Research methods for criminal justice and criminology

Reply must be at least 200-300 words and at least 2 citations from sources such as your textbook, peer-reviewed journal articles, and the Bible. The thread and replies must follow current APA format.

Maxfield, M. G., & Babbie, E. R. (2018). Research methods for criminal justice and criminology (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. ISBN: 9781337091824.

**Tracey G.*

As a Ph.D. candidate in criminal justice, it is evident that research is a must when working on one’s dissertation. When it comes to reviewing literature related to a dissertation topic, one should choose various articles that have conducted a study or studies similar to the issue of choice. Each article would have to discuss present research of the problem and suggest different possibilities for research in the future while illustrating current theories that explain an observation or offer a new approach to solve the problem. As a student and researcher, one must look at a variety of journals, scholarly books, and databases and read the title, which generally reveals a leading theory or the variables being investigated in the articles. Reading the abstract will give the reader more information about the context of the theory and the variables related to one’s topic. One must remember that professional journals are periodicals that publish original research articles and are published on a monthly or quarterly basis that is organized into volumes based on a specific calendar year. Journals come in hard copies, electronic copies, or both. These articles come in the form of an empirical research report, review articles, and theoretical articles wherein a new theory is presented.

When it comes to reading articles; one should proceed with the following steps:

Step A: Skim the material, as a lot of information, is generally given at the beginning of an article or a summary is given at the end of an article. One can also skim over any data presented in the form of tables or graphs.

Step B: Determine the purpose of the article. This should focus on the overview of the topic, research ideas, the methods used, and the experimentation.

Step C: Reading critically through skill, such as looking up vocabulary or concepts that one is unfamiliar with, taking notes, talking to others about what one has read, and reviewing any syllabus given by instructors.  One must maintain a positive attitude in the sense that what is being learned is from someone else’s perspective. More importantly, one must NOT assume the author is always right, as it’s the authors intend to persuade one to agree with their ideas.

Step D: Remember to follow a specific order when seeking information from an article. The order must consist of purpose, background information, methods used, the results of the methods, and an overall discussion of research findings or outcomes as well as the impact of said research.

Step E: One must observe what they are reading carefully to avoid inaccuracy, do not overgeneralize any information obtained as this can lead to selective observation, and illogical reasoning.

Step F: Finally, it is necessary to read your articles slowly yet actively. Keep in mind that reading reports is to answer the following questions: what, who, when, where, how, and the why. Keep in mind that the abstract does not give all the information necessary. So it is critical to review the conclusion as well as the background information. All this, along with the methods sections and discussion, can help one fully understand what is being read critically and with confidence.

Reference

Maxfield, M., & Babbie, E. (2018). Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.