Methodology: Each student will prepare a course paper that examines in great detail a very specific fire service-related topic/issue/problem. The research paper will be written in stages, and presented for discussion in individual meetings at designated times with the professor. The final paper is to be submitted in the manner and form described within the course syllabus and a formal power-point presentation of the work will be delivered in one of the final four classes of the semester. The presentation should be thorough yet concise, lasting no more than 15 minutes. Following the research presentation, there will be a term of 15 minutes, during which student presenters will be required to answer all questions posed to them by their colleagues about their research.
Course Requirements: Students are required to submit each assigned component of their research project on or before the designated date. One full point will be deducted from the final cumulative course grade for each late submitted assignment. The completed research paper is to be submitted at the onset of class, on the date referenced in the “Schedule of Course Assignments” found in this syllaus. The research paper accounts for 50% of final grade. All students are required to formally present their research project to the class at a selected time within one of the final four classes of the semester. The oral presentation accounts for 25% of the final grade.
Research Paper:
The course research paper must meet the following minimum requirements;
1. The course paper must be a minimum of 15 pages in length. This length does not include the title
page, table of contents page, or reference page(s).
2. The course paper must have a title page. The title page must have the title of the paper, the student’s
name, and the name of the course. (See example provided below).
3. The course paper must have a table of contents. The table of contents should indicate the pages on
which each portion or section of the paper begins. (See example provided below).
4. The course paper must contain an “Introduction”. Within the introduction section of the paper,
students must present a clear and concise “statement of the problem” or topic which they have
thoroughly investigated, analyzed and presented in the larger paper. (See example provided below).
5. In the “Main Body” of the paper, students should present in great detail and specificity, the
“problem” (or topic) that they have thoroughly researched and analyzed.
6. The course paper must have a conclusion section. It should briefly summarize the issues raised in
the paper, discuss your recommendations, and note how your recommendations are or are not
supported by the facts and expert opinion to which you refer in your paper.
7. The text must be in Times New Roman, “12” font. Sentences are to be double spaced and the
margins should be one inch.
8. It is essential that the research paper be very well referenced. A minimum of six valid resources
(e.g., peer-reviewed journal articles, scholarly books, interviews, agency documents, and web
-sites) must be referenced. All references must be cited using the most current version of APA
citation (6th edition). Seven internet sites, NJCU resources, internet resources and a sample
reference section have been provided to assistance you with your researching and citation efforts.
(See below).
9. Each section of the course paper must be assigned a separate heading. The section heading must
be properly listed in the Table of Contents. Placing a heading at the beginning of each section of the
paper makes the discussion in the paper easier to follow. Headings also improve the paper’s visual
presentation. Among the headings your paper should have are: a) “Introduction” b) a number of
main body content-specific headings and c) “Conclusion”.
10. Proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation are essential. If a direct quotation is more than two lines
long, make certain you single space and indent it.
11. All technical flaws in the term paper and missed due dates will result in grade deductions.
12. The term paper may not contain any plagiaristic components. Plagiarism occurs when a person
represents someone else’s words, ideas, phrases, sentences or data as one’s own work. When a
student submits work that includes such material, the source of that information must be
acknowledged through a complete and accurate reference. All verbatim statements must be
acknowledged by means of quotation marks. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to
the following:
a. One person quoting another’s words directly without acknowledging the source.
b. Using another’s ideas, opinions or theories without acknowledging the source, even if they have been completely paraphrased in one’s own words;
c. Using facts, statistics or other illustrative material taken from a source, without acknowledging the source, unless the information is common knowledge;
d. Using words or work of others taken from the internet without acknowledging the source(s).
e. If any part of a term paper contains plagiarism, no matter how small that part is, the student will receive a grade of zero for the research paper assignment. All papers will be checked by an automated Plagiarism Prevention System.
15. All fully completed research papers must be submitted prior to or at the onset of class, noted in the “Schedule of Course Assignments” (see below)
SCHEDULE OF COURSE ASSIGMENTS
Class Topics Date
1 Introduction 1/20
2 Submit, Discuss & Refine Research Investigation Topic 1/27
3 Submit Final Research Topic 2/3
4 Submit Preliminary Research Bibliography 2/10
5 Submit Preliminary Research Paper Outline 2/17
6 Submit Final Research Paper Outline 2/24
7 Submit Research Paper Introduction 3/3
8 Submit Preliminary Draft of Research Paper Main Body 3/17
9 Submit Refined Draft of Research Paper Main Body 3/24
10 Submit Final Draft of Research Paper Main Body 3/31
11 Submit Research Paper Conclusion 4/7
12 Submit Completed Research Paper
Research Presentations 4/14
13 Research Presentations 4/21
14 Research Presentations 4/28
Recommended NJCU Library Resources:
1. Fire Chief:
Holdings: 1998-present (all paper).
2. Fire Command:
Holdings: 38(1971)-49(1982), & 51(1984)-57(1990) (all
microfilm).
3. Fire Engineering:
Holdings: 118(1965) – present, (all microfilm).
4. Fire Journal:
Holdings: 66(1972) – 85(1990), (all microfilm).
5. Fire News:
Holdings: Retains current two years, (all paper).
6. Fire Service Today:
Holdings: 48(1981) – 50(1993), (all microfilm).
7. Fire Technology:
Holdings: 8(1972) – 17(1981), (microfilm), and 18(1982) – present, (paper).
8. WNYF:
Holdings: 18(1982)-present, (all paper).
Recommended Internet Resources:
1. Department of Homeland Security, www.dhs.gov
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency, www.fema.gov
3. Fire Engineering, www.fireengineering.com
4. Fire House, www.firehouse.com
5. First Responder, www.firstrespondernews.com
6. Fire News, www.firenews.com
7. International Association of Fire Fighters, www.iaff.org
8. National Fire Protection Association, www.nfpa.org
9. National Institute of Standards & Technology, www.nist.gov
10. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, www.cdc.gov/niosh
Recommended APA Internet Resources:
1. http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html = This site from the American Psychological Associaiton includes an excerpt from the manual dealing with some of the most common questions about citations of electronic sources.
2. http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796 = This site from Prof. Douglas Dengelman of Vanguard University of California, is quite extensive. There is a complete sample of a paper in APA style at http://www.vanguard.edu/uploadedfiles/faculty/ddegelman/prayer.pdf
3. http://www.vanguard.edu/uploadedFiles/Faculty/DDegelman/PSYCHapa.doc = An APA style Word template at
4. http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htm = a hypertext guide to APA style.
5. http://www.liunet.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citapa.htm = has samples of citations.
6. http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPA.html = is the writing center at the University of Wisconsin and has extensive help.
7. http://www.wooster.edu/psychology/apa-crib.html = very extensive APA “crib sheet.”
