After successful completion of
required coursework, students must complete a sole-authored empirical paper.
This paper must be judged to be of sufficiently high quality to be consistent
with publication in a leading journal, as determined by the evaluation of a
committee of three faculty members. The goal of the paper requirement is to
demonstrate (1) familiarity with criminological theory and a relevant
substantive literature, (2) competence in research design and analytical
methodology, and (3) an ability to imaginatively use these skills and knowledge
to address research questions of relevance for the field. Students are
encouraged to seek guidance and feedback from relevant faculty and colleagues
while working on the empirical paper, although the final product must be
sole-authored, independent work.
The paper must be limited to 40 pages in length
(inclusive of tables, figures, appendices, and references) and formatted in the
style of a peer-review journal article, such as Criminology or Justice Quarterly. Ordinarily, the
empirical paper should be submitted by the end of the second year in the
program. It must be submitted within one year of the completion of all
coursework.
To initiate the empirical paper, the student will form
an Empirical Paper Committee comprised of a Chair and two faculty readers. Committee
members must be tenured or tenure-track SCJ faculty members. Deviation is
allowed only in exceptional circumstances, and when prior approval has been
obtained by the Ph.D. Director in consultation with the Dean. The student will
submit a one-page proposal to the committee, who will provide an assessment of
the proposed study. Ordinarily the proposal will be assessed within
approximately two weeks of its receipt by the committee. When a proposal is not
approved by the Empirical Paper Committee, the student must submit a revised
proposal, accompanied by a copy of the original proposal. Proposals can be
submitted to the committee for review up to two times. Since completion of this
stage of the process is included in the one-year timeline, students are
strongly encouraged to initiate their proposal review early. The proposal may
be submitted at any time during the academic year.
Empirical papers will be
accepted for submission at any time during the academic year. The paper must be
submitted via email to the members of the Empirical Paper Committee. It will be
evaluated based on the substantive knowledge reflected in the paper, the
application of relevant theory, the use of appropriate data and research
methods, the clarity of communication, and its innovative contribution to the
field. Each committee member will receive a copy of the paper for the purpose
of conducting an independent evaluation, and will grade the paper as a 'Pass', 'Revise-and-Resubmit', or 'No-Pass'.
Once independent assessment is completed, the
Chair of the Empirical Paper Committee will prepare a decision letter,
submitted to the Ph.D. Director as well as to the student, which includes an
assessment of the paper's strengths and limitations and the committee's grading
decision. Ordinarily, grading of the empirical paper will be completed and
students notified of their results within approximately four weeks of the
paper's submission.
For a 'Revise-and-Resubmit', the
student is advised to meet with the Chair of the Empirical Paper Committee to
discuss reviewer comments and revision plans. The student should submit to the
committee, via email, a revised paper with a revision memo. The revision memo
should reflect the style used for peer-review journals, which provides a
narrative description of the response to reviewer concerns. It is generally
expected that the student will submit the revised empirical paper and revision
memo within three months.
If after review of a revised
empirical paper, the Empirical Paper Committee feels there are still
deficiencies that compromise the quality of the work, the student may receive a
decision of 'No-Pass'. Upon this decision, the Ph.D. Director will convene a
meeting of the SCJ faculty to deliberate about the student's performance in the
program, and whether further revisions of the empirical paper are to be allowed
or disallowed.
Students who are dismissed from the doctoral program may appeal the decision.
Doctoral Program 
