The Daily Journal is an important part of the internship coursework. It provides you with the opportunity to reflect on and process your work experiences with the agency. It also allows the internship coordinator to track your hours and work assignments.
General Instructions
- A Daily Journal will be kept for each day that you work, regardless of the number of hours worked for that day. One form is completed for each day worked.
- You must send a set of Daily Journals to the internship coordinator after every 40 hours you work (unless you are instructed differently by the coordinator). You will continue to send your journals until all hours of the internship are completed.
- Students must combine the set of Daily Journals for the 40 hours worked into one document and e-mail to the internship coordinator as an attachment.
- The Daily Journal is available on the departmental forms page, under ‘Internship Forms’.
- Email the set of Daily Journals to the internship coordinator after every 40 hours completed:
Christopher MacMaster, cmacmast@nmu.edu
Internship Coordinator
Department of Criminal Justice
1401 Presque Isle Avenue
Marquette, MI 49855
Daily Journal Contents
- Type your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address in the upper portion of the Daily Journals.
- List the date and shift worked (example: 06/02/2020 – shift: 8 am to 6 pm) under ‘Activities’. This will then be followed by a detailed description of the day’s activities and your personal reactions, observations and comments regarding those activities.
- Record your shift or hours by using a.m. and p.m.
- Use appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation.
- A sample Daily Journal is available for viewing on
- Students should consider bringing a folder with them on patrol in which you can quick write down information in your daily journal when convenient and safe to do so. Or you may keep a small notebook to record your activities and observations, then later complete the Daily Journal. Later, students must type the information into the Daily Journal prior to emailing the set of Daily Journals.
- Students may be asked to resubmit Daily Journals that are poorly worded.
Recommendations
- Retain copies of your Daily Journals and your final internship paper as it might be useful in future job interviews.
- Keeping a small notebook with you at all times during your internship will help with recording your activities and observations. The notebook entries will be helpful in writing your Daily Journals and final paper.