Criminal Justice Research Methods provides students with an accessible, easy-to-understand guide to all aspects of social scientific research methods. It features a comprehensive discussion of qualitative and quantitative data gathering strategies and a plethora of current examples to help readers understand the process of doing research and investigating issues that are relevant to criminal justice and criminology.
The opening chapter differentiates between pure and applied research, explains the relationship between theory, and method, identifies different types of research, and clarifies why research is necessary. Additional chapters cover ethical adherence, experimental designs, and crime data and sampling techniques. Students explore survey research designs and learn effective skillsets for interviewing and observing. The final chapters examine unobtrusive measures and secondary analysis; validity, reliability, and triangulated methods; and scaling and index construction. Throughout, learning objectives, summaries, discussion questions, and key terms support student engagement and retention.
Concise and highly contemporary, Criminal Justice Research Methods is ideal for courses with emphasis on research in criminal justice and criminology.