Criminal Justice Research Guide
This guide provides you with a good starting point for conducting research in Criminal Justice at the Southwestern Adventist University Library. As you explore the library’s resources you will find additional materials such as videos and DVD’s.<Back to Research Guides Index List>
Library Catalog
The library catalog is available online at: http://silc.swau.edu/aquabrowser/We use the Library of Congress Classification system to organize most of the material in our library. Using this system, each book is given its own call number. The call number is used to locate the books on the shelf.
Material related to criminal justice can be found in the following call number ranges or areas.
| BF 1-940 | Psychology |
| HM 1-299 | Sociology (General), Social psychology |
| HN 1-991 | Social history, Social problems, Social reform |
| HV 1-9960 | Social pathology, Social and public welfare, Criminology |
| HV 5800-5840 | Narcotics |
| HV 6001-7220.5 | Criminology |
| HV 6251-6773.3 | Crimes and offenses |
| HV 7231-9960 | Criminal justice administration |
| HV 7551-8280.7 | Police, Detectives, Constabulary |
| HV 8301-9025 | Penology, Prisons, Corrections |
| HV 9051-9230.7 | Juvenile offenders, Juvenile Delinquency |
Research Related Material
Below are some titles in the SWAU library collection that describe the methodology used in conducting and organizing research in the field of criminal justice. Most of these titles are in the [MAIN] collection and are located on second floor.
A glossary of English grammar
[R] PE1112 .L44 2006
The extreme searcher's Internet handbook
[R] ZA4230 .H63 2007
Research methods in criminal justice : an introduction
[MAIN] HV 6024.5 F58 1994
Research methods and statistics in criminal justice
[MAIN] HV 6024.5 .F58 2001
Research methods in criminal justice and criminology
[MAIN] HV 6024.5 .H33 1993
Applied research methods in criminal justice
[MAIN] HV 7419.5 .S46 1997
The Language of research in criminal justice: a reader
[MAIN] HV 9950 L35 1997
Plain English for cops
[MAIN] PE 1408 .H3927 2003
Criminal justice research in libraries and on the Internet
[MAIN] Z 5703.4.C73 N45 1997
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association
Also known as the APA Manual
On reserve at the Circulation Desk
APA Online (http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html)
How to Site the Bible (Grove City College)
http://hbl.gcc.edu/citingBIBLE.htm
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Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Reference materials such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs and atlases provide facts and statistics and are usually arranged so information can be easily located. They can be used to narrow or broaden a search topic or provide needed details for your research. Most of our reference material is located on first floor. However, the call numbers that begin with [MAIN] are located on second floor.
Beacham’s encyclopedia of social change: America in the twentieth century
[R] HN 59.2 .B43 2001 v.1-4
The Mafia encyclopedia
[R] HV 6441 S53 1987
The dictionary of criminal justice; with summaries of Supreme Court cases affecting criminal justice
[R] HV 7411 R87 1994
Dictionary of American penology
[R] HV 9304 W54 1996
Encyclopedia of crime and justice
[R] HV 6017 .E52 2002 v.1-4
Encyclopedia of crime and punishment
[R] HV 6017 .E524 2002 v.1-4
Encyclopedia of criminology and deviant behavior
[R] HV 6017 .E53 2000 v.1-4
Encyclopedia of organized crime in the United States: from Capone’s Chicago to the new urban underworld
[R] HV 6446 .K43 2000
The encyclopedia of high-tech crime and crime-fighting
[R] HV 6773 .N48 2004
Crime and the justice system in America: an encyclopedia
[R] HV 6789 .C6884 1997
The encyclopedia of American crime
[R] HV 6789 .S54 2000 v.1-2
The encyclopedic dictionary of criminology
[R] HV 6949 .E5 R8 1998
The American dictionary of criminal justice: key terms and major court cases
[R] HV 7411 .C48 2005
Ferdico’s criminal law and justice dictionary
[R] KF 9217 .F47 1992
Look for the woman: a narrative encyclopedia of female prisoners, kidnappers, thieves, extortionists, terrorists, swindlers, and spies, from Elizabethan times to the present
[MAIN] HV 6245 N38 1981
Dictionary of criminal justice terms: including definitions and terms, national crime classification, and NCIC uniform offense classifications
[MAIN] HV 7411 .D53 1990
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Print Periodicals
Periodicals include journals, magazines and newspapers. All of our periodicals are shelved in alphabetical order by the title. We keep two issues of our current subscriptions on first floor. Back issues and titles not currently received are shelved on the east side of third floor.
Currently Received Journals and Magazines
(First and third floor)
Chief of Police
Close Up
Corrections Today
Criminal Justice Ethics
Criminology
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin
GSN: Government Security News
Intelligence Report
Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma
Journal of Criminal Justice Education
Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology
Journal of Family Violence
Justice Quarterly
Law and Order
Police
Police Chief
Security Management
Texas Police Journal
Titles Not Currently Received
(Only on third floor)
Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Today
American Criminal Law Review
American Journal of Criminal Justice
American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
American Journal of Sociology
Crime and Delinquency
Crime and Justice International
Criminal Law Update
Ethics Roll Call
Juvenile Justice
Law Enforcement News
Law Enforcement Technology
National Institute of Justice Journal
Police Marksman
Texas Lawman
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Print Indexes
Indexes are used to locate citations (the information on where the article is found and who wrote it) of articles on a specific subject or subjects. When you have found the citation(s), you go to the shelves to locate the article(s). Articles not available in our library may be obtained through interlibrary loan. Several print indexes for criminal justice are listed below. These indexes are shelved on third floor.
Criminal Justice Periodical Index
Humanities Index
Social Sciences Index.
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Databases
Our library databases, found on our web page, offer many options for locating material in criminal justice. These databases are online indexes. Some of them have only the citation (the information on where the article is found and who wrote it) and an abstract (a short description of the article). Other databases offer some or all full-text articles. In other words, the whole article is on the computer. The ones most likely to help you in your research are listed below.
LexisNexis
Full text news, business information, legal research, medical information and reference.
EBSCOhost
Academic Search Premier – The greatest number of full text, peer-reviewed journals found in any database. Provides a broad spectrum of data in social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.
FirstSearch
AltPressIndex – Indexes journals from 456 sources. Covers cultural, economic, political & social change. Includes some full text from WilsonSelectPlus.
AltPressIndexArchive – Index of journals from 456 sources (1969-1990). Covers cultural, economic, political & social change.
CWI – Contemporary Women’s Issues (health and human rights). Includes some full text from WilsonSelectPlus.
Dissertation Abs – Indexes dissertations and theses from institutions in North America and Europe
ECO – An OCLC collection of scholarly journals. Includes some full text from WilsonSelectPlus.
GPO – U. S. government publications
PsycFIRST – Psychology and related fields in the current and most recent three update years from over 1,760 sources. Includes some full text from WilsonSelectPlus.
PsycINFO_1887 – Psychology and related fields since 1887. Includes some full text from WilsonSelectPlus.
SocialSciAbs – Abstracts of articles on the social sciences from over 1,760 sources. Includes some full text from WilsonSelectPlus.
WilsonSelectPlus – Full text articles in science, humanities, education and business from 1,652 sources.
WorldCat – A consortial catalog of books and other materials in libraries worldwide.
NetLibrary
Provides access to a collection of 28,274 e-books. NetLibrary eBooks are digital full-text versions of books such as reference works, scholarly monographs, literature and fiction in all subjects.
Social Work Abstracts
Most significant index in the field of social work, with abstracts covering social work and social welfare, as well as related fields such as criminal justice.
SDA Related Material
Index to the Complete Published Writings of Ellen G. White
Includes the books, periodical articles and pamphlets with the writings of Ellen G. White.
SDA Periodical Index
Indexing to approximately 40 Seventh-day Adventist journals and magazines. Currently the index covers the years 1977 to the present.
Useful Web Resources
The Web sites listed below were evaluated by a reference librarian. Sites found on the web should always be critically evaluated for authority, accuracy, audience, coverage, currency, objectivity and purpose. There are additional sites related to criminal justice that may be reached through some of the university sites listed at the end of this section. Not all of these sites have been evaluated. Be sure to use your “critical thinking skills if you choose to use these additional web resources or to find other sites on your own.Southwestern Adventist University
Department of Criminal Justice
(Online at: http://www.swau.edu/academics/cj.asp)
General Help Links
College and Graduate School Planning (Thomson Peterson’s)
Contains a resource and information area for educators, as well as information for students and prospective students on test preparation, financial aid planning and career advancement.
(Online at: http://www.petersons.com/)
College and University Rankings (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Identifies top colleges and universities in various areas. Contains links to many ranking services, along with cautionary notes and a discussion of the ongoing controversy over rankings.
(Online at: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/edx/rankings.htm)
GRE – Graduate Record Examinations (Educational Testing Service)
Free test prep materials available for the General Test and for the Subject Tests. Also contains information about changes to the GRE, which are to be implemented in the fall of 2007.
(Online at: http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.435c0b5cc7bd0ae7015d9510c3921509/?vgnextoid=b195e3b5f64f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD)
Guide to Grammar and Writing (Dr. Charles Darling and the Capital Community College Foundation)
Features a guide to grammar and writing, principles of composition, and interactive quizzes.
(Online at: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/)
Internet Detective (Intute Virtual Training Suite)
Free online tutorial designed to help college and university students develop their Internet research skills. Looks at the critical thinking required when using the Internet for research and offers practical advice on evaluating the quality of web sites. Follow the tutorial or explore the site on your own.
(Online: http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/tutors.html)
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Thesaurus (Merriam-Webster Incorporated)
Online web site for Merriam-Webster. Includes a variety of resources on words and word meanings.
(Online at: http://www.m-w.com/netdict.htm)
OWL at Purdue (Purdue University)
Offers free online writing, research, and MLA and APA style help.
(Online at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/)
Paradigm Online Writing Assistance (Chuck Guilford)
Published by an experienced English teacher, POWA is an interactive, menu-driven, online writer's guide and handbook written in HTML and distributed freely over the WWW. Intended to be useful for all writers, from inexperienced to advanced.
(Online at: http://www.powa.org/)
Plagiarism (Indiana University, Bloomington)
Explains what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
(Online at: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml)
Writer’s Workshop (Northern Illinois University)
Includes resources for students, tutors, teachers and visitors.
(Online at: http://www.engl.niu.edu/comskills/main.html)
Criminal Justice Links
Crime & Clues: The Art and Science of Criminal Investigation(Hosted by Daryl W. Clemens)
Collection of articles about crime scene investigation from a variety of practitioners.
(Online at: http://www.crimeandclues.com/index.htm)
Drug and Alcohol Information
Information on research in many areas of drugs and alcohol with links to additional resources.
(Online links for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and SAMSHA’S National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information: http://www.health.org/ ;
U.S. Department of Justice: http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Topics/Topic.aspx?Topicid=93;
and Florida State University: http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/p/cjl-drugs.php
Federal Bureau of Investigations (Home page for the FBI)
Presents information on major investigations & most wanted, programs & initiatives, Freedom of Information Act, Uniform Crime Reports, how to contact the FBI, employment and more.
(Online at: http://www.fbi.gov/)
GovSpot.Com (StartSpot Mediaworks, Inc.)
Non-partisan government information portal designed to simplify the search for the best and most relevant government information online. Includes U.S., state and world governments, and more.
(Online at: http://www.govspot.com/)
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2003 (National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs)
Statistics include nonfatal student victimization, violence and crime at school, violent deaths at school, nonfatal teacher victimization at school, school environment and more.
(Online at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs03.htm)
Librarians’ Internet Index, Law (U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services)
High-quality law websites carefully selected, described, and organized by a team of librarians.
(Online at: http://lii.org/)
NCJRS: National Criminal Justice Reference Center (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs)
This U.S. Department of Justice site includes information on corrections, courts, crime prevention, criminal justice statistics, drugs & crime, international information, juvenile justice, law enforcement, research & evaluation and victims of crime. The abstracts database contains summaries from over 180,000 CJ publications.
(Online at: http://www.ncjrs.org/index.html)
National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts Database (NCJRS)
Contains summaries of the more than 185,000 criminal justice publications housed in the NCJRS Library collection.
(Online at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/abstractdb/search.asp)
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (U.S. Department of Justice)
Provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to develop, implement, and support effective methods to prevent juvenile victimization and respond appropriately to juvenile delinquency.
(Online at: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/)
Scholarly Journals Distributed Via The World Wide Web (University of Houston Libraries)
This directory is indexed by title and provides links to established Web-based scholarly journals that offer access to English language article files without requiring user registration or fees.
(Online at: http://info.lib.uh.edu/wj/webjour.html)
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
Brings together statistical data about all aspects of criminal justice in the United States. Includes federal, state, and local jurisdictions, as well as opinion polls.
(Online at: http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/)
United States Department of Justice
Everything you need to know about the DOJ. Includes numerous useful links about the DOJ and its related components.
(Online at: http://www.usdoj.gov/)
United States Codes of Law, Office of the Law Revision Counsel
The Office of the Law Revision Counsel prepares and publishes the United States Code, which is a consolidation and codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States.
(Online at: http://uscode.house.gov/)
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Web Resources of Texas
Crime in Texas (Texas Department of Public Safety)This publication contains the Texas Crime Clock, as well as chapters on the index of crime analysis, selected non-index crimes, family violence, hate crime, school district crime survey, law enforcement personnel, and arrest data and crime by jurisdiction. 1999-2005 reports are currently available.
(Online at: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/crimereports/citindex.htm)
Gangs in Texas (Office of the Attorney General)
This study discusses the sociology of gangs, the prevalence of gangs, and state-level policy options. 1991, 1997, 1999, and 2001 reports are available.
(Online at: http://www.oag.state.tx.us/newspubs/publications.shtml#criminal)
Sexual Assault Prevention & Crisis Services Annual Report 2002 (Texas Attorney General's, Crime Victim's Services) [pdf].
Annual Report on the various prevention and crisis programs sponsored by the office.
(Online at: http://www.oag.state.tx.us/AG_Publications/pdfs/2002sapcs_annual.pdf)
Texas Law and Criminal Justice
A collection of links to help locate and utilize Texas Law and Criminal Justice Resources. Available in English and Spanish. Categories are listed below.
Children and Families
Court Systems
Enforcement
General Information
Handguns
Laws, Codes and Statutes
Offender information
Prisons, Probation and Parole
Vehicles
Victim Resources
(Online at: http://www.state.tx.us/category.jsp?language=eng&categoryId=8)
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Seventh-day Adventist Sites
Adventist Professionals NetworkGlobal registry of Seventh-day Adventist professionals who hold the minimum of a master's degree or its equivalent (5 years of postsecondary studies) in any field. Housed at the world headquarters of the Church, APN will help locate candidates for positions, consultants with expertise, and volunteers for short mission assignments. It will also foster international networking among Adventists in various professions.
(Online at: https://apn.adventist.org/)
PlusLine
Provides ministry support to Seventh-day Adventist church members, pastors and church leaders throughout the North American Division.
(Online at: http://www.plusline.org/article.php?id=270)
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Online Periodicals and Newsletters
The CriminologistOfficial Newsletter of The American Society of Criminolgy
Online issues are available from 1965 to the present.
(Online at: http://www.asc41.com/criminologist.html)
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
This monthly periodical features short articles on issues of interest to local law enforcement personnel. Print copies from 1990 to 2007 are available in our library on third floor.
(1996 to Present available online at: http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/leb.htm)
International Journal of Digital Evidence (Utica College)
Discusses theory, research, policy and practice in the rapidly changing field of digital evidence.
(Online at: http://www.ijde.org/)
International Journal of Drug Testing (Dept. of Criminology, Univ. of S. Florida, St. Petersburg)
Multidisciplinary, refereed journal devoted to the publication of scientific research, technical applications, policy and other issues pertinent to the use of biological specimens for evaluation of exposure to psychoactive drugs. Began with Fall 1996 issue.
(Online at: http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/journal/)
Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture (School of Criminal Justice, University at Albany)
Reviews of all types of popular culture artifacts and original essays pertaining to the intersection of popular culture and criminal justice. Includes an archive of back issues.
(Online at: http://www.albany.edu/scj/jcjpc/index.html)
The Third Branch (U.S. Federal Judiciary)
Newsletter of the Federal Courts. Online issues are available from 1995 to the present. Each January issue features the Chief Justice's year-end report on the federal judiciary.
(Online at: http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/)
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University Site Resources
Center for Urban Studies (Wayne State University)(Online at: http://www.cus.wayne.edu/)
Criminal Justice Links (Florida State University)
(Online at: http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/p/cjl-main.php)
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (University of Michigan)
(Online at: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/)
National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (University of Michigan)
(Online at: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD/)
Selected Internet Links (John Jay College of Criminal Justice)
(Online at: http://www.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/links/index.cfm)
Web site maintained by Florida State University’s School of Criminology & Criminal Justice
Topics include federal criminal justice agencies, crime prevention, juvenile delinquency, drug & alcohol information, criminal justice education and more.
(Online at: http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/cjlinks/)
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