TOPIC – Define the research question/statement
SOURCES – Identify the information need. Do you need background info? A research article? A literature review article? etc. What databases would include this type of information on your topic?
KEYWORDS – Select the words you will be using to find information effectively and efficiently (Use a variety of words to describe your topic/concepts. Find subject headings that relate to your topic/concept).
EVALUATION – Evaluate information critically. Is the info relevant, reliable, current, appropriate?
USE--Organize, synthesize and communicate information to make your point/argument.
CITE--Ethically and legally access and use info by avoiding plagiarism and citing all your sources.
There are several databases that you can use to find articles. Remember that subject databases will only include journals that are within that particular subject area. In addition to the two main criminal justice databases, at the top of the list below, you will also find other databases useful. For instance, if you want the sociological perspective on crime, you could also use Sociological Abstracts, and for a psychological perspective, you could also use PsycInfo.
Some databases are more general. Academic Search Complete covers most academic subjects, while Science Direct is a good source for scientific articles.
Peer-reviewed and non-scholarly articles in criminal justice, forensic science, law enforcement, corrections, and more.
Peer-reviewed articles, non-scholarly articles, and book reviews on the history of the U.S. and Canada from 1493.
Produced quarterly by the Alternative Press Center, indexes nearly 290 alternative, radical and left periodicals, newspapers and magazines that report and analyze the practices and theories of cultural, economic, political and social change.