1. SFU Library Orientation
Criminology 210: Library research
Chloe Riley
Liaison Librarian for Criminology, Psychology & Philosophy

2. SFU Library A few quick facts about us …
SFU Burnaby
SFU Vancouver
SFU Surrey
Over 2.5 million books & ebooks
Over 98,000 subscriptions to journals, magazines & newspapers
Over 500 research databases
Three campus libraries

3. Your assignment
For your Annotated Bibliography and your Research Paper for CRIM 210, your assignments require:
Ten peer-reviewed journal articles
Follow APA format for general formatting and when citing references

4. “And I thought we were friends” by hehedan,
Our agenda
How to find:
Background info
Peer-reviewed articles
Further help (with citations, writing, research)
Plus …
Working with your topic
“And I thought we were friends” by hehedan,
CC BY-NC 2.0

5. Background sources: Encyclopedias
Overview of your topic / the “big picture”
Written with the academic in mind, often by specialists in the field
Use the bibliography to identify key articles, studies, authors, etc.
Encyclopedias and handbooks:
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Oxford Reference Online
SAGE Reference

6. Popular magazine articles Scholarly journal articles
Scholarly vs popular
Popular magazine articles
Example: The Atlantic
Scholarly journal articles
Example: Criminal Justice and Behavior: An International Journal

7. Popular magazine articles Scholarly journal articles
Scholarly vs popular
Popular magazine articles
Example: The Atlantic
Scholarly journal articles
Example: Criminal Justice and Behavior: An International Journal
Audience: general public
Colourful graphics & advertisements
Plain language
No abstracts or citations
Audience: academics
Mostly text, with some tables & charts
Subject-specific language
Includes abstracts & citations
Key criterion: peer-reviewed

8. Finding online articles
Library / Catalogue Search
Broad/preliminary searches
Searches many (but not all) databases
Article databases
More targeted & in-depth searches
Subject-specific or multidisciplinary

9. RECOMMENDED DATABASES
Criminology databases:
Criminal Justice Abstracts: Major Crim database: covers crime trends, prevention & deterrence, juvenile justice, legal issues, psychology, and more. Wide variety of resources including journal articles.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service: Focus on law enforcement, crime prevention & security, criminal justice, juvenile justice. Includes journal articles, books, gov’t reports, research reports, and more.
Other discipline-based databases
PsycINFO: Comprehensive psychology-related database, including relevant topics such as youth, justice, forensics, and more.
Sociological Abstracts: Major sociology database, emphasis on sociocultural topics, including criminology, policy, and education

10. Working with your topic
Focusing your topic
Example topic: Hooliganism and sports
One strategy is to ask yourself:
Who? Men, women, youth, Canadians, people in UK …
What? Soccer, hockey, riots, vandalism …
When? Now, 10 years ago, 1990s, a specific event (Stanley Cup, World Cup) …
Where? Vancouver, Canada, UK, international …
Why? Alcohol, policy/regulations, effects …
Tip: Look for an encyclopedia article on the topic to help you identify issues!

11. Question: How would you narrow down this topic?
Exercise: all
Example topic: recidivism and young offenders
Question: How would you narrow down this topic?
Structure of the exercise:
1 min: solo reflection (silent – write down your thoughts)
2 min: share in pairs
4 min: share in foursomes (notice similarities & differences)
All: share 1 idea from your discussion with the group as a whole
Consider:
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?

12. WORKING WITH YOUR TOPIC
Example topic: recidivism and young offenders
Question: How would you narrow down this topic?
Consider:
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?

13. Working with your topic
Developing keywords
Revised topic: Impact of art therapy on recidivism in young offenders.
Identify key concepts.
Brainstorm keywords (search terms) for each key concept
Art therapy
Recidivism
Young offenders
Therapy
Counselling
Music therapy
Dance therapy
Repeat offender
Juvenile delinquents
Early adolescent offenders
Youth
Teenagers

14. Working with your topic
Demo using the database Criminal Justice Abstracts

15. Search tips Use AND between keywords to narrow your search
For example: recidivism AND youth
Use OR between keywords to broaden your search
For example: soccer OR sports
Use quotation marks around an exact phrase
For example: “art therapy”
Use an asterisk (*) to find related terms
For example: Canad* will get results for: Canada, Canadian, Canadians …

16. Where to go for help – citations
Online Citation Guide for APA (as well as other citation styles)
Includes specifics for how to cite books, articles, maps, statistics …
Borrow APA books from the Library.
Questions? Ask a Librarian!

17. Where to go for help – writing help
Student Learning Commons
Online resources, workshops & one-on-one consultations
Academic writing
Learning and study skills
EAL/ESL support

18. Where to go for help – research help
Research help desk (drop-in & by appointment)
Phone:
us at:
AskAway (online chat)
Chloe Riley
Liaison for Criminology, Philosophy & Psychology