Download Chapter 1 – The Research Practice (pp. 3 – 23) Overall teaching

Chapter 1 – The Research Practice (pp. 3 – 23)
Overall teaching objective: To introduce undergraduate criminal justice research methods
students to the criminal justice research ‘industry’.
What is Research? (p. 3)
 Research methods are the tools, techniques, and procedures that researchers use
to ask and answer questions.
 As a verb, ‘research’ means to follow a logical process that uses concepts,
principles and techniques to produce knowledge.
 As a noun, ‘research’ is a collection of information that represents what we know
about a particular topic.
 Research in the social sciences is more challenging than in the physical sciences
because the concepts that social scientists study are more difficult to measure and
the findings that social scientists produce are more difficult to interpret.
Why do Research? (p. 5)


There is no substitute for good research in the pursuit of reliable knowledge.
Relying on authority, tradition or custom, common sense and the media for
accurate knowledge is risky.
Table 1.1 – Limitations of the alternatives to research. (p. 7)
Alternatives
Limitations
Authority
Sometimes experts are wrong. Research enables us to be critical of
expert opinions and to seek answers for ourselves.
Tradition or custom
Societies change and so do their traditions and customs. Research
encourages us to question what we do and why we do it.
Common sense
What makes sense to one person or social group may not make sense to
another. Research teaches us to reconsider our assumptions and to
reach a consensus on the truth.
Media
Information distributed through the mass media may not be objective,
valid or sensitive to context. Research enables us to identify bias,
correct false information and provide context.
Making Research Real 1.1 – The Katrina Crime Wave That Wasn’t (p. 6)
 New Orleans residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina were blamed for
increasing crime in the cities they were relocated to.
 Use this story to demonstrate how social science research disputed this media
driven falsehood.
Who Does Research? (p. 7)
 All sorts of people conduct research.
 Some people and organizations conduct research for a living.
 Anyone who follows a methodological process to produce knowledge is
conducting research.
What are the Different Types of Research? (p. 9)
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



Research can be classified into three different categories.
Exploratory research is often necessary in order to learn about social trends and
phenomena that we know very little about.
Descriptive research describes social trends and phenomena.
Explanatory research attempts to explain or find a cause for social trends and
phenomena.
Sometimes a research project can have more than one purpose.
Table 1.2 Questions asked by different types of research. (p. 10)
Purpose
Who?
What?
Exploratory
Occasionally
Always
Descriptive
Always
Occasionally
Explanatory Occasionally





Seldom
When?
Where?
Occasionally Occasionally
Always
Always
Occasionally Occasionally
Why?
How?
Seldom
Occasionally
Seldom
Always
Always
Occasionally
Research may also be classified in terms of how the researcher intends to use the
research.
Pure research is conducted primarily to advance theory and to expand the body of
knowledge.
Applied or action research is conducted primarily to address a specific issue or
solve a particular problem.
These forms of research are not mutually exclusive.
Findings from pure research can be used to solve problems; findings from applied
or action research can be used to advance theory.
Making Research Real 1.2 – The ‘Application’ of Pure Research (p. 11)
 Dr. Joe Smith, a university professor, conducted pure research on robbery.
 This research produces a theory on how robbers ‘choose’ their targets.
 Later a convenience store chain applies this research to reduce the potential for
robberies in their stores.
Making Research Real 1.3 – The ‘Purification of Applied Research (p. 11)


Ann James, a police captain, conducts applied research to develop a high speed
vehicular chase policy for her department.
Later a scholar used this research to develop a theory (pure research) on why
individuals evade the police.
Where is Research Found? (p. 12)



Research can be found in various places depending on the audience and objective
of the research.
Research can be found in academic journals, books, newspapers, magazines,
legislative actions, policy decisions and databases.
No all sources of research information are equally objective or accurate.
Table 1.3 Where to find research. (p. 15)
Source
Comment
Academic and scholarly journals
Research is reported in 20-40 page articles.
Because research is peer reviewed, other
researchers can be reasonably sure that the
findings have been rigorously evaluated by
experts.
Research monographs
Research is reported in the form of a short
book. Often the research is peer reviewed and
published by a university publishing house.
Textbooks
Research is presented to a broad audience that
does not know a great deal about a particular
topic. The research topic is given broad
coverage.
Newspapers and magazines
Research is provided in short articles written
for a broad audience. Information is up-to-date
and timely, but coverage is typically not indepth due to space limitations. Research is not
subjected to peer review.
Trade publications
Research is reported in articles in newsletters
and magazines read by criminal justice
practitioners. Articles focus on emerging
trends in crime and criminal justice practice.
Articles are not peer reviewed.
Corporate research reports
Research is presented in reports intended for
internal use in the corporation. Information
usually pertains to research on new products
and services. Typically only research that
sheds a positive light on the corporation and its
products and services are shared with the
public.
Legislative actions and policy decisions
Research is presented in the form of comments
and testimony made by policy makers, experts
and the public. This information can be
difficult to find, but can provide insight into
particular topics.
Databases
Individual research studies are indexed and
referenced in online databases. Researchers
use search terms to look for research on
particular topics using these databases.
Searches provide a list of citations, abstracts
and/or full-text articles.

Peer review is a collaborative process whereby researchers who are
knowledgeable about a particular subject are asked to review and comment on
another researcher’s work and recommend whether it should be published.
Making Research Real 1.4 – Meeting George Kelling (p. 13)
 This is a true story about a meeting between the author and Dr. George Kelling.
 The author, then a doctoral student, asked Dr. Kelling why he did not publish his
influential work (Broken Windows) in an academic journal.
 Dr. Kelling explained that sometimes important research should be published for
a larger audience than what would be expected of an academic journal.
How is Research Used? (p. 16)
 Researchers conduct research to;
o expand the body of knowledge,
o establish professional credentials,
o inform legal and policy decisions,
o address social problems, develop new products or services,
o advance social or political agendas,
o and improve professional practice.
When is Research Important? (p. 17)
 Research is the foundation upon which we expand the body of knowledge.
 Research is also important when we want to;
o respond to critical social problems,
o allocate limited resources wisely,
o and base policy decisions on evidence rather than ideology.
Getting to the Point (Chapter Summary)

Research methods are the tools, techniques and procedures that researchers use to
ask and answer questions.

As a verb, ‘research’ means to follow a logical process that uses concepts,
principles and techniques to produce knowledge. As a noun, ‘research’ is a
collection of information that represents what we know about a particular topic.

Research in the social sciences is more challenging than in the physical sciences
because the concepts that social scientists study are more difficult to measure and
the findings that social scientists produce are more difficult to interpret.

Relying on authority, tradition or custom, common sense and the media for
accurate knowledge is risky. There is no substitute for good research in the
pursuit of reliable knowledge.

All sorts of people conduct research. Some people and organizations conduct
research for a living. Anyone who follows a methodological process to produce
knowledge is conducting research.

Research can be classified into three different categories. Exploratory research is
often necessary in order to learn about social trends and phenomena that we know
very little about. Descriptive research describes social trends and phenomena.
Explanatory research attempts to explain or find a cause for social trends and
phenomena. Sometimes a research project can have more than one purpose.

Research may also be classified in terms of how the researcher intends to use the
research. Pure research is conducted primarily to advance theory and to expand
the body of knowledge. Applied or action research is conducted primarily to
address a specific issue or solve a particular problem. These forms of research are
not mutually exclusive. Findings from pure research can be used to solve
problems; findings from applied or action research can be used to advance theory.

Peer review is a collaborative process whereby researchers who are
knowledgeable about a particular subject are asked to review and comment on
another researcher’s work and recommend whether it should be published.

Research can be found in academic journals, books, newspapers, magazines,
legislative actions, policy decisions and databases. Some of this information is
more objective and accurate than others.

Researchers conduct research to expand the body of knowledge, establish
professional credentials, inform legal and policy decisions, address social
problems, develop new products or services, advance social or political agendas
and improve professional practice.

Research is the foundation upon which we expand the body of knowledge.
Research is also important when we want to respond to critical social problems,
allocate limited resources wisely and base policy decisions on evidence rather
than ideology.