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art courtesy of
Janet Preslar, FrActivity

ENG 101 Documentary Research Project

The documentary research project will require that you choose one of the individuals from the list of convicted criminals which I provide in class or on Canvas, and either individually or in a group of no more than three, research for the purposes of reporting the specifics concerning this individual or group in the form of a short research paper of approximately 3 pages (about 4 to 6 paragraphs).

Specific information must be provided in the course of the written essay.

Brief biographical information
- full name(s) of individual(s)
- Where born, raised
- Where active in criminal acts
- Specifics about criminal acts
Discussion of the investigation
- Lead detective or investigators
- Major points within the investigation including setbacks
- Details of the capture/arrest
- List of charges
Details of trial (if applicable)
- Where trial was held
- Evidence provided
- Sentence
Where are they now?

The details and information must be supported with research, either from articles in credible journals, newspapers and magazines; books written about the subject; or video documentaries. You must provide at least one quotation in each body paragraph. Most of the information that you provide will be reported statistics, facts and figures, and therefore should simply be reporting your own words (paraphrased) and then cited.

APA formatting should be applied, which means that in text citation will include either the author's last name(s) and and the year the article was published or the title of the work if there is no author provided along with the year the article was published. Both the Citrus College library and my website (englit.org), as well as Purdue University's OWL website, provide formatting for both in text and reference citation formatting. All detail information, including quotes and citations, are in BODY paragraphs only, not in introduction for conclusion.

This is objective reportage, and therefore you are not allowed to editorialize (offer your own opinion) concerning the perpetrator(s), the investigation, the victims, or any other aspect. Simply report in a dry, factual manner.

Formatting Details:

3-4 pages
No less than 4 paragraphs (intro, conclusion, 2 body paragraphs)
At least 3 resources
APA Reference Page (APA formatting)