Choosing a topic

When choosing a topic for your research paper, think about the following:

• Unless your instructor assigns a topic, try to select a topic that interests you.
• Make sure your topic is not too broad, or too narrow. You will find too much information when searching for a broad topic; and not enough information when searching for a narrow topic.
• If you already have a general topic, try searching the library's catalog or the library's databases for ideas on how to narrow that topic down.
• Visit the library's Reference Desk and request to view the following book: 10,000 ideas for term papers, projects, reports and speeches: Intriguing, original research topics for every student's need.
• For current events and issues in the news, try searching the library's database: CQ Researcher.
• For debatable or controversial issues, ask one of the librarians about the Opposing Viewpoints Series, the Taking Sides Series, Issues in Focus Series and/or the Current Controversies Series.
• Visit the Social Issues Research Guide. There you will find a list of current social issues to choose from.

Book Collections

Books will provide an excellent starting point for your research in the field of Criminal Justice. Reference books often give you background information and a general overview on your topic so that you can proceed with greater understanding to a more detailed treatment of your subject in other books and periodicals. Reference books may include specialized dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, atlases and/or statistical reports. The librarian at the Reference Desk can help in locating an appropriate source. Listed below are the titles and call numbers of some of the Criminal Justice books in the library's reference collection. The reference collection is located on the main level of the library. Books with a location of Reference cannot be checked out of the library. The Circulating Collection is on the second floor of the library. Books with a location of Circulating may be checked out.

Library Catalog

The library catalog is used to locate books both at RVCC, as well as from other libraries in the Somerset County Library System. Books will provide in-depth information not found in reference sources.

Quick Tips:

• Start with a Keyword search. Once you find one or two books about your topic, check the book's record to see what Subjects are being used. Once you find the appropriate Subject Heading, repeat your search using those headings. Generally, the results from a Subject search will always be more accurate than the results from a Keyword search.
• If you know the title of the book you are looking for, do a Title search.
• If you are looking for a book with a specific author, do an Author search (last name first).

Suggested Subject Headings for Criminal Justice:

Click a subject heading below to use it as the search term for a Subject Search in the catalog.

• Corrections
• Crime
• Criminal justice, Administration of
• Criminal Law
• Law enforcement
• Police
• Terrorism

Consult with the reference librarian to find the term best suited to your needs.

Browse the Collection:

Most of the books can be found in the following areas:

• HV6001 - 7220.5 -- Criminology
• HV7231 - 9960 -- Criminal Justice Administration
• HV8031 - 8080 -- Police Duty

All of the library's circulating books are located on the upper level of the library.

For additional library catalogs, including libraries in Hunterdon and Middlesex counties, consult the Additional Library Catalogs page. If you find a book in one of these catalogs that the library does not own, request the book using the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.

Research Databases - Finding Articles

The Evelyn S. Field Library has access to thousands of periodicals. (Periodicals can be magazines, scholarly journals, or newspapers.) Some periodicals are in the library's print (or hard copy) collection. However, the majority of periodicals are available in the Research Databases. These databases provide access to articles. This information is generally more current than material found in books.

Search for periodical articles on Criminal Justice using the databases listed below. They can be accessed from the Library Database Page. (If you are using these databases from an off-campus location, you will be asked to identify yourself by logging in with your Username and Password. This is the same login you use on campus. The Research Databases are available only to registered RVCC students.)

• Criminal Justice Periodicals
  

  "CJPI can provide information on virtually any criminal justice topic, including corrections administration, law enforcement, social work, industrial security, drug rehabilitation, and criminal and family law."Drawn from the vendor's website.

• LexisNexis Academic
  

  LEXIS-NEXIS® Academic Universe provides access to a wide range of news, business, legal, and reference information, including news from over 18,000 newspapers, magazines and news wires and company financial information.

After finding an article on your research topic, the database will either provide a citation and summary of the article, or it will provide the full-text (the complete article). If you are only given a citation and summary of the article, you can check the Periodical Locator to determine if the periodical you are looking for is available in another database. (The Periodical Locator is an alphabetical list of all the journals the library has access to. Feel free to talk with a librarian for assistance.) If the article is not available in any of the library's research databases, request the article using the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.

If, for your assignment, you are required to have sources from scholarly journals, use the Identifying Scholarly Articles guide to help you determine if your source is a magazine article or a scholarly article.

Professional Organizations

• Academy of Behavioral Profiling
  http://www.profiling.org/
• Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
  http://www.acjs.org/
• American Board of Criminalistics
  http://www.criminalistics.com/
• American Correctional Association
  http://www.aca.org/
• American Jail Association
  http://www.corrections.com/aja/index.shtml
• American Probation and Parole Association
  http://www.appa-net.org/
• American Society of Criminology
  http://www.asc41.com/
• International Association of Chiefs of Police
  http://www.theiacp.org/

Internet Resources

• Bureau of Justice Statistics
  http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
  Source: U.S. Department of Justice -- Criminal justice statistics collected by the federal government.
• Center for Democracy and Technology: Government Surveillance
  http://www.cdt.org/wiretap/
  Source: Center for Democracy and Technology -- Information on the issues involved with wiretapping, the USA Patriot Act, cybersecurity and cybercrime.
• Death Penalty Resources
  http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/crimjust/death.htm
  Source: Michigan State University -- A list of websites related to the death penalty.
• Gun Control
  http://library.sau.edu/bestinfo/Hot/gun.htm
  Source: Ambrose University Library -- Quality links to information on gun control including relevant statistics and information on state and federal laws.
• History of the FBI
  http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/history/historymain.htm
  Source: FBI -- History of the FBI, from its earliest days to the present.
• Law, Law Enforcement, and Policing Sources
  http://socsciresearch.com/r10.html
  Source: McGraw-Hill Ryerson -- Includes links to websites for Law Enforcement, Law and Technology, and Corrections.
• National Criminal Justice Reference Service
  http://www.ncjrs.org/
  Source: US Department of Justice -- Major topic areas are corrections, courts, drugs and crime, juvenile justice, law enforcement, crime victims.
• Officer.com
  http://www.officer.com/
  Links to many law enforcement agencies around the world, lists of most wanted worldwide, special police operations links, employment and training opportunities.
• Official Directory of State Patrol and State Police
  http://www.statetroopersdirectory.com/
  Source: Senior Sergeant (Retired) Terrance D. Martin, Vermont State Police -- Contains a directory of state trooper and sheriff-related Web sites for each of the fifty United States.
• Racial Profiling Data Collection Resource Center
  http://www.racialprofilinganalysis.neu.edu
  Source: Northeastern University -- A central clearinghouse for police agencies, legislators, community leaders, social scientists, legal researchers, and journalists to access information about current data collection efforts, legislation and model policies, police-community initiatives, and methodological tools that can be used to collect and analyze data.
• Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
  http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/
  Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics -- Brings together 600 tables of statistical information from over 100 sources. Includes information on the characteristics of the criminal justice system, public attitudes toward crime and criminal-justice related topics, nature and distribution of known offenses, characteristics and distribution of persons arrested, judicial processing of defendants, and persons under correctional supervision.
• Uniform Crime Reports
  http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm
  Source: FBI -- Statistics published annually. Includes Crime in the United States, Hate Crime Statistics, and Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted.

Additional Help

• Call or visit the Reference Desk to speak to one of the librarians. The Reference Desk is located on the main floor of the library. The phone number is 908-526-1200 x8350.
• Email your question to one of the librarians using the Ask-A-Librarian Service.
• For further information about this guide, please contact Megan Dempsey

Last Updated - 22 September 2008