Research Methods for Criminal Justice

Need help coming up with a topic for your research? 

• Think about a topic that has different elements within a whole so your finished product will be cohesive without being repetitive.
• Scan your syllabus - did your professor provide topic guidelines?
• Browse current journals, magazines, newspapers, and/or news websites (with reliable information).
• Click the link on this page to find out the current news of the day from the newspapers in our collection.
• Search encyclopedias -- try the Credo Reference search box on this page.

Concept maps help us determine a visual representation of what we're thinking about and how it's connected.  Use this site here to create your own!!

Start with a broad topic, like prison inmates, and then narrow it down into a focused question.  This will help you search for more relevant information that pertains to your topic, and save you time in the searching part of the research process.

Searching in an "discovery source," like an encyclopedia is a great way to get to know more about your topic, before finding the scholary, peer-reviewed information that you will be using for your research paper.  Use the white box below to type in your general search terms.  Hit enter after you enter your terms.