Criminal Justice Research and Reputable Resources

Introduction

To put into context the utility of social research in the criminal justice field, it is important to examine popular topics in criminology. Where might you see research used in the workplace? What types of research are used? What journals and resources are useful and reliable? By reviewing a selection of articles published in prestigious journals and various Internet content, you will appreciate the difference between reputable and nonreputable resources in research.

For your main post, locate two reputable journal articles through the Capella University Library or Internet research and one nonreputable article on the Internet that focus on issues of a single general criminological or criminal justice issue, such as criminology or crime and delinquency. Then respond to the following:

1. Analyze the three articles selected, highlighting which articles should be considered reputable, and why.
2. Explain your understanding of science versus pseudoscience in the context of reputable research resources.
3. Discuss whether the articles you selected contain science or pseudoscience.
4. Determine what research methods are used in the selected articles, whether they are used by a criminal justice agency or scholar-practitioner, and why.
5. Discuss whether the articles selected are descriptive, evaluative, explanatory, or exploratory. Include in your discussion what characteristics make them so, and what makes the method used the best fit for the study over other research methods.

Discussion Objectives

The competencies in this discussion are supported by discussion objectives.

• Competency 3: Contrast the research methods used by criminal justice agencies and scholar-practitioners.
  • Determine research methods used by criminal justice agencies and scholar-practitioners.
  • Discuss the characteristics of descriptive, evaluative, explanatory, and exploratory research methods.
• Competency 5: Differentiate between reputable and nonreputable criminal justice research resources.
  • Analyze reputable and nonreputable journal articles obtained through the Capella library and Internet research focusing on issues of a single general criminological or criminal justice topic.
  • Explain your understanding of science versus pseudoscience in the context of reputable research sources.
  • Discuss whether the articles you selected contain science or pseudoscience.