Journal Article Review Projects (100 points) - In Units 5 & 7, there is a journal article that is due to the Submission Link by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, CT (Central Time). In Units 5 and 7, a critical review of a terrorism/domestic preparedness or homeland security journal article is due. The critical review of a journal article is an evaluation of the article’s strengths, weaknesses and validity. It is used to inform readers of an article’s value through explanation, interpretation and analysis. The reviewer must present information that will allow the reader to make a value judgement about the article. In doing so, the student will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of information relevant to terrorism and domestic preparedness and homeland security.Assignment details are provided in the course content. The journal article review is due in Unit 5 and 7 before 11:59 p.m. Sunday CT (Central Time).

Standards:The Journal Article Critical Reviews must be 1,000 – 1,500 words in length. The general format of will consist of an executive summary or generalized overview of the homeland security issue being examined, followed by an executive summary as to what the article revealed relevant to the issue, and conclude with your critical analysis and review of the author’s findings and/or conclusions.  The article reviews can be research-based or expository, as long as they are current (published within the last 3-5 years) and relevant to terrorism and domestic preparedness and homeland security issue. Each will be submitted in the Canvas course room for grading.

As this is a critical review, you should be able to critique the author’s work and its relevance, implications, and application to homeland security. Your reviews will adhere to the APA Style guidelines in all respects. Refer to the Journal Article Review – How to document, in the student documents section in the Canvas course room.

Journal Article Submission Standards: 

• Article submission was made on or before the respective deadline       
• Article is from an approved publication                                                              
• Article relates to Terrorism, Domestic Preparedness or homeland security issue/problem

Students will use the Park University Library electronic database entitled: International Security and Counter Terrorism Reference Center (Ebsco) to select their Journal Article to critique. Journals include:

Homeland Defense Journal

Homeland Security Affairs

• Information Security
• Information Systems Security
• Intelligence and National Security
• International Journal of Conflict Management
• International Journal of Information Security
• International Journal of Police Science and Management
• International Security
• Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
• Journal of Information Privacy and Security
• Journal of Security Education
• Safety Director’s Report
• Security and Terrorism Bulletin
• Security Director’s Report
• Security Studies

The International Security and Counter Terrorism Reference Center (Ebsco)database is accessible for all students, staff, and faculty through the library's website and by remote access with an OPEN ID and password.

http://www.park.edu/library/index.aspx

For Library assistance contact:

Distance Learning Reference Librarian
Park University Library
8700 N.W. River Park Drive
Parkville, MO 64152
Telephone (816) 584-6285 
FAX (816) 741-4911
Long Distance Off Campus (800) 270-4347

Included here are supplemental reference for deeper research in Terrorism and Domestic Preparedness, and Homeland Security.

Public Documents

For general reference, a selection of public documents is provided.  These documents were carefully chosen to compliment the overall subject matter of Understanding Homeland Security.

› Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (Links to an external site.)

› The National Strategy for Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Key Assets (Links to an external site.)

› National Strategy for Aviation Security (Links to an external site.)

› National Incident Management System (Links to an external site.)

› Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Report (Links to an external site.)

› National Security Strategy (Links to an external site.)

› Protecting Americans in the 21st Century: Imperatives for the Homeland White Paper (Links to an external site.)

› Country Reports on Terrorism 2011 (Links to an external site.)

› National Homeland Security Consortium Fact Sheet (Links to an external site.)

› 9/11 Opinion Survey Report: A Changed Nation (Links to an external site.)

› FBI: Law Enforcement Bulletin, September 2011 (Links to an external site.)

› NOAA Hurricane Intensities (Links to an external site.)

› NOAA Hurricane Sandy (Links to an external site.)

› Federal Emergency Management Agency National Preparedness Goal, September 2011 (Links to an external site.)

› Federal Emergency Management Agency: National Response Framework (Links to an external site.)

› Federal Emergency Management Agency: National Response Framework Information Sheet (Links to an external site.)

› National Emergency Management Associate Organizational Details (Links to an external site.)

THE JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW…HOW TO:

 Here is an example of the proper form for your journal article review [don’t type the brackets, that’s just sample information].  Your review must be 1,000 – 1,500 words in length, typed, and double spaced.  Since this article will be submitted online simply add the following to the first page to identify you as the author:

  Your Name

  CJ 251 Terrorism and Domestic Preparedness
  Journal Article Critical Review Assignment #

  Instructor’s Name [Dr. Matthews, etc]

[Journal Article Information]

Author(s).  (year of publication). Article title. Journal name, volume, number, pages.

Example:

Smith, K. W. (2015). Drone technology: Benefits, risks, and legal considerations. Seattle Journal of Environmental Law, 5(1), 12. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1053&context=sjel (Links to an external site.)

First, summarize the article in your own words.

Beneficially envisioned and applied applications of drones include forest health monitoring, fire mapping applications, forest inventory, wildlife surveys, avalanche patrols, air quality monitoring, plume tracking, groundwater discharge monitoring, mine surveys, and precision agriculture for things like the monitoring of crop health and precision application of chemicals.

In a recent survey about drone use, 63 percent of Americans indicated a belief that uninhibited personal and commercial drone use would represent a change for the worse.

Registration of drones and even permitting of drone use under four hundred feet should be undertaken by individual states, relieving the FAA of exhaustive and often regressive rulemaking on this promising technology.

Next, explain and critique the methods use and/or the findings presented.

The author found several issues that needed to be resolved in the near future with regard to the use of drones:

1. How will the privacy issue be addressed when these flying cameras have the capacity to invade your backyard and take photographs at will?
2. The unchecked potential for mischief using these devices, particularly with regard to the rise in domestic terrorism.
3. The FAA concerns about near misses with aircraft due to the lack of regulatory authority.

As a result he suggested…

Finally, offer your opinion on the value of the study.  Describe how this study contributes to or fails to contribute to furthering our knowledge base or the goals relevant to terrorism or domestic preparedness, i.e., analyze, explain, evaluate, predict, infer, concur or disagree with the perspective the author espouses. 

Although the format is APA, the opinion and position expressed is your own. As a result, you should be able to cite other sources, including the course text to support your opinion.