Week 3

University of Phoenix Material

Organizing Ideas Worksheet

Step 1 – Locating relevant information

As part of an academic writing process, it is important to use scholarly articles to support your own thoughts about a topic. When you use those sources in your writing, you must record specific information about the articles you use in your topic discussion. Recording this information ensures you are prepared to give credit to the authors of those articles.

This week, you use the University Library to find two scholarly articles related to the broad topic, narrowed idea, and research question you selected in Week 1. In the academic databases available in our online library, the source information for articles is provided in the indexing details located toward the bottom of the article.

Review the below example of indexing details. The six pieces of source information for your articles you will need to record for this assignment (title, author, publication title, publication date, document URL or DOI, and database) are numbered and boxed in red. Eventually, you will need to record the issue number and/or volume number as well as the page numbers the on which the articles appear to complete the reference page citations in your essay.

Search for at least two articles in the University Library that are relevant to your topic. Once you have decided on the articles you want to use for your essay, locate the indexing details.

Complete the following template using the indexing details for the two articles you selected. Include a 3- or 4-sentence description of how each article relates to your topic and research question.

Article #1:

Author(s) names: Blumstein, A., & Nakamura, K.

Article title: Redemption in the presence of widespread criminal background checks

Date written or published: 05/2009

Journal or publication title: Criminology

Issue number and/or volume number (if provided): volume : 47 , issue: 2

Page numbers (if provided): 327 - 359

Database name: Wiley online library

URL (web address) or doi number: 10.1111/j.1745-9125.2009.00155.x

The advances in information technology and the concerns in employer liability has risen making it mandatory for employers to have a background check on their employees before hiring. Increased criminal activities in organisation through cyberhacking and warfare, has made employers to be stringent in checking whether they employees have any criminal background. With the computerisation and availability of criminal records in online platforms its easier to obtain this information that it was before. This article helps in identifying and evaluating how criminal backgrounds checks have been redempted through the advances in informational technology.

Article #2:

Author(s) names: Harris, P. M., & Keller, K. S.

Article title: Ex-offenders need not apply: The criminal background check in hiring decisions.

Date written or published: 02/2005

Journal or publication title: Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

Issue number and/or volume number (if provided): volume: 21, issue : 1

Page numbers (if provided): 6 - 30

Database name: Sage journals

URL (web address) or doi number: 10.1177/1043986204271678

Workplace crime has been witnessed to be on the rise. However, legal barriers has bired many ex-offerenders from obtaining lawful employment which is a principle of reintegration. The article explores the criminal laws has been utilised to help in reducing workplace crimes. This helps in establishing whether background checks play a role in identifying employee behavior and what are the shortcommings of criminal background checks. It is important to use reasonable risk assessment in employment screening laws to advocate for equal employment practices.

Step 2 – Research question responses

Use the research question you selected in Week 1 to identify three related perspectives from the articles that you identified in Step 1 of this worksheet. These perspectives should meaningfully respond to the research question you selected. Review the example below for additional guidance:

Example Research Question: What are three ways video games can help young players develop some important skills?

Example of Three Responses:

1. Develop academic skills in literacy and math.

2. Help young players develop decision-making and logic skills.

3. Help young players develop social skills.

Complete the template below using the research question you selected in Week 1 and the information from the articles you selected in Step 1.

Your research question: What are three reasons why background checks should be required for all employees at all companies?

Three responses to your research question (from the articles selected):

1.Background checks acts a societal norm and helps in the nations economical development.

2.Background checks provides the employer with a guide to determine the new employee behavior according to the job specification.

3. background checks helps in controlling illegal immigration amd habouring of fugitives in the workplaces

Step 3 – Thesis Statement

Now that you have selected a research question, located relevant scholarly information, and identified responses to the research question, you are ready to create a thesis statement.

A thesis statement incorporates the responses to the research question, and it can be seen as the ‘forecast’ of the main ideas that will be presented in the essay. Below is an example of a properly written thesis statement.

Example Research Question: What are three ways video games can help young players develop some important skills?

Example of Three Responses:

1. Develop academic skills in literacy and math.

2. Help young players develop decision-making and logic skills.

3. Help young players develop social skills.

Example Thesis Statement: Video games help young players develop academic, thinking, and social skills.

Write your thesis statement in the box below using the information from Step 2.

Your thesis statement: Criminal background checks help in determining a new employee behavior on job, aids in illegal immigration or habouring a fugitive, and acts as a societal norm.

Step 4 – Topic sentences

As mentioned above, a thesis statement is a ‘forecast’ of the main ideas in the essay. Topic sentences at the beginning of each body paragraph in the essay introduce the main idea discussed in that paragraph and incorporate the responses to the research question.

In this step, you use the results from Steps 2 and 3 to develop three topic sentences. Review the example below of topic sentences that were developed from the video game idea.

Example Research Question: What are three ways video games can help young players develop some important skills?

Example of Three Responses:

1. Develop academic skills in literacy and math.

2. Help young players develop decision-making and logic skills.

3. Help young players develop social skills.

Example Thesis Statement: Video games help young players develop academic, thinking, and social skills.

Example of Three Topic Sentences:

1. One way video games can help young players is through the development of academic skills.

2. Video games can also aid in developing thinking skills in younger players.

3. Finally, video games can assist younger players in developing social skills.

Write your three topic sentences in the template below using information from your responses to the research question and your thesis statement.

Three topic sentences:

1. One way Criminal background checks helps employers is through acting as a guide in determing an employee behavior before joining their task force.

2. Criminal background checks can also aid in illegal immigration or habouring of fugitives in workplaces.

3. Criminal background checks acts as a social norm which can help in a nations economic growth.

* In Week 3, you will use the topic sentences you have created here to further develop your essay by creating body paragraphs with additional details for each main idea.

Reference

Blumstein, A., & Nakamura, K. (2009). Redemption in the presence of widespread criminal background checks. Criminology, 47(2), 327-359.

Harris, P. M., & Keller, K. S. (2005). Ex-offenders need not apply: The criminal background check in hiring decisions. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 21(1), 6-30.