Key issues that influenced what materials would be covered included the fact that, in a 14- to 16-week timeframe, most college students cannot absorb a vast amount of information on the subject of research when that topic is only part of a larger academic curriculum. Second, some students are intimidated by research textbooks. Third, there are thousands of sources that students can consult on the subject of research. Last, real knowledge occurs only in the field, under the direction of a veteran researcher. The book was designed to be easily understood, straightforward, and covered in a single academic semester. The book's 13 chapters address: (1) the nature of criminal justice research, pure versus applied research and theories in criminology; (2) research design and purpose, levels of measurement; (3) statistics in research; (4) validity and reliability; (5) analytical and experimental research; (6) survey research methods and sampling; (7) participant observation and case studies; (8) descriptive, historical and archival data analyses; (9) ethics in research, including research involving humans; (10) developing a research plan and research on the Web; (11) writing the research report; (12) program evaluation and policy research; and (13) writing research and grant proposals. Figures, notes, index