Fundamentals of research in criminology and criminal justice
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Fundamentals of research in criminology and criminal justice
Sage Publications, c2008
- : pbk
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Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
"Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice" is a concise resource for understanding the multifaceted subject of research methods in the field of criminology and criminal justice. This book uniquely helps to teach research design and techniques within the context of substantive criminology and criminal justice issues of interest to students and the field. This is a briefer version of Ronet Bachman and Russell K Schutt 's successful "The Practice of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice", written in a less formal style, with more concise examples drawn from everyday experience, and less coverage of complex or more rigorous methods. It is ideal for students who need to understand how criminal justice research is done and appreciate the results, but may never do research themselves in the professional lives.
Table of Contents
About the Authors Preface and Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Science, Society, and Criminological Research What Do We Have In Mind? Reasoning About the Social World How The Scientific Approach Is Different Strengths and Limitations of Social Research Types of Research Methods Social Research Philosophies Validity: The Goal of Social Research Conclusion Chapter 2: The Process and Problems of Criminological Research What Do We Have In Mind? Criminological Research Questions The Role of Criminological Theory Social Research Strategies Guidelines for Criminologists Conclusion Chapter 3: Conceptualization and Measurement What Do We Have In Mind? Concepts Concepts and Variables How Will We Know When We've Found It? How Much Information Do We Really Have? Did We Measure What We Wanted to Measure? Conclusion Chapter 4: Sampling What Do We Have In Mind? Sample Planning Sampling Methods Sampling Distributions Units of Analysis and Errors in Causal Reasoning Conclusion Chapter 5: Causation and Research Designs What Do We Mean By Causation? Causal Explanation What Causes What? Why Experiment? What If A True Experiment Isn't Possible? What Are the Threats to Internal Validity and Generalizability in Experiments? How Do Experimenters Protect Their Subjects? Conclusion Chapter 6: Survey Research What Is A Survey? Questionnaire Development and Assessment Writing Questions Organization Matters Survey Designs Ethical Issues in Survey Research Conclusion Chapter 7: Qualitative Methods and Data Analysis What We Mean By Qualitative Methods Participant Observation Systematic Observation Intensive Interviewing Focus Groups Analyzing Qualitative Data Techniques of Qualitative Data Analysis Alternatives in Qualitative Data Analysis Visual Sociology Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research Conclusion Chapter 8: Analyzing Content: Crime Mapping and Historical, Secondary, and Content Analysis What Is Secondary Data? Historical Events Research Comparative Methods Content Analysis Crime Mapping Methodological Issues When Using Secondary Data Combining Research Designs Ethical Issues When Analyzing Available Data and Content Conclusion Chapter 9: Evaluation and Policy Analysis Why Do We Need Evaluation? A Brief History of Evaluation Research Design Decisions When Experiments Aren't Feasible Nonexperimental Designs Qualitative and Quantitative Methods Ethics in Evaluation Conclusion Chapter 10: Quantitative Data Analysis Why We Need Statistics Preparing Data For Analysis Displaying Univariate Distributions Summarizing Univariate Distributions Crosstabulating Variables Analyzing Data Ethically: How Not To Lie About Relationships Conclusion Chapter 11: Reporting Research Results Beginning With A Proposal Research Report Goals Types of Research Reports Curbing the Frustrations of Writing Ethics and Reporting Conclusion Appendix A: Conducting Literature Reviews and Finding Information Appendix B: Questions to Ask About a Research Article Appendix C: How to Read a Research Article Appendix D: Table of Random Numbers Appendix E: How to Use a Statistical Package (On Student Study Site) Appendix F: How to Use a Qualitative Analysis Package (On Student Study Site)
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