. A student
cannot use all on-line websites for their ten references. The reference section of the paper must contain a
variety of acceptable resources. A student may have more than 10 resources sited in the paper but there
have to be 10 resources that fit the academic criteria as stated. If a student is unsure about a resource
being acceptable, contact me through Canvas for clarification. If students do not follow these criteria for the
required academic resources than up to 10 points can be deducted from the paper.
Materials must be properly cited in the paper. The format for citing, quoting, referencing and the sourcing of
materials for the paper is either MLA or APA (the student may choose either of these) but the format must
be consistent throughout the paper. If the students fail to follow these guidelines for the references or fails
to have references within their paper assignment 5 points will be deducted from their paper’s grade.
The paper should be 8-11 pages with a font at least of 10 and no larger than 12. The font should either be
Arial or Times New Roman. This paper must be double-spaced. Points will not be deducted if a student
exceeds the 11-page limit, if the paper is well written. If the paper’s written content is not double-spaced or
the font guidelines are not followed 5 points will be deducted from the paper’s grade. If the paper is not at
least 8-pages in written content than points will be deducted. The reference page and any title page do not
count as part of that 8-page requirement. Also, the spacing between paragraphs should not be tripled or
quadrupled to make the paper appear longer. Dividing your paper with several headings will also not count
in making the paper longer. These factors will be taken in consideration when determining the length of the
written content of the paper. It should be at least 8 full pages of written material on the topic. There will be 5
points deducted if the paper is at least 7 pages of written content on the subject but less than 8 full pages.
There will be 10 points deducted if the paper is at least 6 pages of written content on the subject but less
than 7 full pages. There will be 15 points deducted if the paper is at least 5 pages of written content on thesubject but less than 6 full pages. Anything under 6 pages will have a 20-point deduction.
(This Paper Assignment is 25% of their final grade.
Students may choose their own case study or one of the case studies listed below:
1) The case of serial killer Ted Bundy
2) Donald Henry Gaskins (The Hitchhikers’ Killer)
3) The Jeffrey MacDonald Case
4) The case of Richard Ramirez (The Night Stalker)
5) The case of Gary Ridgway (The Green River Killer)
6) The case of Dennis Rader (BTK)
7) Patrick Wayne Kearney (The Trash Bag Killer)
8) The OJ Simpson Case
9) The Jon Benet Ramsey Case
10) The case of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Jr (The Clown Killer)
11) The case of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer (Milwaukee Cannibal)
12) The case of serial killer Anthony Sowell (The Cleveland Strangler)
13) The Caylee Anthony Case
14) Aileen Wuornos (The Monster)
15) Tommy Lynn Sells
16) David Berkowitz (Son of Sam)
17) Samuel Little
18) John Joubert
