Description
Taylor & Francis Ltd Criminal Justice Research Methods 2Nd Edition 2010 by Gerald J. Bayens, Cliff Roberson
The study of research methodologies can be daunting to many students due to complex terminology, mathematical formulas, and lack of practical examples. Now in its second edition, Criminal Justice Research Methods: Theory and Practice offers a straightforward, easy-to-understand text that clarifies this complex subject matter, keeping perplexing research language and associated complexities to a minimum and ensuring that students get a practical grasp of this essential topic.The authors discuss scientific inquiry, establishing a framework for thinking about and understanding the nature of research. They examine various types of research methods in the broad categories of quantitative, qualitative, and evaluation designs and provide coverage of analytical and experimental research designs. The book also examines survey methods, survey instruments, and questionnaires, including wording, organization, and pretesting. It describes the fundamental characteristics of the qualitative approach, setting the stage for an in-depth discussion of the participant observation and case study methods of research. Other topics include ethical standards of conduct, topic selection, literature review, and guidelines for writing a research report or grand proposal. The second edition features updated examples, reworked exercises, additional discussion points, and new research-in-action sections.Defining a clear approach to the study of research, the book enables student experiencing their initial exposure to this subject to be fundamentally prepared to be proficient researchers in criminal justice and criminology. Introduction to ResearchNature of Criminal Justice ResearchWhat Is Research?Research ProcessesPure Versus Applied ResearchScientific InquiryAssessing Goodness of TheoryConstructing Scientific TheoriesResearch HypothesesResearch DesignWhat Is Research Design?Types of Research DesignsResearch PurposesChoice of Research DesignLevels of MeasurementValidity and ReliabilityStatistics in ResearchRole of StatisticsBasic Principles and ConventionsDescriptive StatisticsData GroupingInferential StatisticsMeasures, Validity, and ReliabilityMeasurementVariablesIndexes and ScalesValidity and ReliabilityAnalytical and Experimental ResearchAnalytical ResearchExperimental ResearchSurvey Research Methods and SamplingIntroductionPurposes of Survey ResearchTypes of Survey ResearchIn-Person InterviewsTelephone Survey Using Computers in Survey Research Mail SurveysDesigning QuestionnairesComparison of Types of Survey ResearchSamplingParticipant Observation and Case Studies Characteristics of Qualitative Research Qualitative Research Strategies Participant ObservationFeatures of Observation Case StudiesDescriptive, Historical, and Archival Data Analyses Descriptive Research Historical ResearchArchival or Document ResearchReplication of Previous ResearchLocating Documents Reviewing Related Literature Ethics in Research Academy of Criminal Justice Science (ACJS) Code ofEthicsNeutral and Impartial ResearchResearch Involving Humans Analysis and ReportingAmerican Association for Public Opinion Research(AAPOR) Code of Ethics Developing Research PlansTopic SelectionRefining Topic and Narrowing Focus of ResearchLiterature ReviewWriting Research Reports When to Begin Writing Preparatory Tips Components of Report Program Evaluation and Policy ResearchDefining Evaluation ResearchPurposes of Program EvaluationCategories of Program Evaluation ResearchChoosing a Program EvaluationPolicy ResearchPolicy Research PlanningPolicy Research ReportingWriting Research and Grant ProposalsGetting StartedBuilding a BlueprintOverview of Proposal ProcessRecommended Steps for Obtaining State And FederalFundingBases for RejectionSelection CriteriaPeer ReviewProject Termination