Clarke Iakovakis | Research & Instruction Librarian | UHCL Neumann Library

Library Research for CRIM 5331: Advanced Criminology

Old Idaho State Penitentiary image courtesy Thomas Hawk on Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-NC.

http://libguides.uhcl.edu/CRIM5331

Outline for Today• Research is Inquiry• Determining Authority• Principles of Good Searching • Searching in the Research

Databases & Library Catalog

Section 1: Research is Inquiry

Screenshot from Sherlock © British Broadcasting Company. Retrieved from Tumblr

Research is an open-ended exploration and engagement with informationAnxiety is normal!Be open-minded—seek divergent perspectives and information that challenges your beliefs, and be skeptical

Curiosity Rover Self-Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems. Public Domain.

Primary, secondary, and tertiary sources

•Primary sources are the “raw material” or first-hand evidence•Secondary sources describe and interpret information from primary sources•Tertiary sources compile and summarize primary and secondary sources

Art and Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. (1883). The Arrest.

Determining

Authority

Benito Mussolini. Public domain image retrieved from Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives collection.

What is peer review? A process for establishing authority of scholarly research Experts review the original ideas to certify the accuracy, validity, and value of the results

Chubin, D. E., & Hackett, E. J. (2005). Peer Review. In C. Mitcham (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics (Vol. 3, pp. 1390-1394). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from http://libproxy.uhcl.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3434900491&v=2.1&u=txshracd2589&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=67e06d81c0d758521a67ba637722e45c

What are some sources of scholarly information?BooksReference worksPeer-reviewed journal articlesGray literatureReports (government,

non-governmental organizations)Theses & dissertationsConference proceedings

Archival resources“Computer laptop” by Steve Hillebrand, licensed under public domain

Periodicals (journals, magazines)

Peer-reviewedRefereedScholarlyAcademic

TradeProfessiona

lPractitione

rIndustry

General

Popular

Author credentials (usually universities; sometimes industry or government)

Journal information (name, volume, issue, year)

Abstract

Literature Review

Methodology

Anatomy of a scholarly articleTables and/or graphs

Dissect this citation Brewer, R. M., & Heitzeg, N. A. (2008). The racialization of crime and punishment: Criminal justice, color-blind racism, and the political economy of the prison industrial complex. American Behavioral Scientist, 51(5), 625-644. What is the…

Journal name Volume number Issue number Authors

Article title Page number range Year of publication DOI

Section 3: Principles of good searching

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• Determine your research question1• Identify the key concepts2• List alternate keywords, synonyms, and related words3• Join terms and concepts with appropriate Boolean

operators4• Make use of database’s limiters & suggested subject

terms 5• Organize and cite your sources6

Search Process

One• How does criminological theory account

for crime?

Two• How do conflict theory, radical theory,

critical race theory, and feminist theory account for crime?

Three

• How does critical race theory account for racial discrimination in the criminal justice system?

1. Determine your research question

2. Identify the key concepts

Critical race theory Racial discrimination Criminal justice

How does critical race theory account for racial discrimination in the criminal justice system?

Critical theory

Critical race

theory

Critical criminol

ogyPosthumanism

Conflict theory

3. List alternate keywords, synonyms, and related words

OR

How does critical race theory account for racial discrimination in the criminal justice system?

Racial Discrimination

Racism

Imprisonment Rates

Bias

PrejudiceOR

3. List alternate keywords, synonyms, and related words

How does critical race theory account for racial discrimination in the criminal justice system?

Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice Administration Criminology

Law Enforcement

Sentencing

OR

3. List alternate keywords, synonyms, and related words

How does critical race theory account for racial discrimination in the criminal justice system?

ANDOR

NOT

4. Join terms and concepts with appropriate Boolean operators

discriminationracism prejudice

M EOR

racism OR discrimination OR prejudice

Racism OR discrimination OR prejudice

critical theory OR critical race theory

AND

AND

Which statement below will generate more search results?

A.

B.

Which search will find FEWER results?

A.B. OR

teenagers

teenagers

police

police

ANDORem

Using a wildcard (*) will find a larger number of results

interrogate

interrogates

interrogating

interrogation

interrogator

interrogators

interrogat* * Search Tip

• State your research topic1• Identify the key concepts2• List alternate keywords, synonyms, and related words3• Join terms and concepts with appropriate Boolean

operators4• Make use of database’s limiters & suggested subject

terms 5• Organize and cite your sources6

Search Strategies

Section 4: Research Databases & Library Catalog

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Why use a library when I have Google?

But wait…

tumblr

.gov Wikipedia

Subscription databases

Password-protected websites

restricted access

$$$

free access

Illegal content

Classified documents

Surface Web

Deep Web

Amazon

cnn

Google

ads

Off campus access to subscription databases

If you have problems accessing resources from off campus, call the

Reference Desk 281-283-3910

2001234567

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