1. SFU Library: Resources and Research – Criminology Honours
Presented by
Yolanda Koscielski,
Liaison Librarian*,
Criminology, Psychology, & Philosophy

2. Outline 1. The Literature Search 2. Where to Search
3. Information Sources
4. Working your Topic

3. 1. The Literature Search
“ A systematic and thorough search of all types of published literature in order to identify as many items as possible that are relevant to a particular topic” (Ridley, 2008).
Systematic = documented, planned, mindful
Thorough = considered scope of research (broader, narrower and related concepts), inclusive of possibly contradictory data
All types of info = range of databases, books, government documents, statistics, theses, etc.

4. The Literature Search
To identify the field and specific context in which your work is situated.
It can assist you in identifying your approach to the research and the methodology you wish to adopt.
It will help you identify the type of data you might collect and use, sites of data collection, the sample size, and how you might analyze this data.

5. The Literature Search
A means of extending your understanding of the key concepts, theories, and methodologies in your field.
To find out what others have done in the area so as to avoid duplicating previous work.
Identify key people, organizations, and texts which are relevant to your research.

6. 2. Where to Search SFU Library: beyond books
1.47 million print books
1.1 million ebooks
98,000 ejournals (2500 print)
500+ database subscriptions
Plus GIS + Maps, images, streaming music + movies, video games, etc.
Research data library with specialized datasets
Notable Resources: Subject Research Guides, Publication Type Research Guides, Databases by Subject Area*

7. Where to Search…? Fast Search Catalogue Databases Library Search
Google

8. Where to Search
Most? Least?

9. SFU Library’s matryoshka dolls
Fast Search
Library Search
SFU Library’s matryoshka dolls
Catalogue
aussiegall. (2006). Russian dolls. Retrieved from

10. The Catalogue Strengths:
Demo: Access in the Academy
The Catalogue
Strengths:
Book searching, including book searching by subject headings
Good for: do we have it? Contains records on all books and other individual items (movies, maps, journal titles, database titles, government reports, law reports, etc.)
Weaknesses: no journal article or newspaper article information; less aesthetically pleasing
DEMO: 3 fields to note, typical book record, icons, Freedom of information—Canada subject heading

11. Fast Search
Strengths
Broad search can capture unique terms/proper names across 100,000s of sources
Tool for beginning research outside your discipline
Easy export to citation managers
Search multiple libraries option
Search for books and articles at the same time

12. Fast Search Weaknesses:
Subject terms not useful for systematic literature review
Missing journal content; coverage is maybe 95% of SFU Library content
Not mapped to a specific discipline, with associated beneficial search limiters and features (controlled vocabularies, populations, etc
Lots of citation “noise”
Peer-review limit facet not completely accurate (as with most databases)

13. FastSearch
Subject Terms ≠ Subject Headings

14. Library Search Library Search
All catalogue content + Fast Search + PLUS the library’s website (FAQS, Research Guides, Summit, etc.)
Criminology 220

15. Library Search Weaknesses:
Searches 100% of Fast Search content, plus catalogue, for the broadest library search available
Strengths:
Divides Fast Search content by info type (books & media, newspaper articles, journal articles)
One click
Quick way to access library-authored and library-curated content, such as
Summit (SFU’s Institutional Repository)
Library FAQs
Library Research Guides
Weaknesses:
Not robust at all for topical and advanced info searching
Best for known items

16. Google
Strengths
Allows you to cast a wide net in your search. As of November 2014, about 1 million to 1.6 million records are searched in Google Scholar
The most popular articles are revealed
A high volume of articles are retrieved
Google's algorithm helps compensate for poorly designed searches
Full-text indexing of articles is now being done in Google Scholar
US Case Law

17. Google
Strengths
A search feature allow you to search within articles citing your key article
Excellent for known-item searching and locating a quote/citation
Helpful when searching for very unique terminology (e.g., places and people)
Times cited tool can help identify relevant articles
Extensive searching of non-article, but academic, information items: universities' institutional repositories, US case law, grey literature, academic websites, etc.
Books – out of copyright

18. Google Weaknesses Database is not mapped to a specific discipline
Much less search sophistication and manipulation supported (analogy: automatic vs. standard car)
Psuedo-Boolean operators
Missing deep data (e.g., statistics)
Mysterious algorithms and unknown source coverage at odds with the systematic and transparent mandate of a literature review.
Searches are optomized (for example, by your location), thwarting the replicability criteria of most literature review types

19. Google
Weaknesses
Low level of subject and author collocation - that is, bringing together all works by one author or one sub-topic
Challenging to run searches that involve common words (e.g., art + time)
New articles might not be pushed up if the popularity of an article is emphasized
Indexes articles from predatory publishers, which may be hard to identify if working outside of your field
Articles are not usually free – just the indexing

20. Subject-Specific Databases
Examples: PsycINFO, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Westlaw Next Canada
Strengths
Mapped to a disciplinary perspective
High quality metadata
Search limiters unique to discipline, allow fine-tuning of search results
Search history and search sets
Subject headings that are key to a lit review
Weaknesses:
More time-consuming to use
More particular / technical to search (varies)

21. Information Sources The usual suspects for Crim articles:
Criminology databases:
Criminal Justice Abstracts, National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Other discipline-based databases:
PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts
General databases:
Academic Search Premier, Web of Science
The above are great for journal articles.

22. Information Sources PC Census or Simply Map
Canadian Electronic Library
PsycTESTS
Sage Research Methods Online
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
Encyclopedia
DEMO: Try finding a Criminology Encyclopedia via the library website. Bonus points for finding a really specific encyclopedia.

23. Information Sources Encyclopedias
Overview of your topic / the “big picture”
Particularly helpful if working outside your area
Written with the academic in mind, often by specialists in the field
Use the bibliography to identify key articles, studies, authors, etc.
Gale Virtual Reference Library (multiple subject areas)
Sage eReference Library (about 15 Crim titles)
Check research guides, Online Reference Sources web page

24. Information Sources Oxford Bibliographies Online
-Subject module for Criminology
-Written and peer-reviewed by international experts
“Crime Victims' Rights Movement”
“Routine Activity Theories”
Provides:
Key Readings
Ideas for keywords for searching

25. 4. Working Your Topic Do you have a subject area, topic, or thesis?
Subject is very broad: freedom of information, Charter of Rights and mental illness
Topic adds a second concept, explores a relationship or question between the two concepts: testosterone levels in sex offenders, effect of art therapy on recidivism
Thesis: you are making an assertion and providing supportive evidence: Art therapy decreases recidivism in young offenders

26. Working Your Topic
Next, think of synonyms, plus broader, narrower and related terms for each of your concepts:
What is the impact of art therapy on recidivism in young offenders?
Arts Therap
Recidivism
Young offenders
Creative Arts Therapy (SH)
Poetry therapy (NT)
Dance therapy (NT)
Recreation therapy (NT)
Educational therapy (RT)
Treatment (BT)
Recidivism (SH)
Repeat offender (key word)
Serial crime (RT)
Juvenile Delinquents (PsycINFO subject heading)
Female delinquency (NT)
Predelinquent youth (RT)
Juvenile gangs (RT)

27. Working your topic
Test your keywords out in the database: find the best keywords and subject headings for your searches.
Subject headings: a systematic, hierarchical, and finite language used for describing subjects/concepts.
Articles and books will usually have 3-8 subject headings assigned to their bibliographic record. These are provided by real people (as opposed to their robot counterparts).
Search using combinations of keywords and subject headings

28. Working Your Topic Subject Headings
Subject heading languages will usually be unique to each database, e.g., MESH (Medical Subject Headings) of PubMed, PsycINFO thesaurus for PsycINFO
Demo: try out one of your topics in the PsycINFO thesaurus
Can start with thesaurus directly or keyword search
Sometimes keywords = subject headings

29. Bull’s Eye and Relevance
4/17/2018
Bull’s Eye and Relevance
Art therapy (a broad “subject”) + something else
Art therapy AND criminals, or Criminals AND recidivism
Art therapy AND recidivism AND young offenders

30. Working your Topic
Boolean operators AND and OR used to join keywords in database searching (often automatic in search forms)
Use AND to narrow or focus the search (using key words/terms)
Example: creative arts therapy AND criminals
Use OR to expand your search results (using related words/concepts)
Example: music therapy OR art therapy OR dance therapy
Criminals AND creative arts therapy
Creative arts therapy
Criminals
Music therapy
Art
therapy
Dance therapy

31. Working Your Topic Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase
Example: “art therapy”
Use truncation (*) to search for related words
Truncation. This expands a search term to include all forms of a root word
Example: technolog* will search for technology, technologies, technological, etc.
Google Scholar does NOT like this

32. Submit your Honours Thesis
You are welcome to submit your Honours Thesis to Summit, SFU Library’s Institutional Repository
Criminology grad theses & dissertations

33. Help Available AskALibrarian TextUs (quick questions to loans staff)
Phone
Book consultations at 3rd floor desk (or drop in)
AskAway (extended hours, including Sunday evening)
Criminology Liaison Librarian