Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology An Interdisciplinary Approach

by Ellis, Lee; Hartley, Richard D.; Walsh, Anthony

• ISBN13: 9780742564411
• ISBN10: 074256441X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-01-16
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology is a core text for criminology and criminal justice research methods courses. It strives to offer a general foundation of knowledge that transcends particular topics or subject areas, allowing students to apply research methods and concepts to a multitude of scenarios. Even though the textbook has been written primarily for criminal justice and criminology majors, there is an underlying recognition that research methods and findings are common among all of the social sciences. This text has been designed to be user-friendly, even when dealing with some fairly complex statistical and theoretical concepts. The most critical points are clearly stated and illustrated with examples chosen to be interesting in their own right.

Author Biography

Lee Ellis is professor of sociology at Minot State University. Richard D. Hartley is assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Anthony Walsh is professor of criminal justice at Boise State University.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	p. xiii
Preface	p. xix
Getting Started	p. 1
The Scientific Method and Criminal Justice and Criminology Social Sciences	p. 3
Learning to Become a Researcher	p. 4
Circumscribing Criminal Justice and Criminology	p. 5
Circumscribing the Other Social and Behavioral Sciences	p. 6
The Near Social Sciences	p. 14
Other Disciplines that Utilize Social Science Research Methods	p. 15
Features of the Scientific Methods	p. 15
The Scientific Spirit	p. 20
Types of Questions Addressed by Social Scientists	p. 22
Varied Adherence to the Scientific Method	p. 23
Summary	p. 25
Formulating Scientific Questions and Locating Background Research	p. 27
The Nature of Scientific Variables	p. 27
Conceptual Versus Operational Definitions of Variables	p. 31
Levels of Measurement	p. 33
Formulating and Refining Scientific Questions	p. 36
Locating Information on Topics of Interest	p. 37
How to Get Copies of Articles of Interest	p. 41
Distinctiveness of Scientific Communication	p. 43
How Scientific Research Gets Reviewed and Sometimes Published	p. 44
Summary	p. 44
Suggested Readings	p. 46
The Importance of Statistics	p. 47
Univariate Statistics and the Concept of Statistical Significance	p. 49
The Nature of Univariate Statistical Concepts	p. 49
Averages	p. 50
Dispersion	p. 54
Illustrating the Concepts of Averages and Dispersions	p. 58
Building the Concept of Statistical Significance	p. 59
Hypothesis Testing and the Concept of the Null Hypothesis	p. 63
Inferential Statistics	p. 64
Closing Remarks about Statistical Significance and Inferential Statistics	p. 69
Summary	p. 70
Suggested Readings	p. 71
Bivariate and Multivariate Statistics: The Concept of Correlation	p. 72
Background	p. 73
Constructing Scattergrams	p. 73
Curvilenear Versus Linear Correlations	p. 79
Interpreting Statements about the Strength of Correlations	p. 82
Variability and Correlations	p. 83
The Statistical Significance of Correlation Coefficients	p. 84
Interpreting Two Studies Based on Correlation	p. 85
Correlation Does Not Equal Causation: Words of Caution	p. 87
Reflections on the Importance of Statistics in the Research Process	p. 90
Multivariate Statistics: When Bivariate Statistics Are Not Enough	p. 91
Closing Comments on Multivariate Statistics	p. 95
Summary	p. 96
Suggested Readings	p. 96
Documentation and Measurement	p. 99
Research Report Structure and Styles for Citing and Referencing	p. 101
The Basic Format for a Research Report	p. 101
Identifying the Parts of a Research Report	p. 104
Citation and Referencing Styles	p. 104
Summary	p. 110
Suggested Readings	p. 111
Reliability, Validity, and Precision in Measurement	p. 113
Handedness as an Example of Problems in Measurement	p. 114
Three Aspects of Accurate Measurement	p. 116
Reliability	p. 117
Validity	p. 124
Precision	p. 129
Factors Analysis for Refining Measurement Accuracy	p. 131
Some Closing Remarks about Reliability, Validity, and Precision	p. 133
Summary	p. 135
Suggested Readings	p. 136
Selecting and Retaining Those to Be Studied	p. 137
Surveying and Sampling	p. 139
The Nature of Scientific Surveys	p. 139
Basic Terminology	p. 140
Representative Versus Nonrepresentative Samples	p. 141
Probability Versus Non-Probability Sampling Methods	p. 142
Sample Size	p. 150
Surveying Over Time	p. 152
Summary	p. 153
Suggested Readings	p. 154
The Human Side of Sampling and the Reliability of Self-Reports	p. 155
People's Willingness to Serve as Research Subjects	p. 156
Assessing the Extent and Causes of Sample Attrition	p. 156
New Computer-Assisted "Interviewing"	p. 159
Limiting Sample Attrition	p. 159
Inaccuracies in Self-Reports	p. 166
Techniques for Minimizing and Detecting Subject Dishonesty	p. 170
Interviews as Social Activity	p. 178
Summary	p. 180
Suggested Readings	p. 181
Types of Social Science Data	p. 183
Data Based on Self-Reports: Guidelines for Constructing Questionnaires	p. 185
Basic Terminology	p. 186
Advantages and Disadvantages of Data Based on Self-Reports	p. 186
Response Options for Questions	p. 187
Deciding Which Response Option to Use	p. 192
Types of Self-Reported Items	p. 195
Guidelines for Item Construction	p. 197
Clustering Items with Similar Formats	p. 198
Types of Questions to Avoid	p. 199
Examples of Poorly Phrased Questions	p. 202
Combining Two or More Items to Improve Reliability	p. 204
Time Diaries: A Special Type of Questionnaire	p. 206
Computerized Questionnaires and Use of the Internet	p. 207
Final Comments on Questionnaire Data	p. 208
Summary	p. 209
Suggested Readings	p. 210
Direct Observations: Qualitative and Quantitative Data	p. 212
Qualitative Direct Observations	p. 212
Participant Observations	p. 213
Ethnographic Observations	p. 214
Case Studies	p. 220
Focus Group Research	p. 221
Archaeological Data	p. 223
Procedures in Ethnographic and Participant Observation Data Collection	p. 225
Quantitative Direct Observations	p. 227
Laboratory and Clinical Observations	p. 228
Field Research	p. 231
Direct Observations among Nonhuman Animals	p. 234
Content Analysis	p. 236
Closing Comments on Direct Observations	p. 240
Summary	p. 241
Suggested Readings	p. 244
Archival Data Analysis and Meta-Analysis	p. 246
Units of Analysis	p. 246
Archival Data	p. 248
Analyzing Cross-Cultural Atlases	p. 253
Review Articles and Meta-Analyses	p. 255
Summary	p. 262
Suggested Readings	p. 263
Measuring Crime and Criminality	p. 265
Categorizing and Measuring Crime	p. 265
The Uniform Crime Reports: Counting Crime Officially	p. 266
Crime Victimization Survey Data	p. 275
Self-Reported Crime Surveys	p. 281
What Can We Conclude about the Three Main Measures of Crime in America?	p. 285
Summary	p. 291
Suggested Readings	p. 292
Probing for Causal Explanations	p. 293
Theories, Models, Hypotheses, and Empirical Reality	p. 295
The Concept of Causation	p. 295
The Nature of Scientific Theorizing	p. 296
Criteria for Assessing the Elegance of a Scientific Theory	p. 298
How Theories Fit into the Research Process	p. 301
Scientific Models	p. 302
Scientific Laws	p. 310
Scientific Paradigms	p. 311
Hypothesis Testing and Attempts to Generalize	p. 311
Closing Remarks Regarding Scientific Theorizing	p. 314
Summary	p. 315
Suggested Readings	p. 316
Controlled Experimentation	p. 318
Basic Experimental Terminology	p. 319
Main Types of Experimental Designs	p. 321
Pitfalls with Human Experimentation	p. 332
Shortcomings of Experimental Research	p. 333
Summary	p. 335
Suggested Readings	p. 336
Quasi-Experimentation	p. 338
Quasi-Experiments Compared with Controlled Experiments	p. 338
Quasi-Experimental Designs in the Narrower Sense	p. 340
Quasi-Experimental Designs in the Broader Sense	p. 348
Quasi-Experimental Designs for Addressing Nature-Nurture Issues	p. 351
Summary	p. 354
Suggested Readings	p. 356
Avoiding Harm and Doing Good	p. 357
Ethical Issues in Social and Behavioral Science Research	p. 359
Responsibilities to Research Subjects	p. 359
Responsibilities to Fellow Social and Behavioral Scientists	p. 367
Responsibilities to Humanity	p. 374
Summary	p. 375
Suggested Readings	p. 376
Evaluation and Other Applied Research	p. 378
Conceptualizing Evaluation Research	p. 380
Terminology Surrounding Evaluation Research	p. 380
History of Evaluation Research	p. 383
Types of Programs Evaluated	p. 386
Locating Reports of Evaluation Research	p. 392
Program Evaluation: Doing It Right	p. 392
Program Evaluation: A Source of Tension	p. 394
Closing Thoughts about Evaluation Research	p. 394
Summary	p. 395
Suggested Readings	p. 397
Epilogue	p. 399
The American Psychological Association Referencing Style	p. 401
APA Referencing Format for Articles	p. 402
APA Referencing Format for Books	p. 403
APA Referencing Format for Chapters in Edited Books	p. 403
Guidelines and Recommendations for Preparing Research Reports	p. 405
Overall Format and Style of a Research Manuscript	p. 405
The Basic Format for the Initial Pages	p. 406
The Body of the Manuscript	p. 406
What Follows the Body of a Research Manuscript?	p. 409
Tailoring a Research Manuscript for a Specific Journal	p. 409
Suggested Readings	p. 410
Guidelines for Professional Writing in the Social and Behavioral Sciences	p. 411
Special Comments on Citing and Typing	p. 414
Suggested Readings	p. 415
Notes	p. 417
References	p. 419
Index	p. 489
About the Authors	p. 497
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