VICTIMOLOGY HAS APPLIED THE SAME KIND OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL RESEARCH STRATEGIES TO VICTIMS THAT ONCE PROVIDED THE DATA BASE FOR A SOCIOLOGICALLY ORIENTED CRIMINOLOGY. LACKING AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT OF THE VICTIM AND USING A VARIETY OF LEGALISTIC OR COMMON SENSE NOTIONS AS SUBSTITUTES, VICTIMOLOGISTS HAVE SHOWN A FRAGMENTED INTEREST IN ALL SITUATIONS IN WHICH VICTIMS PLAY SOME SORT OF PROACTIVE ROLE. THE RESULT HAS BEEN AN EMPIRICISM FROM WHICH NO GENERAL THEORIES HAVE EMERGED OR ARE LIKELY TO EMERGE. TO CLARIFY POTENTIAL BASES FOR BUILDING VICTIMOLOGICAL THEORY, A TYPOLOGY OF EXISTING EMPIRICAL RESEARCH IS PRESENTED, THE LEVEL OF EXPLANATION IMPLICIT IN EACH TYPE OF RESEARCH IS IDENTIFIED, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FORGING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN LEVELS ARE OFFERED. THREE MODES OF ANALYSIS ARE DISTINGUISHED BY STRATEGY, DATA SOURCES, PROBLEMS ANALYZED, TYPES OF VARIABLES, AND MAJOR APPLICATIONS. AGGREGATE ANALYSIS USES OFFICIAL STATISTICS AND VICTIMIZATION SURVEY DATA; CONCERNS ITSELF WITH DISTRIBUTION OF VICTIMIZATION OPPORTUNITIES IN SOCIAL SPACE AND TIME; EXAMINES STRUCTURAL VARIABLES; AND IS USED PRIMARILY IN STUDIES OF PROPERTY CRIME, VANDALISM, AND VIOLENT STREET CRIME. RELATIONAL ANALYSIS EMPLOYS DATA GATHERED IN INTERVIEWS WITH EYE-WITNESSES AND IN PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION; IS CONCERNED WITH SUBCULTURAL CONTEXTS (CAREERS AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS); EXPLORES SOCIOCULTURAL VARIABLES; AND IS USED IN STUDIES OF RAPE AND INTRAFAMILY VIOLENT CRIMES. BASED ON DATA FROM CLINICAL AND CASE HISTORIES, BIOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS IS USED TO STUDY SELECTION AND SELF-SELECTION PROCESSES AMONG VICTIMS AND OFFENDERS; FOCUSES ON CHARACTERISTICS OF ACTORS (PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES, DEMEANOR, ETC.); AND HAS BEEN APPLIED PRIMARILY IN STUDIES OF PEDERASTY, CHILD ABUSE, AND SEX OFFENSES. WAYS IN WHICH THE CONCEPT OF VICTIMIZATION OPPORTUNITY CAN PROVIDE A USEFUL LINK BETWEEN DATA ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF PARTICULAR KINDS OF VICTIMIZATION AND DATA ON STRUCTURAL AND INSTITUTIONAL VARIABLES ARE POINTED OUT. A LIST OF REFERENCES IS INCLUDED. (LKM)