CRIMINOLOGY 220: RESEARCH METHODS IN CRIMINOLOGY JANUARY 21, 2013 Librarian (Surrey) Simon Fraser University Criminology 220 1

Today’s class Criminology  Finding Background info (online CRIM resources)  Finding books & articles  Choosing a database or search tool  Scholarly versus popular articles  APA citation and avoiding plagiarism  Getting help

Library Research Guides Criminology The library’s homepage: Click on “Browse Research Guides” Click on Criminology and then pick Crim 220Crim

Step 1: Background Sources Criminology  What are they?  Encyclopedias and other reference sources that provide a topic overview and hint at sub-topics  Why use them? Helps you narrow a topic that is too big; good starting point Helps you identify terminology used in the field Helps you identify key researchers Helps you find related readings  Where do you find them?  Library reference section  Online Reference Sources (or search catalogue) Online Reference Sources

Encyclopedias/handbooks  Gale: Criminology Subcollection + other social sciences collections  Oxford: Broad range of Reference Sources  Sage: 11 Criminology Titles in Criminology and Criminal Justice Package

DSM-IV Online  DSM-IV-TR® Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders  Includes current and historical versions  The “standard diagnostic tool used by mental health professionals…. Each psychiatric disorder…is accompanied by a set of diagnostic criteria and descriptive details including associated features, prevalence, familial patterns, age-, culture-, and gender- specific features, and differential diagnosis” Criminology 220 6

DSM-IV Online Criminology 220 7

Sage Research Methods Online (SRMO)  Online portal to research methodology information in the social sciences  online books Chapter: “Looking Forward: the Future of Qualitative Research in Criminology” Chapter: “Doing Research on Crime and Justice: A Political Endeavour?”  Research Methods Map  Videos Criminology 220 8

Sage Research Methods Online (SRMO) Criminology 220 9

Where to Search…? Library Search Catalogue Databases Fast Search Google Criminology

Catalogue  The “mothership” of SFU Library’s library data  Complete information on almost everything SFU Library provides access to:  Books and eBooks (170,000 ebooks and 1,350,000 print books)  Movies, (e.g., streaming NFB films)  Sound effects  Database names (Academic Search Premier, etc.)  Journal Titles BUT: no journal articles Criminology

Catalogue Searching Criminology

Fast Search  Key advantages of Fast Search:  Broad search can capture unique terms/proper names across thousands of sources  Tool for beginning research outside your discipline  3 Branch availability  Search for books and articles at the same time  Easy + fun faceted searching

Library Search  Searches 100% of Fast Search content, (which contains 100% of the library’s catalogue)  Divides Fast Search content by info type – books & media, newspaper articles & more, journal articles  Additionally, includes:  Summit, the Institutional Repository  The library website – FAQs, Research Guides & other web pages  Course reserves Criminology

Library Search  no results?  WorldCat  Interlibrary loan request form  Best Bets  Criminal Code Criminology

Databases Criminology

Which Databases? Criminology  Criminology specific/appropriate databases:  Criminal Justice Abstracts  PsycINFO  Sociological Abstracts  General databases:  Academic Search Premier  Google Scholar – Access through library!Access through library!

Subject Databases  Why use subject databases? Key strengths:  Allow for literature reviews  Sophisticated search limits, based on higher quality metadata  Extra tools (times cited, bibliometrics, etc.)  Subject-relevant data fields, E.g. PsycINFOPsycINFO Research methodology (from brain imaging to twin study) Age group (child, teen, adult, senior) Population type: male, female, animal, human, inpatient, outpatient

Google  Access Google through the library for free access to subscription resources (automatic on campus)  PRO: Fast and easy!  BUT: Mysterious algorithms – what is covered? Are some publishers favored? Can the database accurately judge what is scholarly?  AND: inaccurate data  AND: less control over search Criminology

Articles: Scholarly versus Popular Criminology

Scholarly versus Popular  Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice  Audience: Academics  Writers: Unpaid scholars and researchers  Often visually boring with tables, charts but no advertising  Include abstracts and citations  Good for historical, current, scholarly, in-depth perspectives  Subject-specific jargon  Key criterion: peer-reviewed  Macleans  Audience: General public  Writers: Paid, non-specialist  Colorful, graphics, advertisements  Does not include abstracts or citations  Good for broad overview and popular perspective  Accessible language 21 Criminology 220 Scholarly Journal ArticlesPopular Magazine Articles

Finding Scholarly Journal Articles Criminology  You must use scholarly journal articles  Look for synonymous terms such as:  Scholarly articles  Academic journals  Peer-reviewed  Refereed

Definition of a Scholarly Article:  Articles in scholarly journals are peer-reviewed* “Peer-reviewed journals are publications that include only those articles that have been reviewed and/or qualified by a selected panel of acknowledged experts in the field of study covered by the journal” --EBSCO  Peer-reviewed articles = Refereed articles  “Academic article” used interchangeably with “scholarly article” *key criterion = peer-reviewed

APA guides and plagiarism tutorial APA guides Plagiarism tutorial

APA Guides  Actual APA guides available for check-out in the library Criminology

APA Guides  APA provides much guidance for citing scholarly journal articles – quite straightforward  More unusual items – course pack materials, Facebook posts, data tables from Statistics Canada, etc., can be trickier – grey areas that may require some interpretation  In these cases, 1. Follow APA general citation guidelines (order of elements) 2. Check out APA blog for extra guidance  Always proofread auto-generated citations!!! Criminology

Writing and avoiding plagiarism  If you don’t know how to correctly cite a document, feel free to ask a librarian for help.  If you want help with writing/structuring your paper or quoting/paraphrasing documents, see the Student Learning Commons Student Learning Commons Workshops One-to-one appointments Drop-in consultations Online handouts

Patchwriting?  What is “patchwriting”? 1. Copying portions of papers from other classes and then resubmitting them as part of a new paper in a different class (a form of plagiarism) 2. Using an inappropriately informal and colloquial writing style 3. A form of plagiarism in which a writer relies too heavily on the words and sentence structure of the author’s original text Criminology

Is this plagiarism? Direct quotation: “When a significant violation of public trust has occurred, lying is a common corollary because the wrongdoing invites concealment” (Fleming & Zyglidopoulos, 2008, p. 838). Student A’s paper: If a serious violation of public trust occurs, lying is often the result because this action invites concealment (Fleming & Zyglidopoulos, 2008).

Is this plagiarism? Direct quotation: “When a significant violation of public trust has occurred, lying is a common corollary because the wrongdoing invites concealment” (Fleming & Zyglidopoulos, 2008, p. 838). Student A’s paper: If a serious violation of public trust occurs, lying is often the result because this action invites concealment (Fleming & Zyglidopoulos, 2008).

Is this plagiarism?  Patchwriting =  A form of plagiarism in which a writer relies too heavily on the words and sentence structure of the author’s original text.

Is this plagiarism? Direct quotation: “When a significant violation of public trust has occurred, lying is a common corollary because the wrongdoing invites concealment” (Fleming & Zyglidopoulos, 2008, p. 838). Student B’s paper: Organizations often feel compelled to lie about their actions when they are discovered to have taken advantage of the public (Fleming & Zyglidopoulos, 2008).

Need Help? Criminology  The library provides many ways to get help:  In-person at the reference desk  Telephone   Chat reference - AskAway  Txt Us  Learning Commons Learning Commons  Andrea Cameron, Criminology Liaison Librarian