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What Methods Are Most Frequently Used in Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice?

NCJ Number
214714
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 34 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2006 Pages: 147-152
Author(s)
Gary Kleck; Jongyeon Tark; Jon J. Bellows
Date Published
March 2006
Length
6 pages
Annotation
In order to determine what research methods are most often used in criminology and criminal justice, this study coded the methods (research designs, data-gathering methods, and data analysis techniques) used in research reported in seven leading criminology and criminal justice journals.
Abstract
The most striking finding pertains to the data-collection methods. Survey research was found to dominate both the fields of criminology and criminal justice. This was the method most often used to obtain information on crime, criminals, and society's reaction to crime. Some type of formal survey was used to collect information in 45 percent of all the research reported. Archival data, mostly drawn from criminal justice records, was used in 32 percent of the research; and official statistics were used in 26 percent of the studies. Research that used experimental and control groups constituted only 4 percent of the reports. Informal interviews and direct observation, the principal tools used in qualitative field research, were used in only 12 percent of the research. Secondary analysis of existing datasets was central to criminological research (58 percent of the studies). Regarding data analysis techniques, nearly 9 out of 10 research projects used some kind of univariate statistics, and 73 percent used some bivariate statistics; nearly 75 percent used some type of multivariate statistics. The authors draw implications of these findings for graduate training in criminology and criminal justice research methods. 2 tables and 6 references

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