CRIMINOLOGY 220:RESEARCH METHODS IN CRIMINOLOGY

SEPTEMBER 24, 2012Librarian (Burnaby)Simon Fraser University

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Today’s class

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Unique (online) Criminology reference material

Finding books & articles Which databases or search tools to use?

Strengths of each: Catalogue, Fast Search, Library Search, Subject-based

Databases, Google

Scholarly journals versus popular or trade magazines

APA citation style and avoiding plagiarism Where is help available?

Library Research Guides

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The library’s homepage:

www.lib.sfu.caClick on “Browse Research Guides”

Library Research Guides

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Click on Criminology and then pick Crim 220

Start with Background Material

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What is it? Encyclopedias and other reference sources that

provide a topic overview and hint at sub-topics Why use it?

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 to find? Library reference section Online Reference Sources

Background Material

Criminology Subcollection + other social sciences collections

11 Criminology Titles in Criminology and Criminal Justice Package

Broad range of Reference Sources

DSM-IV Online

New subscription: DSM-IV-TR® Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – online!

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”

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Sage Research Methods Online (SRMO)

SRMO is an online portal to research methodology information in the social sciences, critical and instructional 600 + 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

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Sage Research Methods Online (SRMO)

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• Contains the Research Methods map with a taxonomy of research methods

• Illustrates connections between methodologies

Where to Search…?

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Catalogue

The “mothership” of SFU Library’s library data Complete information on almost everything

SFU Library provides access to: Books and eBooks (400,000 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

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Catalogue Searching

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Catalogue Searching

Start with keyword search Identify a good title(s) and review its

subject headings – a core strength of the catalogue

Redo search using subject headings Good strategy for any research Subject headings = topical terms from a

controlled vocabulary, assigned by human, allows for subject collocation

Usually 3-5, but could be 2-7 for each item

SFU’s “Google” – Fast Search

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Includes journal articles + newspaper articles – *many*

FastSearch

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Option to limit to scholarly publications (but double-check!)

Option to limit to journal articles

FastSearch

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Various content types, including newspaper content

FastSearch

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Subject Terms ≠ Subject Headings

Use with caution

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

Linking to Full-Text

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Proxy from home to access Fast Search content

Full-text through multiple sources

Library Search

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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

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Library Search

ISBN or DOI no results? WorldCat Interlibrary loan request form

Best Bets Criminal Code

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Locating Databases

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Locating Databases

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Databases by Subject Area

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Which Databases?

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Criminology specific/appropriate databases: Criminal Justice Abstracts PsycINFO Sociological Abstracts

General databases: Academic Search Premier Google Scholar – Access through library!

PsycINFO

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Subject Databases

Why use subject databases? Key strenghts: Allow for literature reviews Sophisticated search limits, based on higher

quality metadata Extra tools (times cited, bibliometrics, etc.) Subject-relevant data fields, E.g. PsycINFO

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: dirty data AND: less control over search

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Articles: Scholarly versus Popular

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Finding Scholarly Journal Articles

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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

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

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Scholarly Journal Articles

Popular Magazine Articles

APA guides and plagiarism tutorial

APA guides

Plagiarism tutorial

APA Guides

Actual APA guides available for check-out in the library

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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!!!

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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

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

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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?

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The library provides many ways to get help: In-person at the reference desk Telephone Email Chat reference - AskAway Txt Us Learning Commons

Yolanda Koscielski, Criminology Liaison Librarianysk6@sfu.ca