Criminal Justice Research Guide

Your research question

The first step in finding what you're looking for is determining what it is you want to find.

For an assignment, your research question might be

• A question or questions assigned by your instructor

• A topic assigned by your instructor that you form into a question

• A topic and question of your own choosing

Your research question will guide the entire research process, and so it's important to give serious thought to this early step.

If you are developing your own topic and research question for the first time, consider watching video below by Scribbr with tips for developing a good research question. [4 Minutes]

Finding sources that help you answer your research question

Once you have your question, your next step is to find your answer. This can be easier said than done. It is important to know any requirements you may have for the types of sources you need to use and plan your search accordingly. Some example requirements may include

• Library sources only
• Scholarly, academic, or peer reviewed sources (these terms are more or less interchangeable, see the "Source Evaluation" tab of this box for more information)
• Sources published within the last five years

Most library databases will allow you to filter your search results to help you eliminate sources that won't meet your requirements. For more information on finding sources in the Morris Library collection, please visit the "Using the Library Website" and "Recommended Resources" pages of this Research Guide.

Developing keywords
Regardless of where you're searching, one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is coming up with the right words to find what you're looking for. Don't be discouraged if it takes a few tries; that's true even for the librarians! It helps to have a few different ideas for terms going in, getting a sense for how to refine a search from there will come with practice. The video below by Jenks library offers a few helpful suggestions to get you started [3 minutes]. 

For more search strategies, see the "Advanced Research Tips" box at the bottom of this page.

The Basics of determining which sources to trust

It's important to think critically (carefully) about the information you use, both in and out of class. The "Source Evaluation" Page of this guide provides additional context, but to get you started, the videos below provide overviews on finding reliable information.

Scholarly Sources: 

Some assignments will require academic or scholarly sources. These sources go through a rigorous process to be published, and so the information is much more likely to be reliable. 

Putting the pieces together

You know what you're searching for and where to find it, but what do you do with your sources once you've found them? We recommend doing the following with any sources that catch your interest:

• Save a citation of the source in the appropriate format 
• Summarize the key points about the source that you think will be helpful
• Pull any quotes you think you might want to use in your paper

You can always come back and do some of this later, but following these steps early on will help you keep track of your sources, identify common talking points, areas you want to discuss, and even potential gaps in your research. 

How you organize your information from there depends on your topic. You could go chronologically, by sub-point, or by some other theme that makes sense to you. Pull like ideas together and brainstorm how you might discuss them in your paper. Remember that research is not linear; you might realize at this point you need to go back and find other sources to better fit the overall shape of your argument. That's completely normal and doesn't mean you've done anything wrong, it's just part of the process!

For more information on this stage of the process, see the "Getting the most out of your sources" tab of the Advance Research Tips box below.

Answer your research question

In a research assignment, your thesis statement is the answer to your research question. Now that you've identified the main points of your research, summarize your findings in 1-2 sentences.

Your answer can be a simple statement or more complex, but either way, it needs to be based on your research. The following video by Scribbr [4 minutes] does a great job explaining how to create a thesis statement based on your research question.

Last step: the writing process!

Now it's time to bring it all together. Using the outline of main points you created while developing your thesis, map out how you will explain the work you did to arrive at your conclusion. Draw from your research while also explaining your own thought process.

The following video by Ariel Bisset [5 minutes] explains how to structure your paper based on your evidence. She emphasizes the importance of working with your sources to strengthen your arguments. 

One of the most common areas where students run into trouble in their research is in finding and locating full text sources. This tab provides several pointers to identifying which sources are available online (and how to access those that aren't).

Full Text Within the Library Databases

Most library databases will include an option to limit to full text only. However, these options are not always full proof, so the screenshots below demonstrate what you're actually looking for. Ideally you're looking below the source description for an option to "Access Now," or a drop down with "Access Options," that includes either, "PDF Full Text," "HTML Full Text," "EPUB Full Text," or "Full Text Finder" (note for full text finder you may need to click a secondary link to be taken to the full text. For results within the databases that do NOT have a full text option, you will usually see an option to "request through inter library loan," a service which is covered in more detail below.

Going to Google (or an alternative)

If you're looking for a specific source and aren't able to find it in our databases, before waiting for an inter library loan request to process, you may want to search for that title "In Quotation Marks" in Google or another search engine. You can also limit your search to only academic sources by searching in Google Scholar. The next tab in this box, "Google Scholar," provides more information about this specialized search, but as a tip, as seen in the image below, if there is a link to the right of the search results page, that typically means the source is freely available and not behind a paywall.

If the source you're looking IS behind a paywall, we recommend returning to the library and submitting an inter library loan request!

Inter Library Loan

So explain how to find the option in the databases. What it is. How it works, how long it takes. Where to ifnd the form otherwise. Maybe mention MeL? Yeah I think so (and that MEL also has databases and other fun things for Michigan residents)

Direct link to ILL Form: | Kellogg Community College

Learn research tips to help you search like an information professional!

The Advanced Search Page

Most databases have a link either on their landing page or in the results page that will let you build an advanced search, usually looking something like this

Here you can get incredibly specific about what exactly you're looking for. While you might not need to use these options every time, they can be helpful when you begin running into trouble in the main search. In particular, pay attention to publication date to ensure it matches your requirements, select the soruce type(s) you prefer, and implement location, language, and publication searches as makes sense for you

Boolean Operators: AND, OR, and NOT

You probably noticed on the advanced search that when adding multiple search terms to a search, you have the ability to specify one of three parameters for those terms: AND, OR, or NOT. You can also type these into any search box to expand or narrow any search.

AND narrows your search by limiting your results to only sources that include all the listed subjects, for example "books AND cooking"

OR expands your search by telling the system that you will except multiple terms the same idea, for example "books about cooking OR cookbooks."

NOT narrows your search by excluding certain terms that aren't relevant to your topic, for example "cookbooks NOT baking."

Other Search Hacks

There are a whole host of other ways you can modify your search within the text of the searchbox as well, from looking for exact phrases by putting them together "in quotation marks," to limiting google searches to specific websites. Learn more at the link below!

Reading Academic Sources

When considering whether to use an academic article for your paper, to make the most effective use of your time, consider approaching your sources using a version of the following method, rather than reading each source cover to cover:

1. When searching in the databases, read the source's title, description (also called the abstract or summary), and the subjects/key listed. Do these seem to align with your research question? If yes, continue on. 
   • (Keep in mind the subjects listed under an article can help you refine your search to find more sources like that one, see "Libarian Tip: Pearl growing or Snowballing" below
2. If the database summary did not include a summary or abstract, check for one within the article itself. If the abstract sounds in line with your topic, or if the article does not have an abstract, continue on.
3. Read through the introduction of the article. This will usually give you a better grasp of the material covered and the approach taken to the material. If this seems like a good fit, continue on.
4. Skip to the conclusion of the article, which will clearly layout the ultimate argument. If it still looks like the article will be helpful for you, save the article for later and continue your research
5. Read your final selection of sources in full to look for ideas and quotes you may want to reference in your assignment, drawing out connections between the texts when applicable

Understand, Apply, Analyze

It's important to remember that as long as you are accurately reflecting the original context of the information you're citing, a source doesn't have to fit your whole argument in order for you to use it. In fact, your job as a researcher is often to make connections between different lines of thinking to construct your own unique take on a topic.

For example, if you're writing about retention in education, you might use a source that focuses on workplace conditions in schools and another which focuses on the impact of teacher turnover on students.

Try to keep in mind your overall research question, and make sure that you've covered the entire question in the totality of your sources, rather than looking for multiple sources making the same argument you hope to, though you can of course use those as well if and when you find them!

Librarian Tip: Pearl Growing or Snowballing
As mentioned above, once you've found one great source on your topic, it often gets much easier to find more:

• Read the subjects that the article is filed under, consider using these as potential search terms
• Look for more sources published by that author, or by the same journal or publisher 

And finally, the most effective strategy:

• Look for the references/works cited/bibliography page. The sources referenced here likely also apply to your subject. You can either search for these titles "in quotation marks" in the library database and/or Google Scholar, or if you don't find them there put in a request through Interlibrary Loan

Google Scholar

What it is, how to link your library account, how to tell whats available, advantages and drawbacks, citation, advanced search, and more.

Tuturial for how to use some of these options by X University

Then we will talk about more tips for google scholar by X [x minutes]