Full Description
Criminological Skills and Research for Beginners, Third Edition, is a comprehensive and engaging guide to research methods in Criminology, and the skills required for academic success. Written primarily for undergraduate students and novice researchers, this book has been designed as a lively and accessible guide to planning, conducting and reporting research in the subject. It emphasises practical skills required in studying Criminology, the importance of criminological research, and places-related methodology firmly in the context of students' broader study of the discipline, before moving on to provide a detailed guide to the actual processes of research that students can return to at each stage of their study, all the way through to their dissertation.
This book presents:
• an examination of the theoretical, political and ethical debates in criminological research;
• a complete guide to planning criminological research, assisting student researchers in identifying their research questions, choosing their research methods and critiquing the available literature;
• guidance on the practicalities and processes of collecting data;
• contemporary examples and case studies;
• a discussion of the process of analysing data and writing up research.
New to the third edition is a brand new chapter on using online and social media data sources. This edition also includes new coverage of mixed-methods approaches, preparing a research proposal, a spotlight on researcher well-being and guidance on writing reflective essays.
Including an extensive glossary and online support material with extra examples, exercises and videos to further develop students' understanding, this book is essential reading for any undergraduate on a Criminological Research Methods or Research Skills course, or for anyone in need of practical guidance on any or all of the various stages involved in conducting thorough and effective criminological research.
Contents
List of figures
List of tables
List of boxes
Visual tour (How to use this book)
Part I, Study skills for criminology students
1. Writing skills and essay writing
2. Referencing
3. Revision skills and examination techniques
4. Presentation skills
Part II, The importance of criminological research
5. The context of criminological research: power, knowledge, politics and values
6. The significance of criminological research: understanding the philosophical roots of our claims to know about crime in society
7. The ethics of criminological research
Part III, Getting going with criminological research
8. Planning: where do research ideas come from? How do we 'fine tune' them?
9. Critiquing the literature and the process of writing your formal review
10. Theories, methods and their relationships to theories of knowledge
11. Preparing for the practical challenges of 'real-world' crime research
Part IV, Doing criminological research: data collection
12. Qualitative approaches to research
13. Questionnaires and surveys
14. Using documentary and secondary data sources
15. Using online and social media data sources in criminological research
Part V, Doing criminological research: analysis and writing-up
16. Analysing the data: quantitative analysis
17. Analysing the data: qualitative analysis
18. Analysing the data: documents, texts and other data
19. Writing-up criminological research
Glossary
Index
