Student #1 I have chosen to write about the history of data anal.docx

Student #1
I have chosen to write about the history of data analysis for the
Los Angeles Police Department. While I currently reside in
Colorado Springs, Colorado and work as a deputy sheriff in
Denver, Colorado I grew up in the greater Los Angeles area and
I know that they should have a large amount of data to draw
from.
Currently the Los Angeles Police Department uses COMPSTAT
to compile their data. They have a unit, known as the
COMPSTAT unit, whose sole job is to compile crime statistics
and analyze the data (Los Angeles Police Department, 2016)
COMPSTAT is short for computer statistics. COMPSTAT was
developed by Police Commissioner William Bratton in 1994 for
use by the New York Police Department. According to the
University of Maryland by the year 2000 over a third of police
agencies with over 100 officers were utilizing some sort of
COMPSTAT like program (University of Maryland, 2015). In
2002 William Bratton became the Chief of Police for the Los
Angeles Police Department and brought with him the concept of
COMPSTAT. During the first six years of his tenure Los
Angeles saw a steady decrease in the cities crime rates thanks
largely in part to COMPSTAT policing.
Mean, mode and median play a large part in analyzing criminal
data. The mean is the average number. An example of this for
crime data analysis would be in neighborhood C there was 14
robberies committed on Monday between 1 and 3 AM, 17
robberies on Tuesday at the same time period and 9 on
Wednesday during the same time period. The mean would be
13.3 robberies per night for those 3 nights. Knowing this is high
for the city the data could be used to justify extra police
presence in Neighborhood C. An example of the mode would be
if in the same neighborhood in the same week there were 17
robberies on both Friday and Saturday, 12 on Thursday and 11
on Sunday. The mode would be 17 and it would also be a reason

to add extra police presence in the neighborhood until a
significant decrease was seen in the amount of robberies taking
place. Finally we come to the median. This is simply line the
numbers up for the week and take the number that falls in the
middle. In the case of the robberies occurring in neighborhood
C the number would be 14. All of this data can be combined to
show watch commanders and captain’s areas where they should
be focusing their officer’s time. If there is a neighborhood that
has seen only one or two robberies during the week, it is
definitely not in as much need of a heavy police presence as
Neighborhood C is.
Student #2
Beginning in the mid-1990’s, police in New York began to run
statistical analysis of the city’s crime reports, arrests and other
police activity known as COMPSTAT. Law enforcement
agencies since this analysis began, has implemented their own
data-driven approaches to tracking and adapting to crime trends.
The LAPD is both heavily armed and thoroughly computerized.
The Real-Time Analysis and Critical Response Division is its
central processor. Among others, these are the three data
analysis that are used at the LAPD, COMPSTAT, COMPSTAT
Plus, and PredPol.
COMPSTAT was created by Chief William J. Bratton and
Jack Maple in 1994. It was created to improve performance and
reduce crime. Since created, it has contributed to the national
downward of trends in crime during the last decade. With the
Los Angeles Police Department or the LAPD, they were able to
reduce homicides by 21.6% in 2003 by using the COMPSTAT.
There are areas that still need more assistance and that is when
COMPSTAT Plus came to be created. It is similar to
COMPSTAT however it is more in-depth with auditing methods,
mentorship and close collaboration. COMPSTAT Plus’s goal
was to assess how well personnel were communicating with
various communities that were being serviced.
It is also known that the LAPD is using PredPol
software in the assistance of predicting crimes such as gang

activity, drug crimes and shootings. “PredPol is about
predicting where and when crime is most likely to occur, not
who will commit it.” (P Jeffrey Brantingham, Professor of
Anthropology at UCLA). Many other cities uses this software
but for different reasons. Even though officers are using this
software, “they are still using a lot of discretion and still must
know the area well enough to know when to adjust and go back
to normal.” (Capt. John Romero). PredPol is now being used in
a third of LA Police Department’s 21 geographic policing
divisions and officers on patrol are equipped with maps that
have a dozen or more red boxes indicating high probabilities of
crime activities. As of right now, the LAPD is focusing on
burglary, vehicle break-ins and car theft, which are crimes that
made up more than half of the 104,000 crimes recorded in LA
last year (2013).
Student #3
Summarize its history of the use of data analysis.
New Orleans Police Department is based around a decentralized
district model. Comstat officers which are also called analysts
are the ones who identify crime and disorder problems. Being a
decentralized organization leads to both individuals and
departments working on their own which leads to crime being
analyzed according to the person. It also doesn’t help that there
is no standard policy and their work is conducted according to
district advisors discretion. (Wellford, Bond, & Goodison,
2011)
For many years Louisiana has had a high crime rate but only
recently there has been a bigger push to use data collected from
crimes to figure out how to fight it. On January 25, 2012
former Mayor Landrieu launched a new crime-fighting plan
called “Save Our Sons.” SOS would focus on crime hotspots,
use all resources and develop a professional workforce in the
New Orleans Police Department. (RAND Corporation, n.d.)
How are the statistical variables such as mean, mode, and
median utilized in analyzing criminal data?
After data is collected from a case it is then calculated by using

three different techniques which is the mean, median, and the
mode. (Center for Problem Oriented Policing, n.d.) The mean is
calculated by adding all the items together then dividing by the
total number of items, this is also known as the average
number. The median which is also called the middle value
which is exactly what it is called it is found by putting the data
in ascending order and taking the middle number. If there’s an
even number of items then the two middle numbers are
calculated to find the average. The mode is the value that
occurs the most frequently, it is also known as the most
common or frequently occurring value. (University of
Portsmouth, 2012)
Explain how crime rates are calculated and utilized to address
specific issues or problems with the data sets.
Crime analysis studies crime, disorder problems and police
related issues to figure out how to prevent and reduce crime.
Crime rates are calculated by using the means, median and
mode as mentioned in my previous paragraph. All this data is
put together to figure out what preventative measures can be put
into place to reduce and prevent crimes.
Student #4
I choose Colorado State Troopers as my department of choice.
The state department started to design a computerized system in
1975 that would analyze the crime reports of the state. To do
this they would need the help of county and city law
enforcement departments to also record their crimes. We know
that the Federal Bureau of Investigations started tracking this
type of data during 1930. This data analysis called Uniform
Crime Reporting stated in Colorado in 1976. It is a monthly
summary of crime data from joining agencies. It is
Administered by the Colorado Bureau of Investigations. In 1994
Colorado started using the national incident based standards and
in 1997 it was updated and certified by the FBI. The CBI is now
able to collect and verify data from all agencies in Colorado and
send it to the FBI for further data collection.

In crime data collection mean is known as the average score.
For the mean it will either be a high or low count of distribution
(Vito & Blankenship, 2005). Median is what divides the
distribution in half. This is more stable to use then the mean.
Mode is the score that can be use more frequently.
Michael D. Maltz stated that most criminal methods are based
on mean values of distribution. However, from my
understanding if we are to break down crime into sections it
would make more sense to use the mode. Vito & Blankenship
explain that classifying data into categories is at the nominal
level. They follow three basic rules, the list of categories must
cover all types of observations; categories must be mutually
exclusive; and must be exhaustive.
Crime rates are calculated using two programs, the Uniform
Crime Reporting(UCR) and The National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS). The UCR is used to count the Nation, regions,
states, counties, and cities crime statistics. The data is broken
down into age, race and sex. It is further broken down to types
of crimes to include domestic, homicide, and weapon involved
crimes etc...
The NVCS collects information for household crimes reported
and not reported. This is collected by the FBI, which tells them
how often each crime occurs in the country. It helps with
understanding why victims report crimes and why sometimes
they do not (Appendix IV, 2004).
Student #5
I have chosen to research the history of data analysis for the
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. Charlotte, North
Carolina is the seventeenth largest city in the United States. The
CMPD has the largest police department between Atlanta and
Washington DC. Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department has
been collecting criminal activity data for many years to aid in
lowering the crime rate in Charlotte.

The crime analysis division of the CMPD is responsible for data
analysis that monitors and compares crime patterns or trends.
The CMPD uses an information based policy to forecast the
probability of crime and make the attempt to set in place
deterrents to prevent future crimes. The crime analysis division
is made up of five areas; tactical crime analysis, criminal
Investigative analysis, strategic crime analysis, intelligence
analysis, and administrative analysis. The tactical team studies
criminal activity by examining characteristics of where when
and how crimes occur. The criminal investigative area studies
serial criminals and victims to solve serial criminal activity.
Strategic crime analysis studies the socio-demographic factors
that determine long-term patterns of criminal activity and how
to plan better responses to criminal activity. The intelligence
team studies organized criminal activity, with inside and outside
assistance, to better understand the criminal network and to
strengthen their case against offenders. The administrative team
educates law enforcement on effective operating procedures and
their effect on crime.
Information from the past and present are used in the data
analysis to evaluate and determine crime patterns, motives,
locations, days, economic factors, and other contributing
factors. Prior to the CMPD analysis team development, the
department had to analyze crime statistics from 13 different
data sources to be able to link crime trends or patterns together.
In crime analysis, mean median and mode statistical variables
give the police departments an overall numeric viewpoint of
crime in their coverage area. The mean is the average number of
crime. The median is the medium level of crime. And the mode
would be the highest area of crime. Crime rates are calculated
and used to evaluate which areas have the highest amount of
crime compared to the lowest amount of crime. Knowing this
information, a stronger police presence could be placed in areas

that have a higher crime statistic. Other results from this
information would alarm police as to specific locations, times,
and even specific groups that have a higher probability of a
crime being committed. Crime rates are only used to calculate
the average of crimes that have occurred and does not give an
accurate criminal activity calculation. Data analysis may give
police officers and insight of what crime may occur and the
location that it could happen, but there is no guarantee that a
crime will be committed.
Student #6
I have chosen the Colorado Springs Police Department as the
subject of DB 2 topic. According to the September 2014 article
(retrieved January 6, 2016 online), Bair Analytics, based
in Lakewood, Colorado, specializes in the processing and
analysis of crime data for the Colorado Springs (and other)
police departments. The site states that the general public can
access such information that is free and accessible through any
web browser. Anyone with internet access can view the same
crime data and associated information that police department
analysts use. This site also claims to allow basic analytical
assessments, is user friendly, and will display all crimes
reported by Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), under
National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), with the
exception of sexual assaults. The site continues to state:
"Specific addresses are not shown, the user will instead be able
to see within a "hundred block" location of where the incident
took place." Additionally, according to raidsonline (2014), Only
incidents that resulted in a police case report being initiated
will be shown on the site.
I have to admit that while working as a correctional officer, and
being a parent I have researched internet sites that provide
information on recently released offenders in our local
community. The sites can provide a wealth of knowledge (not to
mention, a bit of knowledge) as to being able to identify a
possible threat within the communities to parents with school-
age children, elderly parents and everything in between. Just a

piece of mind and awareness that comes with having an idea
who is living around you can help in the family decision making
process on various levels. This also can prevent vulnerability of
grandparents, parents as well as children, by knowing and/or
avoiding certain locations within a community whenever
possible. In my opinion, some of today's technology is an
invaluable resource to ensure our family's safety and well-
being.
Student #7
For this assignment I chose to research the New York Police
Department. I would like to begin by defining crime analysis.
Crime analysis is “the systematic study of crime and disorder
problems as well as other police–related issues—including
sociodemographic, spatial, and temporal factors—to assist the
police in criminal apprehension, crime and disorder reduction,
crime prevention, and evaluation.”
(www.crimeanalysis.umd.edu/crimeanalysis.php) There are
seven major crimes in New York City which include murder,
robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny, and grand
larceny of a motor vehicle. Crime reports in the early 1900’s
mostly consisted of major offenses. As time passed, even things
like the number of broken windows were being recorded and the
annual firearm discharge report.
In crime analysis the mean is the average number of crimes
per area. This is found by dividing the number of particular
crimes such as murders and dividing the number between the
number neighborhoods. Median divides the cases into equal
groups. The mode is the greatest number of cases. The New
York State Police Department as well as other departments in
the United States use mean, mode and median to assist when
crime mapping. That is how they know which crimes happen
most often in certain areas. Using mean, median and mode could
also help identify the types of people committing certain
crimes. For example, more murders in neighborhood “X” are
committed by Caucasian men in their late twenties. By knowing
these statistics, it can help police officers keep a closer watch

on the areas with more crime and have less patrol in the areas
with less criminal activity.
Student #8
I have chosen the Denver City Police department because this is
the largest city in the state of Colorado and the largest
operating police force in the area. They use the UCR (Uniform
Crime Reporting) system as the primary means for collecting,
analyzing and disseminating crime statistics to the state and
federal reporting agencies.
From what I have gathered, the UCR and the NIBRS (National
Incident-based Reporting System) work or are supposed to work
seamlessly with each other to gather, translate and help to
understand eight primary offenses; murder, rape, robbery,
aggravated assault, burglary, theft, auto theft and arson.
The history of the use of data analysis is it's useful and
effectiveness in determining the frequency of crimes committed.
Data analysis uses data collected from various sources to help
form a hypothesis of the who, what, when, where and why. It is
also used to formulate a plan on to either help something or to
hinder or mitigate its reoccurence. Data analysis can take
variables such as the mean (average), mode (type of occurence)
and median (the middle point) and give a summary of the
feedback to help form these hypothesis' and plans of action to
better understand to mitigate crimes of various types or in
various areas.
Crime rates are calculated with the data collected and put in to
the systems mentioned above. These systems track the type and
frequency of separate crimes in an area and relate this data
numerically and through other variables such as race, class and
gender to help organize these categories. It can be further
broken down into data sets to help police and other agencies
report this data to its citizens and other law enforcement
agencies so plans can be formulated to help stop these types of
crimes and to raise awareness of the citizens in the community.

Student #9
I chose to look into the New York City Police department and
upon very little research I learned that the NYPD created a data
analysis tool that is utilized by many large police departments
known as Compstat. "Compstat is a performance management
system that is used to reduce crime and achieve police
department goals" (policeforum.org, pg. 2). This method of
data analysis was in response to the high crime rate and the
population of New York feeling unsafe for fear of becoming
victims of crime. In the early 1990s crime was at an all time
high and the focus was primarily on police corruption and
responding to crime. With the introduction of Compstat the
focus was to change from not only responding to crimes after
they had occurred but to make an effort to prevent crime before
it ever took place.
Compstat consists of four major components which are " Timely
and accurate information, rapid deployment of resources,
effective tactics, and relentless follow up" (policeforum.org, pg.
2). A major contributing component to Compstat was the
implementing of crime mapping. The information that was
already being recorded for submission to the FBI was now being
used to identify areas of high crime, times crimes occured, and
specific crimes. Once all of this information is gathered it is
put into the system which than provides law enforcement with
the ability to focus on breaking up criminal patterns in certain
areas. From when this program started to modern times law
enforcement has "advanced form when police departements
worked with crime data that was six to twelve months old to an
age of real time crime data" (policeforum.org, pg. 1). This
information is submitted every day and lets police chiefs know
how their departments are performing on a daily basis. This
aids police departments in adjusting what needs to be fixed in
order to ensure that criminal patterns are being disrupted and
the overall effectiveness of the department is as successful as it
can be.

Student #10
Being a Texas girl I felt that I would discuss the police
department from the city that I was born and raised in. The
Houston Police Department, with Houston,TX being the 4th
largest city in the United States and crime at many times is just
as bad as Los Angeles. The Houston Police Department has
what is called a Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC), this data
analysis has been running now for 15 years successfully. The
data analysis provided by the RTCC was designed to make
critical information derived from crimes, jail booking,
probation, and other databases immediately available to officers
responding to calls.
According to Information Builders “ Houston Police Department
Creates Real-Time Crime Center Information Builders” Author
Unknown 1999-2016 “Vital information about addresses,
vehicles, or named persons are available instantaneously to
officers before or as they arrive on the scene,” said Captain
Charles G. Dunn, commander of the Crime Analysis Command
Center for the Houston Police Department (PD). “This improved
insight leads to more rapid identification of threat-to-life
situations, and more informed decisions about how to handle
other incidents, which in turn improves the safety of the public
and our officers.”
When a call come in the IWay integration technology sends the
information through the RTCC crime analysts, and a report is
ran pulling all the related historical information from the
various law enforcement databases. The information is then
cross referenced with the details of the emergency call and the
Leveraging Information Builder search for capabilities,
structured and unstructured documents are parsed, and
additional data on persons, vehicles, and property is pulled from
internal officer’s notes, as well as external government
databases.
HPD calculates and utilize the RTCC by building a dashboard
for tracking crime statistics and trends. Information Builders “
Houston Police Department Creates Real-Time Crime Center

Information Builders” Author Unknown 1999-2016 “The
department has also deployed a management dashboard for
tracking crime statistics and trends. Captains and chiefs use the
dashboard to review crime by type, day, or shift, as well as by
district or beat. “Our captains have the intelligence they need to
more effectively manage their districts – not just on a day-to-
day basis, but shift by shift,” Dunn added.”
Student #11
When the opportunity for a law enforcement agency to take a
proactive approach to keeping crime rates low, there are certain
advantages of bringing a statistical approach to policing certain
neighborhoods. There are a wide range of operations that can
be conducted through law enforcement, but without proper
statistical knowledge of where a certain crime may occur, law
enforcement could be behind the curve if they remain reactive
rather than proactive. The closest large population city that I
am going to bring into the picture will be from Lexington
Kentucky and the Lexington Police Department.
It was in 2006 that the Lexington Division of Police
began using a system known as RAIDS Online to begin mapping
what certain crimes were being committed in which
neighborhoods of the city. This specific kind of mapping is
available to the citizens of Lexington and alerts those around
them whenever a crime is being committed and is available for
use as a mobile application. This data collection includes the
type of incident, date, time, and block level address. This data
collection application also allows citizens to anonymously
report crimes that are being committed within their
neighborhood (LexingtonKY.gov, n.d.).
With this specific kind of data collection, the Lexington
Division of Police created the Community Law Enforcement
Action Response Unit (CLEAR) to combat these crimes that
were being committed in certain neighborhoods. The CLEAR
unit’s goal was to effectively police the areas of Lexington that
had the highest amount of crime rate that would allow a much
more rapid response to crimes being committed. When data

analysis was done after the CLEAR unit was assigned to a
specific area, it was shown that the crime rate had dropped by
8% and service calls were down by 5% (Lexington, 2009).
When looking at the statistical variables in the context
of mean, median, and mode, these areas can help this specific
kind of unit target what areas are in stronger need of police
presence. To understand statistical variables, the mean within
crime analysis would be interpreted as the average number of
crime calls being reported within a given neighborhood. The
median is known as the middle value. So within crime analysis,
where is the middle of crimes being committed should response
be more prevalent? The mode is what has happened the most.
Within the context of crime analysis, if a certain neighborhood
has a high rate of theft within that given area, the mode would
point to that rather than simple traffic stops that don’t
commonly occur within that specific area.
We also need to understand how these specific crime
rates are calculated within law enforcement. Crime rate is
calculated by the Number of Crimes divided by the population.
You then take that number and multiply it by 100,000. To give
you a better example of this, Lexington Kentucky has
population of just over 300,000. If in the year 2015, there were
100 murders committed in Lexington, you would take 100
divided by the population 300,000 and get 3.33. Take that
number and multiply it by 100,000 and get 33.3. So the crime
rate per 100,000 people within Lexington Kentucky would be 33
per 100,000 (Blair, n.d.).
To conclude, this specific kind of data analysis can
come in very handy for any kind of law enforcement division to
use. Simply waiting by the telephone and being reactive is not
what society wants from the local law enforcement department.
Utilizing these specific kind of tools will effectively build trust
within the community that law enforcement is working with
them to keep them safe rather than against them.
Student #12
I chose The New York City Police Division which records

informed offenses and violation data grounded upon the New
York State Penal Law and other New York State regulations.
For statistical demonstration purposes the various law groups
and subgroups are summarized by regulation class, Felony,
Misdemeanor and Violation (Mullaney 2015). These lawful
categories are then subdivided into comprehensive crime and
offense categories. The level of statistics collects informed
crime and offense data recorded by the New York City Police
Department. There are isolated tables that are offered for the
Seven Most important Felonies, Non-Seven Major Felony
Misconducts, Misdemeanors and Violations. For any given
jurisdiction, these crime figures mean that statistics are
repeatedly pouring into the criminal justice organization.
How are the statistical variables such as mean, mode, and
median utilized in analyzing criminal data?
The numerical variable of mean is used by calculating the
average of the crimes. To find the mode when examining data
you look at the statistics set. If the data set has most repeating
numbers then your choice would be mode because we all know
that mode means most and if there is a set of data that has
reiterating numbers you would choose mode (Durrant and
D’Arrigo and Steele 2013). I believe that a mathematical
equation can aid in analyzing any and all criminal data. Police
officers can only record criminality that comes to their attention
and might not record an issue as a crime if the matter is
measured as insignificant and is not observed as a crime by the
officer concerned. One way in which other categories of
wrongdoing are under reported.
Explain how crime rates are calculated and utilized to address
specific issues or problems with the data sets.
A typical numerical technique contains a test concerning two
numerical data sets, or a data set and a copied data drawn from
an ideal model. A theory is suggested for the statistical
connection between the two data sets, and this is compared as
an alternitive to a venerated idea of no relationship between two

data sets. Declining or contradicting the insignificant
hypothesis is done using numerical tests that enumerate the
sense in which the insignificance can be supported as being
incorrect (Mullaney 2015). It was initially considered as a way
to measure the value of local law enforcement to make available
statistics that could be used to help battle crime. In addition to
crime and arrest data, law enforcement organizations across the
country give data to a special program on the number of sworn
officers and civilian law enforcement employees. In other
occurrences, the amount of conveyed offenses might be a
creation of how diligently local law enforcement follow the
Federal bureau of investigations descriptions for offenses.
Basic Grading Criteria for General Education and (Lower Level)
Written Assignments in History
1
2
3
4
Indicate the points and explanation of how the grade was
determined
100 pts. or %

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Good
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Excellent
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Format and Submission:
Paper submission is correctly formatted according to syllabus
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Paper formatted with numerous errors and guidelines not
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(0 – 6.9 points)
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Paper and title page formatted correctly with fewer than 3
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Paper and title page are correctly formatted with no errors;
saved and submitted with correct filename. Length and word
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(9 – 10 points)

10
Introduction and Thesis Statement:
Topic selection and thesis offer clear argument and analysis
appropriate for an academic paper
Topic is considerably too large /narrow for paper length and/or
marginally related to the course; no discernible thesis or
argument; many logical and factual errors; significant problems
with understanding of historical content.
(0 – 13.9 points)
Topic is considerably too large /narrow for paper length and/ or
marginally related to the course; thesis or argument is not clear;
some logical and historical errors; paper organized more toward
chronology than analysis and argument.
(14 – 15.9 points)
Topic is appropriate but too large /narrow for paper length;
thesis is clear and argument is supported by facts in most
paragraphs; historical context and causality are logically
presented in the analysis.
(16 – 17.9 points)
Topic is appropriate for paper length; thesis is focused and
argument is fully supported by carefully chosen and weighed
facts in each paragraph; evidence of comprehension of
historical context and causality.
(18 - 20 points)
20
Organization and Body of Essay:
Organization of the paper ( introductory, supporting, concluding

paragraphs) designed to present factual material logically and
clearly to the reader
The paper is not logically organized in paragraphs; ideas fail to
make sense and the reader cannot identify a line of reasoning
and loses interest; little evidence of coherent organization and
use of factual material.
(0 – 17.4 points)
The paper appears to be logically organized, but ideas fail to
make sense in paragraph structure and inadequate coverage; the
reader is unclear about what the writer intends due to poor
organization and major omissions of factual material.
(17.5 – 19.9 points)
The organization of the paper generally supports the purpose or
argument in the introduction, body, and conclusion; ideas are
usually logically sequenced so that the reader can follow the
line of reasoning and use of factual material.
(20.0 – 22.4 points)
The organization of the paper logically supports the purpose or
argument in the introduction, body, and conclusion; ideas are
logically sequenced from one paragraph to another and clearly
linked to each other; the reader can easily follow the line of
reasoning.
(22.5 – 25 points)
25
Historical Analysis:
Research demonstrates evidence to support thesis statement and
argument made and recognition of historical significance

No sources are used for research related to thesis; only textbook
and/or encyclopedias used; research is not evident in the
argument in paper; use of information provides no support for
the argument and displays little evidence of analysis; author
appears to have gained little or no knowledge about the topic
and significance of events.
(0 – 17.4 points)
One source is used demonstrating research related to thesis;
textbooks and/or encyclopedias used; research is not evident in
the argument in paper; use of information provides partial
support for the argument and displays little evidence of
analysis; author appears to have gained some knowledge about
the topic and significance of events.
(17.5 – 19.9 points)
Two or more sources used demonstrating research related to
thesis; no textbooks or encyclopedias used; research is partly
incorporated into the argument in paper; use of information
provides reasonable support for the argument and displays
evidence of analysis; author gained some knowledge about the
topic and significance of events.
(20.0 – 22.4 points)
Two or more sources used demonstrating in-depth research
related to thesis; no textbooks or encyclopedias used; research
clearly incorporated into the argument in paper; use of
information clearly supports the argument and shows, in-depth
analysis of a significant topic; author gained new knowledge
about the topic and significance of events.
(22.5 – 25 points)

25
Writing Style and Grammar:
Writing and grammar demonstrates effective use of language,
and punctuation and spelling
The writing has substantial errors in grammar and style so that
the basic ideas are lost; the writing lacks clarity and sentence
structure is confusing; errors in spelling are frequent enough to
be a major distraction to the reader.
(0 – 6.9 points)
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errors; paper requires additional proofreading, as some errors
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passive voice is used often. More than three spelling errors.
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The writing has one to three grammatical and stylistic errors;
sentence structure is generally effectively; sentences are varied
but awkward at times or passive voice is apparent. No more
than three spelling errors
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The writing is free of grammatical and stylistic errors; sentence
structure is used effectively; sentences are varied and precise;
prose style is appropriate to the subject. Active voice is
apparent. No spelling errors
(9 – 10 points)
10
Use of Citation and Bibliography:

Citations and bibliography credit sources correctly using
Chicago/ Turabian or APA or MLA citation rules
Footnotes/endnotes are not used and /or bibliography is not
included in paper.
(0 – 6.9 points)
Footnotes/endnotes are cited and bibliography follows the
correct rules for citing sources with more than three errors.
(7.0 – 7.9 points)
Footnotes/endnotes are cited and bibliography follows the
correct rules for citing sources with one to three errors.
(8.0 – 8.9 points)
Footnotes/endnotes are correctly cited and bibliography follows
the correct rules for citing sources.
(9 – 10 points)
10
Checklist for Basic Grading Criteria for General Education and
(Lower Level) Written Assignments in History
Format and Submission
· Is your paper formatted in the proper file format (MSWord
.doc or docx or .rtf file)?
· Does your paper include a separate cover page that includes
assignment name, student name and student number, course

name, professor name, date and institution?
· Is your paper formatted with one inch margins and using New
Times Roman 11 or 12 point font?
· Is your file submitted using last name first name course and
assignment? Example: SmithWilliamHIST101ShortPaper).
Introduction and Thesis Statement
· Did you restate question verbatimto be answered before
beginning of main essay? You may cut and paste question
before introduction.
· Did your essay include an introduction and clear thesis
statement at the end of the introduction?
Organization and Body of essay
· Is your essay well-organized with topic sentences and
supporting detail that reinforces your thesis?
· Did your essay meet narrative word count requirements?
Narrative word count is word count without citation and
bibliography. Place word count requirement here.
Historical Analysis
· Did you construct your essay using quality academic sources
(specifically book or peer-reviewed sources from our Online
Library or other university, governmental, museum, or research
websites)? Place primary and secondary source requirements
here.
· Did you include relevant historical support, including
historical examples that reinforce your thesis?
· Did you include chronological context in your essay and
include important dates or date spans?
Writing Style and Grammar
· Is your essay composed using formal English (no use of slang)
and using proper capitalization, grammar and spelling rules?
· Is your essay presented in academic third person (does not use
“I”)?
· Did you refrain from using abbreviations and contractions in
your analysis (use “do not” instead of “don’t”)?
Use of Citation and Bibliography

· Did you consistently follow the citation and bibliographical
requirements of one style manual (Chicago or Turabian, MLA,
or APA)? If you are familiar with a style, please use that style
consistently throughout your essay. Do not switch between
styles. History majors are strongly encouraged to use Chicago
or Turabian citation as this is a requirement in upper-level
courses.
· Did you cite your sources in the narrative of your essay using
parenthetical citation or computer-generated footnote/endnote
numbering? Remember citation takes place immediately after
each use of direct quote and after paraphrasing of information.
· Did you include a separate bibliography with your essay?
· Is the bibliography alphabetized and includes all relevant
information depending on source type? Remember accessed date
for online sources.
For this assignment, you need to visit the National Archives
Experience. Historians typically use two types of materials,
secondary source, and primary source documents. Secondary
sources are typically books and articles written on a particular
historical event, well after the fact. Primary source documents
are usually generated by first-hand participants. Good historians
rely heavily on original materials created at the time of the
event. For this reason, historians spend a good deal of time at
the archives. There are many types of archives, but by far, the
largest in the United States, is the National Archives in
Washington, D.C.
The National Archives contains more than 10 billion documents,
and they have collected over 1,200 of those in the National
Archives Experience. After you have opened the above link,
click on “continue” in the bottom right corner. This will take
you to the Experience site. Here, you can select a topic, and
collect documents relevant to that aspect of history. The system
will then allow you to create posters, or even a video.
There are a number of ways that you can complete this
assignment. Once you have collected your documents, you can

create three posters, a video, a PowerPoint, or use them as
evidence for writing a 3-5 page essay. Naturally, you will need
some other information, and you can gather that through the
internet, or other books and articles. It is best to avoid using
textbooks.
Poster Option:
Must include a minimum of one relevant image or document for
each poster.
Each poster must include a narrative that explains the historical
significance.
Video Option:
Must include a minimum of five relevant images or documents.
Video must include a narrative that explains the historical
significance.
PowerPoint Presentation: (The National Archives will not allow
you to download their images. To complete the powerpoint you
will need to collect your images from the internet. Be sure to
cite all images collected elsewhere.)
Must include a minimum of five slides.
Presentation must include a narrative that explains the historical
significance.
Project Assignment Rubric
Paper Option:
If you are writing a paper, it must be double-spaced (Times
New Roman, font size 12), and include a cover page with your
name, course number and course title, instructor’s name, and
date.
Paper should include a thesis statement, and a narrative and
conclusion that defends that argument.
Paper Option Guidance:
Written Assignment Guidance
Written Paper Rubric
You are allowed to choose your own topic as long as it pertains
to the subject of this course. If you have any questions on the
subject matter, please contact your professor. This is your

opportunity to look a little deeper at a subject that interests you.
All information must be cited. You are welcome to use APA, or
MLA, but if you are a history major, you are strongly
encouraged to us the Chicago Style format
Once completed, you should post a copy of your project in the
Assignments’ section, as well as the forum reserved for that.
The Project is due on Sunday by 11:55 PM, ET. You are also
responsible for responding to the submissions of three of your
classmates by the following Sunday at 11:55 PM, ET.
S u b j e c t : W r i t t e n A s s i g n m e n t s
Throughout the courses at APUS, you will undoubtedly write a
multitude of short papers. Other types of assignments
that you might be required to write / produce are presentations,
book reviews, film reviews, and research papers. This
course does not require a research paper so I will not discuss it,
but I will quickly discuss each of the other types of
assignments as well as the citation format you will use in your
history classes.
Citations
History and military history students should become familiar

with the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) format for
citations and the bibliography. The CMS is the standard format
for historians. As such, it is our responsibility to
ensure that you use this format so that you become comfortable
with it during your undergraduate years. Please be
familiar it with when you must cite material in your paper. Non-
history majors can use APA or MLA as the citation
and reference style used in written work submitted as part of
coursework to the University. A common rule is that if
you use any of the information from your sources word-for-
word, you must use quotation marks and you must cite the
source. If you read the information and write it in your own
words and it is not common knowledge, then you must
cite the source because you are paraphrasing someone’s
information. Failure to cite properly is plagiarism and is taken
seriously by the university. You need to include citations in
your forums and written assignments as needed. Do not just
list the URL or “CNN” but try to follow the standard as dictated
by the format you use. You may not use Wikipedia for
your citations since it is not a reliable source of information. Do
not use encyclopedias either because they condense
information.
An important note is that we do not expect perfection in listing
your sources, but we do expect you to make a
reasonable attempt. If you have questions on the CMS, it is
available in the APUS library in the Tutorial & Student
Study Center. Unless otherwise informed by your instructor,
you will use endnotes in your written assignments. An
endnote is a complete bibliographical citation indicated by a
number in the text and listed at the end of the paper.
Your instructor can also provide guidance if you have any
questions on citations.

Assignment Format
-spaced, with no additional spaces between
lines or paragraphs
ntered at the bottom of every page except
the cover page
page, rather than a heading on the first page.
You also need to use endnotes and provide a proper
bibliography.
ith an easy to recognize naming
convention, such as JonesHIST101ShortPaper1
National Archives Assignment:
For this assignment, you need to visit the National Archives
Experience. Historians typically use two types of materials,
secondary source, and primary source documents. Secondary
sources are typically books and articles written on a particular
historical event, well after the fact. Primary source documents
are usually generated by first-hand participants. Good historians
rely heavily on original materials created at the time of the
event. For this reason, historians spend a good deal of time at
the
archives. There are many types of archives, but by far, the
largest in the United States, is the National Archives in
Washington, D.C.
http://digitalvaults.org/

The National Archives contains more than 10 billion documents,
and they have collected over 1,200 of those in the National
Archives Experience. After you have opened the above link,
click on “continue” in the bottom right corner. This will take
you
to the Experience site. Here, you can select a topic, and collect
documents relevant to that aspect of history. The system will
then allow you to create posters, or even a video.
There are a number of ways that you can complete this
assignment. Once you have collected your documents, you can
create
three posters, a video, a PowerPoint, or use them as evidence
for writing a 3-5 page essay. Naturally, you will need some
other
information, and you can gather that through your textbook, the
internet, or other books and articles
You are allowed to choose your own topic as long as it pertains
to the subject of this course. If you have any questions on the
subject matter, please contact your professor. This is your
opportunity to look a little deeper at a subject that interests you.
All information must be cited. You are welcome to use APA, or
MLA, but if you are a history major, you are strongly
encouraged to us the Chicago Style format. If you are writing a
paper, it must be double-spaced (Times New Roman, font size
12), and include a cover page with your name, course number
and course title, instructor’s name, and date.
Once completed, you should post a copy of your project in the
Assignments’ section, as well as the forum reserved for that.
The Project is due on Sunday by 11:55 PM, ET. You are also
responsible for responding to the submissions of three of your
classmates by the following Sunday at 11:55 PM, ET.

Short Paper
The writing of a short paper allows you to demonstrate your
research skills to your instructor and to receive feedback
that will benefit you when you write other papers. With this
assignment, you will learn how to conduct proper and
adequate research that will prepare you for writing the research
papers in upper level classes. The writing of a short
paper may sound relatively easy, but it actually requires skills
that only through writing multiple short papers can a
person begin to master. This primary skill is the ability to
construct a concise and well-written paper that shows your
comprehension of the topic through analysis of several sources.
Unless otherwise informed by your instructor, a short
paper is at least three full pages of text, and you must consult a
minimum of two academically credible sources. The
topic of the written assignments must fall within the scope of
the course and your instructor may provide you with a
list of preferred topics.
The initial step in writing the paper is choosing the topic, the
second is choosing a bibliography (your sources), and the
third step is creating an outline. The next steps include
gathering information from your sources to assist you in writing
the paper, keeping notes of your sources, and writing a rough
draft. As you write the rough draft, it is strongly
recommended that you keep accurate notes of where you found
each aspect of information for your bibliography and
to assist you with your citations. After you complete your rough
draft, you need to read it again and revise the paper
into your final draft. Once you have the final draft complete,
proofread the paper and submit it to your instructor.

The short paper must include a cover page, footnotes, and a
bibliography at the end. While composing your paper, use
proper English. Do not use abbreviations, contractions, passive
voice, or first/second person (I, me, you, we, our, us).
Before submitting your paper, check your grammar and use
spell check. Remember, the way you talk is not the way
you write a paper. To assist your instructor, save your paper
with an easy to recognize naming convention, such as
JonesHIST101ShortPaper.
Presentation
In some cases, your instructor may allow you to create a
presentation instead of a short paper. A presentation is
generally a visual representation of a short paper that instead of
having paragraphs has bullet points or short
paragraphs on each slide. The presentation will have to include
a cover page, a bibliography, and talking notes for
each slide. Your instructor can provide you with more specifics
if a presentation is allowed in lieu of a second short
paper. In all cases, you will not have to create a presentation if
you do not already have a working knowledge of the
proper programs used in creating a presentation; your instructor
will allow you to write a second short paper instead.

Reviews
A review is not the same as a report. The process of reviewing
articles, books, films, Internet sites, etc. is not easy
since it requires you to report on the content and evaluate the
work. When you evaluate the work, you need to consider
items such as organization, logic, evidence, style, and
conclusion. Your instructor may ask you to evaluate the work
and offer your opinion on it. If you have a review in your class,
your instructor will provide specific guidance and if
you are unsure of how to write a review and want to ensure that
you are actually writing a review and
not a report (which is what most people did in high school),
contact your instructor. Unless otherwise directed by your
instructor, a review is at least three full pages of text and you
must include a minimum of two academically credible
sources.
Critical Thinking Assignment for the Short Paper, Presentation,
or Review
When your instructor grades your written assignment, the
instructor will ask you at least three content related
questions and place them within the body of the paper. Two
special forums exist in the class where you will post the
question and the answer to one of the questions asked by your
instructor for that particular assignment. The first
written paper is due during Week Three. Your instructor will
grade your work during Week Four and include the
three questions in the returned graded work. During Week Five,
you will answer the question in a special forum by
Friday night and read the questions and answers of your
classmates and you may comment on their postings as well.

The second written assignment is due during Week Six. Your
instructor will grade it during Week Seven, and you will
answer one of the questions during Week Eight.
Cover Page
The cover page consists of the title, your name, student ID
number, course number, instructor’s name, and date. You
need to center this information both horizontally and vertically.
An example is:
Tecumseh
By John Doe (96525) American
Public University System September
1, 2011
HIST101: American History to 1877
Professor Smith
Late Assignments
Turning in your assignments on time is critical in all of your
classes at APUS. In the General Education classes in

History, the short papers connect to a discussion board and the
forum postings connect to follow-on questions. By
turning in your assignments on time, you will maximize the
ability of the instructor to interact with you and provide
you with timely and meaningful comments and guidance. With
this in mind, all instructors have the following options
regarding the acceptance of late assignments:
Up to a week late = deduction of grade by up to 25 percent
Up to two weeks late = deduction of grade by up to 50 percent
Up to three weeks late = deduction of grade by up to 75 percent
More than three weeks late = assignment may not be accepted.
Remember that unless you are on an approved extension that
instructors cannot grade assignments after a course ends.
If you know you are going to turn in an assignment late due to
special circumstances, contact your instructor. Even if
you submit it late, the recommendation is to explain why it is
late, not just submit it. We all understand that daily life
can interfere with your submission of work and we are willing
to work with you, but at the same time, academia in
general expects your dedication to your studies. I believe that
our policy is very generous compared to many
universities that do not allow late work at all.
Conclusion
In some classes, you may have to submit a book review, a battle
analysis, a film analysis, and other written
assignments. In all cases, if you have questions, contact your
instructor for guidance once you have a question, do not
wait until the day before the due date. Remember, instructors

are here to help you in your learning of the subject and
will do all that they can, but you shoulder the responsibility of
doing the work and asking questions as they arise.

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