Term Paper: A 7 page (double-spaced, 12-point font; 1-inch margins) critical evaluation addressing 2 or more sides of a current debate or controversy involving recreational or medicinal drug use; 35% of the total course mark
In line with the focus of the course, please ensure your topic is related to psychoactive drugs (i.e., NOT antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs, blood thinners etc.).
The purpose of the essay is two-fold:
1. to increase your understanding of an issue that is of personal interest or relevance based on empirical, scientific evidence; 2. to demonstrate your ability to synthesize this information into a COHERENT ARGUMENT.
The essay is neither a report (i.e., no point form) nor a literature survey (i.e., exhaustive coverage of an issue). Rather it is designed to promote a critical analysis of more than one side of a current debate or unresolved question using selected journal articles and chapters in edited texts.* Apart from this requirement, the topic of the essay is up to you.
Elements of PAPER ** (This is an example; students must choose a DIFFERENT topic)

[a] Topic Statement: Pros and Cons of Legalizing Marijuana
[b] Research Strategy: Compare marijuana-related consequences in 2 places – one where the drug has been legalized (Canada); another where the drug has not been legalized (most US states)
[c] Topic Areas Examined: Areas impacted by marijuana and marijuana policy
(i) Socio-Economic: Re-allocation of police and financial resources to combating “hard drug” use and or drug trafficking; reduced rates of otherwise law-abiding citizens with criminal records,
(ii) Public Health: (intoxicated driving, increased cancer rates; increased rates of use by teens; “gateway” effect? to use of ‘hard’ drugs);
(iii) Mental Health: (increased rates of marijuana dependence; worsening of mental illness in at- risk populations like people with depression or schizophrenia);
[d] Sources: List specific citations of at least 5 recent peer reviewed articles you plan to use to support your argument/analyze different sides of issue. Use PubMed or Google Scholar for sources.

The PubMed database http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed provides abstracts of articles from peer- reviewed scientific journals. This is an excellent resource that you can use to find relevant information for your assignment (i.e., use key words – author, topic, title – to search published scientific abstracts). Google Scholar (not Google) https://scholar(dot)google(dot)ca/ is another resource you can use for more socially-oriented articles that do not appear in PubMed.
In many cases, the abstract will suffice for reporting a key finding or assertion. You may only need the full article in one or two cases (e.g., to describe research methodology or a particular sample of research participants). Students should restrict their sources to articles or books listed on these 2 websites to ensure that they are legitimate peer-reviewed publications.
*You should plan to read and incorporate a MINIMUM of 5 journal articles or published chapters; there is no maximum number of articles but I would advise against using more than 20. Information from Internet web-sites, unlike journal articles, is not subject to peer review and therefore may be invalid. Accordingly, I will only allow such information to be used to amplify a particular point but not to support the foundation of an argument.

When reporting a research finding, cite the author(s) and year of the publication immediately after you state the finding in the body of your paper, “…some investigators have suggested that knowledge is less important than the belief that you are knowledgeable (Smith, Jones, & Brown, 2000).” Then provide full citation in the Bibliography/Reference section at the end of the essay:
Page 1 of 3 Smith, B. D., Jones, R. F., & Brown, Y. A. (2000). How to succeed in college without really trying. Journal of Fictitious Data, 21, 355-364.
ALL information that is not your own MUST be cited. In cases where a direct quote is used, the page reference must also be given. E.g., “Knowledge is no more valuable than the conviction one has in the veracity of that knowledge” (Smith, Jones, & Brown, 2000, p. 318)
Please use APA format for citations and references
Marking criteria
1) Relevance and Accuracy of Information (30 marks) 2) Strength of Argument: Based on the Information What Do You Conclude? (20 marks) 3) Demonstrated Understanding of Basic Concepts (20 marks) 4) Organization / Form / Style (20 marks) 5) Originality/ Creativity (10 marks)