Critically analyse the factors that determine the lawfully and effective use of covert
investigatory techniques. What are the obstacles and enablers to successful
operational outcomes?
Paper must have a conclusion
Essay Guidance
Effective essay writing requires a range of academic skills to be developed. While this is not
an exhaustive list, the general guidance below should act as a signpost to some of the required
skills:
1. Literature review: Strong academic papers, assignments and essays use a range of
academic sources, though the majority of sources are those which are peer reviewed
(i.e., peer reviewed articles). While edited books, biographies, media reports, archival
date etc do provide context, be critical on the material used, its relevance, and question
the authors motivation behind the writing. If the bibliography is not sufficiently
weighted towards the use of official documents or academic literature, it is unlikely to
attract the highest scores.
2. Searching for literature: Search engines such as Google Scholar and the Online LJMU
Library (Discover search engine) are a good starting point. The snowball method of
gathering sources may be an effective way to find sources quickly this involves
searching through the reference list of those sources the student has already collected.
The student must have read the material cited, as incorrectly citing an academic will
negatively effect on the essays impact.
3. Publication date: Be aware of when the source was published. Law, investigatory
practice and policy is an ever-changing discipline with studies and reports being
published monthly. For example, in the field of covert investigatory practice, the
majority of the students sources should be published from at least the date of
enactment of current Act. This is not to say older and other core publications are not
relevant, but it does require that their relevance is discussed and explored further.
4. Referencing: With concerted effort, this is area most students will get better at, as they
progress through the course. The reference list should be accurate, and while there is
7214PS, Session April 2021 revised 21st April 2021 7
no specific rule for how many references an essay should have, general guidance is
roughly 1 reference for every 100 words. Therefore, an essay on 2500 words should be
looking at no less than 20-25 references.
5. Citations: Multiple citations (e.g., Smith, 2019; Jones, 2020) is a way to demonstrate
multiple academics converging on the same viewpoint / critique. This also
demonstrates the students ability to piece together the literature and common themes.
While this is beneficial, use with care. Not every citation requires multiple references.
6. Answer the question: Please ensure the essay answers the assignment question. Each
paragraph / section should be seen as a steppingstone to the final discussion. Better
practice, it to place the title at the top of the assignment. This will enable the student to
continually review the question as they write each section.
7. Critically discuss the methodology: Students are required to critically discuss the
methodology used, and where appropriate, the sample size, population studied, analysis
undertaken etc.
8. Constructive criticism: This goes beyond suggesting ways in which a piece of research
or writing could be improved further being against is not enough. Students also need
to develop habits of constructive thinking. Why is this data important? What is the
weakeness of this data? Is this research up to date? Does the research reflect current
practices (i.e., is it commenting on pre RIPA2000 regimes rather than reflecting the legal
and policy practice currently being used? What theoretical concepts are relevant to this
particular assignment?
Formating: Use Arial or Calibri font. Font Size 12 and Line spacing of 1.5
Please pay special attention to proper citing both in report body and at end. Harvard
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