POL30018: Cybercrime and security

Assignment 2: Research essay

Word/time limit: 2000 (+/- 10%)

Weighting: 40%

Due date: 5pm AEDT Monday 30 December 2024 (Week 7)

Individual/team task: Individual

After you have read this information, head over to the Assignment 2 Q&A discussion board to ask any questions and see what your peers are saying about this assignment.

Assignment details

To complete your research essay follow the steps outlined below:

Step 1:  From the list, select what type of offence you are planning to focus on for your research essay. Keep in mind that the offence you choose for your research essay will also be the focus for your Assignment 3: Policy brief.  If you would like to focus on a cyber crime that is not on the list, please contact your OLA.

List of cyber crimes:

hacking

malware and/or ransomware distribution

online fraud and romance fraud

image-based sexual abuse

online child grooming

distributing child exploitation material

darknet drug dealing

identity theft

cyberbullying

cyber harassment and stalking

spamming

illegal downloading and/or piracy.

Step 2: Conduct research about your offence type, specifically examining its importance, prevalence and historical development. You must also provide relevant information about the victims and offenders. Your research must uncover theoretical explanations for why the crime occurs.

Step 3:  Write a properly structured (e.g. intro, body, conclusion), consistently referenced 2000-word essay based on this research. The focus of your essay can be international in nature, but should also include information relevant to the Australian context. Remember that your subsequent policy brief will be for Australian Government, so keep this in mind while writing your research essay.

Points to keep in mind when completing your research essay

Take the time to plan properly. A 2000-word essay is a substantial piece of writing. However, once you break it up into its component pieces, it is less space than you might think. Leave sufficient time to make changes, as you may find that your approach and/or argument changes as you conduct and reflect upon your research.

Carefully define the crime you are focusing on. This will help you specify the scope of your analysis and ensure that your topic remains manageable—both for this assignment, as well as for your policy brief for Assignment 3: Policy brief.

Backup your claims with research. This means not only making a claim, but supporting that claim with evidence (i.e. references to scholarly sources). Good essays are well supported by research. Aim to include at least one to two references in each paragraph in the body of your essay.

Use appropriate sources, particularly peer-reviewed research articles and books. You may use other sources to provide supporting information (e.g. the ABS or the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency for crime statistics). Include at least 15 references in your research essay. Remember that this is a research essay—you want to demonstrate how well you can find your own information. This means referencing beyond the resources that have been provided in the learning materials (i.e. the required weekly readings). Your research may include Australian or international sources.

Do not use non-scholarly sources e.g. random websites, Wikipedia and so on.

Reference properly. The required referencing style is APA 7th edition style (APA 7), the same as for your policy brief. Remember that material that is not referenced properly may breach your responsibilities regarding academic honesty.  Refer to the Swinburne APA style guide which provides helpful information, examples and FAQs related to referencing requirements.

Post any questions or potential problems related to this assignment to the Assignment 2 Q&A discussion board. Your OLA will be able to provide you with specific advice about your chosen topic and theory and advise you on the best approaches to take.

This assignment supports unit learning outcomes 1, and 2.