Skip to Main Content

CRIM: Criminal Justice

Camosun Single Search

Camosun Single Search

Camosun College Library Databases

Database Tips:

  • CBCA and Canadian Major Dailies are the best databases for Canadian content. The Times Colonist is full text in Canadian Major Dailies
  • Add “Canada” or “British Columbia” as a geographic search term when searching in Academic Search Complete or NCJRS
  • Remember to try synonyms, plurals, similar concepts, narrower or broader terms e.g. juvenile delinquency, youth crime, young offenders, gangs, etc.

The following are the best databases for researching Criminal Justice topics:

Google Scholar

Tips for reading scholarly articles

Scholarly articles in the social sciences/sciences are written by academics and specialists in the field and include findings from primary/original research.  It is not recommended that you read a scholarly article from beginning to end, rather....
 

1. Read and consider the article title  

Will give you clues about the topic  

2. Scan the headings/sections of the article    

 
 3. Read the abstract

This is the summary of the article, usually dense with information.  

New articles may include keywords supplied by the author(s).  Scan these
keywords to:

  • give you additional information about the scope of the article
  • help you develop search terms for database searches

Ask yourself: is the article relevant for your research topic? 
 4. Read the first few paragraphs of the Discussion section

This section may also be called the Conclusion

  • will include a summary of the major findings from the study
  • will explain why findings are important to the field of study
  • will highlight limitations of the study and recommend possibilities for
    future research

Ask yourself: is the article still relevant for your research topic? 
 5.  Read the remaining sections of the article

Before you read a section, take the heading and convert into a question. 
This will set  the context for what you will learn in that section.  Seek out
the answer to this question as you read the section. 

Read the Introduction carefully - spend time here!  The Introduction will
provide background information about the topic and summarize previous
research in the area.  Make note of the hypothesis found in the Introduction
section.

Suggested order of reading: Introduction, Discussion, Results, then the
Methods section.
 6.  Re-read the abstract and Discussion section   

 
 7.  Examine the Works Cited/References   

Make note of other relevant studies on the topic and locate these publications through Library databases

Sage Criminology Collection

Sage Publishing

Journals cover such subjects as

  • Corrections
  • Criminal Justice
  • Family and Domestic Violence
  • Forensic Psychology
  • Juvenile Delinquency
  • Juvenile Justice
  • Penology, and Policing

Browse list of journals in this collection​

 

Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice

  • Peer reviewed
  • Coverage of the theoretical and scientific aspects of the study of crime and the practical problems of law enforcement, administration of justice and the treatment of offenders, particularly in the Canadian context
  • The CJCCJ emphasizes original scientific research 

Try adding one of the following keywords to your search terms

  • study
  • empirical
  • qualitative
  • results
  • methodology or method
  • qualitative
  • quantitative
  • findings
  • participants

In the Abstract, look for the terms study, empirical study, or empirical analysis.

The term empirical may also appear in the title of the journal article. 

In the Subject field, you may also see Empirical Research listed.