Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology

Callie Marie Rennison is the Director of Equity, and Title IX Coordinator at the University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus. In addition, she is a full professor, and former Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs in the School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado Denver. She earned a PhD in 1997 in political science from the University of Houston, University Park. Her areas of research interest include investigating the nature, extent, and consequences of violent victimization, with an emphasis on research methodology, quantitative analysis, and measurement. Much of this research focuses on violence against women, violence against minority groups such as African Americans and Hispanics, crime data, and victim interaction with the criminal justice system. Callie recently served on a National Academies committee examining domestic sex trafficking of minors in the United States. Her research has appeared in numerous journals, including the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Violence and Victims, and Violence Against Women. Callie has taught a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses, including statistics, research methods, murder in America, crime and the media, and introduction to criminal justice.Callie was awarded the School of Public Affairs Research and Creative Activities Award in 2013, the Teaching Award in 2011, and the Service Award in 2015. In 2016, she was awarded the American Society of Criminology’s Bonnie S. Fisher Victimology Career Award to recognize significant contributions in the area of Victimology over her lifetime.Timothy C. Hart is an Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Tampa. Tim earned his PhD in criminology and criminal justice from the University of South Florida; and in 1997, he was awarded a Presidential Management Fellowship with the Bureau of Justice Statistics at the US Department of Justice. He has also served as a program analyst for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and as a research analyst for the Hillsborough County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office. Tim is also the former Statistical Analysis Centre (SAC) director for the state of Nevada. His areas of interest include survey research, applied statistics, geographic information systems (GIS), and victimization. His scholarship appears in various academic journals, including the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Criminal Justice and Behavior, and the British Journal of Criminology. He has also been awarded numerous research grants, including studies funded by the Queensland Police Service, Australian Institute of Criminology, the National Institute of Justice, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. In 2021, he received the Excellence in Scholarship and Research award from the University of Tampa’s College of Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Education.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorsPart I: Getting StartedChapter 1: Why Study Research Methods?IntroductionWhy Are Research Methods Important?Typical Stages of ResearchEssential Role of Ethics Throughout the Research ProcessResearcher Case Studies and a Road MapChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsResearch Proposal GuideNotesPart II: Setting the Stage for Your ResearchChapter 2: Identifying a Topic, a Purpose, and a Research QuestionIntroductionWhy Conduct Research?How to Identify a Research TopicHow to Identify the Purpose/Goal of ResearchGathering More Information and Refining the TopicHow to Construct the Research QuestionCommon Pitfalls When Developing Topics, Purposes, and Research QuestionsEthical Considerations When Developing Your Topic, Purpose, and Research QuestionChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsResearch Proposal GuideNotesChapter 3: Conducting a Literature ReviewIntroductionWhy Conduct a Literature Review?A Road Map: How to Conduct a Literature ReviewAbout SourcesFinding Primary or Original SourcesWriting the Literature ReviewCommon Pitfalls of Literature ReviewsEthics and the Literature ReviewChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsResearch Proposal GuideNotesPart III: Designing Your ResearchChapter 4: Concepts, Conceptualizations, Operationalizations, Measurements, Variables, and DataIntroductionTwo Primary Types of Data: Quantitative and QualitativeWhat Are Concepts?What Is Conceptualization?What Is Operationalization?What Are Variables?What Are Measures?What Are Data?Overview of the Road From Concepts to VariablesCommon Pitfalls in Concepts, Conceptualizations, Operationalizations, Measurements, Variables, and Data in Research DesignEthics Associated With Concepts, Conceptualizations, Operationalizations, Measurements, Variables, and DataChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsResearch Proposal GuideNotesChapter 5: SamplingIntroductionWhy Is Sampling Important?What Is Sampling?Populations,Samples, and CensusesUnit of AnalysisEcological FallacyIndividualist FallacyChoosing a Sampling ApproachHow Large Should My Sample Be?Common Pitfalls Related to SamplingEthics Associated With SamplingChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsResearch Proposal GuideNotesPart IV: Collecting Your DataChapter 6: Research Using Qualitative DataIntroductionWhy Conduct Qualitative Research?What Are Qualitative Data?Qualititive Approaches to InquiryStages of Research Using Qualitative DataCommon Methods to Gather DataConsiderations: Research Using Qualitative DataRecording Qualitative DataOrganizing and Analyzing Qualitative DataBenefits and Limitations of Research Using Qualitative DataExample of Qualitatively Derived ThemesCommon Pitfalls in Research Using Qualitative DataEthics Associated With Research Using Qualitative DataQualitative Data Research Expert—Carol PeeplesChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsResearch Proposal GuideNotesChapter 7: Survey ResearchIntroductionWhy Conduct Survey Research?What Are Surveys?General Steps in Survey ResearchSurveys Across Research PurposesHow Are Surveys Distributed?Designing Your Own SurveySurvey AdministrationEasy-to-Use Survey SoftwareCommon Pitfalls in Survey ResearchEthical Considerations in Survey ResearchSurveying Expert—Bridget Kelly, MAChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsResearch Proposal GuideNotesChapter 8: Experimental ResearchIntroductionWhy Conduct Experimental Research?What Is Experimental Research?True ExperimentsValidityReliabilityBeyond True ExperimentsPre-Experimental ResearchQuasi-Experimental ResearchNatural ExperimentsCommon Pitfalls in Experimental ResearchEthics and Experimental ResearchExperimental Research Expert—Chris Keating, PhDChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsResearch Proposal GuideNotesChapter 9: Research Using Secondary DataIntroductionWhy Conduct Research Using Secondary Data?What Are Secondary Data?Frequently Used Secondary DataDisadvantages of Using Secondary DataReporting Findings From Secondary Data AnalysisCommon Pitfalls in Secondary Data AnalysisEthics Associated With Secondary Data AnalysisSecondary Data Expert—Jenna Truman, PhDChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsResearch Proposal GuideNotesChapter 10: Evaluation ResearchIntroductionWhy Use Evaluation Research?What Is Evaluation Research?Types of Evaluation ResearchDistinctive Purposes of Evaluation and Basic ResearchCharacteristics of Effective EvaluationsCommon Pitfalls in Evaluation ResearchEthics Associated With Evaluation ResearchEvaluation Research Expert—Michael Shively, PhDChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsResearch Proposal GuideNotesChapter 11: Cutting-Edge Methods for Criminological InquiryIntroductionWhy Use Cutting-Edge Methods?Crime Risk EstimationWhat Is GIS?Social Network AnalysisVirtual Reality in Criminological ResearchAgent-Based Modeling in Criminological ResearchCrime Script AnalysisBlockchain and Cryptographic Tools in Criminological ResearchCitizen Science in CriminologyStrengths and Limitations of Cutting-Edge MethodsChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsResearch Proposal GuideNotesPart V: Analysis, Findings, and Where to Go From ThereChapter 12: Analysis and FindingsIntroductionWhy Analysis?How Should Data Be Analyzed?Analysis of Quantitative DataQuantitative Data Analysis SoftwareQualitative Data Analysis (QDA)Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS)Alternative Analytic ApproachesCommunicating Analyses and Findings from Your ResearchCommon Pitfalls in Data AnalysisEthics Associated With Analyzing Your Data and Developing Your FindingsAnalysis and Findings Expert—Charlie Scheer, PhDChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsResearch Proposal GuideNotesChapter 13: Making Your Research Policy RelevantIntroductionWhy Conduct Policy-Relevant Research?What Is Policy-Relevant Research?What Is Policy?Who Are Policy Makers?The Policy ProcessChallenges of Getting Research to Policy MakersMaximizing Chances of Producing Policy-Relevant ResearchCommon Pitfalls in Producing Policy-Relevant ResearchEthics and Conducting Policy Relevant ResearchMaking a Policy BriefPolicy Expert—Katie TePasChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsNotesChapter 14: Developing Professionally—Skill Building and Career ReadinessIntroductionWhat Skills Do I Need to Succeed?Where Do I Get Started Finding a Career?Career Search DocumentsPublic- Versus Private-Sector JobsWhere to Look for a CareerInterviewing WellPitfalls and Career SearchesEthics and Career SearchesResearch Methods as a Career Expert—Nora Scanlon, MAChapter Wrap-UpApplied AssignmentsKey Words and ConceptsKey PointsReview QuestionsCritical Thinking QuestionsNotesAppendixGlossaryReferencesIndex