Researching Criminal Justice Programs and Information

The Internet is an excellent supplement to, but not a replacement for, traditional library research when preparing research papers. On these pages you will find suggestions and links for conducting part of your research with the help of the World Wide Web. Remember, however, to do the most complete research and prepare the best paper possible, you must also visit the library and dig through the articles, books, and other sources found there. Also check the page on writing papers. If you are new to the Internet, consider Beginner's Central  for a great tutorial to get you started.

A NOTE ON FORMAT

The style and format of a research paper varies depending on the audience to which the paper is addressed. If you are preparing a course term paper, your instructor may have specific requirements for the paper's length, style, reference sources, etc. Manuscripts being prepared for submission to academic journals must meet that journal's style guidelines, which are usually found in issues of the journal itself or by writing to the journal editor. If your eventual audience is an agency board of directors, a gathering of politicians (like a city council or county commission), or a group of citizens, you have a bit more leeway in the style, format, and manner of presentation (consider a Power Point presentation, for example).

The goal on these pages is to provide direction for general research that may assist persons preparing most any type of research paper. Specific styles of presentation will not be covered because of the variation noted above. However, students preparing traditional term papers --- who are not required to follow an "instructor-specified" format --- may find helpful the links on the Writing Papers page.

A PLAN OF ATTACK

Regardless of the eventual format or manner of presentation for a research project, researchers will likely need some aids in their quest for information. In some cases it will be necessary, or at least desirable, to incorporate some statistical information. Finally, everyone can benefit from suggestions on how to organize and present the information gathered. Three "Researchers" pages help with these tasks:

• On the Research Aids page are annotated links describing the ever increasing Internet pages that provide researchers with a multitude of information sources.

• Listed on the Statistical Information page are links to criminology and criminal justice statistics in the United States and other countries.

• The Writing Papers page holds links to web sites providing information of writing assistance, helpful software programs, and other information students especially may find helpful.