Welcome

This is the companion website for Criminological Skills and Research for Beginners: A Student’s Guide.

Criminological Skills and Research for Beginners is a comprehensive and engaging guide to research methods in Criminology. Written specifically for undergraduate students and novice researchers, this book has been designed as a practical guide to planning, conducting and reporting research in the subject. By first inviting readers to consider the importance of criminological research, the book places related methodology firmly in the context of students’ broader study of Criminology, before moving on to provide a detailed guide to the practical processes of research.

What you will find on this site

As you will have seen from the visual indicators in the book, this site contains the types of student and instructor resources listed below. Just click on the tab above, relevant to you (´Student´ or ´Instructor´), to find the materials for each chapter.

For students:

• Video of a live student debate, featuring undergraduate and masters students discussing their own research and what constitutes good research, and evaluating a case study (see below).
• Interactive quizzes.
• Web links to a variety of useful social data sources.
• Examples of secondary data sources and how to analyse them, including critical analyses of journal articles.
• Guides to holding effective interviews and focus groups.
• Self-assessment questionnaires, relating to the three paradigms of positivism and critical and interpretavist research.
• Further guidance on dissertation writing, with sample extracts of 'good' and 'bad' practice in terms of referencing, writing style and plagiarism.
• Further guidance on using SPSS.

For instructors:

• Sample exercises, activities and forms.
• Chapter-related case studies with reflective student exercises.
• Editable PowerPoint slides.

Video: student discussion

Introduction by co-author Jane Hill, who chaired the discussion:

The video below was recorded with a group of postgraduate and undergraduate criminology students. Prior to the recording the students were asked to think about what constitutes ‘good’ criminological research. They were also provided with this article, which they read beforehand:

Cowburn, M. (2007) ‘Men Researching Men in Prison: The Challenges for Pro-Feminist Research’, Howard Journal, 46(3): 276–288.

The article was chosen specifically because of the explicit researcher standpoint that is outlined in the article as we knew that it was likely to give rise to an interesting discussion – especially about notions of value-neutrality, objectivity and ‘bias’. The article also enabled us to discuss some ethical dilemmas that arise during the process of research.

The students who took part were varied in terms of their experience of doing research. Some had done very little whilst others were quite practised. You will notice that the students’ own experiences of research influenced their thinking about how research should be carried out and that quite early on in the recording it became evident that elements of the positivist (or scientific) model of research were quite often referred to in ways that suggested it is the model by which all research should be judged. As the debate develops we hope that you will gain understanding of the fact that positivism is just one way of knowing, not superior or inferior to the other ways of knowing, at least in our view, but simply different. We hope that after you have thought about the issues that are discussed you will be more able to understand the different theories of knowledge within which research may be carried out and that this discussion may challenge some of your own preconceptions. We would like you to take away the idea that it is important to gain knowledge of crime in society in a variety of ways in order to gain a wider understanding of the complexity of this social phenomenon. Most of all we hope that you will be excited about doing your own research.

We are grateful to all the students who took part and to their tutors who allowed us to disrupt their day! We hope that you learn a great deal from their contributions and that you enjoy the debate as much as we did.

Clips from this video are also available among the student resources for Chapters 2, 3 and 6, where the video has been divided into three parts according to its relevance to each of these chapters.

What instructors are saying about the book

"Criminological Skills and Research for Beginners is a valuable resource for engaging students with research, using practical exercises and examples, and providing sound advice to assist students beginning research. The first edition of the book was excellent, but this has been updated and improved here and now includes four new chapters dedicated to essential academic skills. A must for any aspiring criminological researcher."

– Dr Victoria Bell, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology, Teesside University

"Criminological Skills and Research for Beginners by Caulfield and Hill is much more than just another book on research methods. It takes what many students find to be a challenging undertaking and through a step by step approach unravels the complexity of the research process. By following this practical guide, students will deliver their research project. Yet, the book covers more that this and addresses the skills of writing, referencing and presenting to name a few. Overall this is a welcome addition to research methods and will enable students to approach research with confidence."

– Dr Ian Bridgeman, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of Bedfordshire

"This book is an essential read for all criminology students! It covers common issues that students struggle with like referencing and revision in an accessible and engaging way. Key research skills including negotiating ethics, collecting and analysing data and writing up research projects are outlined in an easy to understand format. Criminological Skills and Research for Beginners is an invaluable tool to get you through your degree!"

– Dr Mary Laing, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Northumbria University

"This is a great book for undergraduate students to develop their criminological and research skills. Filled with practical tips and tools that empower students to personalise their learning approach to achieve the best grades possible."

– Dr David Patton, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of Derby

"Written in a warm, friendly and accessible manner, this thorough, but concise book draws insightfully from real life examples to inspire beginner researchers to conduct their own studies. The authors bring research methods alive making a complex area clear, and understandable. Taking the reader through the different stages of conducting a research project, the authors provided an abundance of examples and activities to bring each section alive. This book is an essential contribution to the field of criminological research."

– Dr Eleanor Peters, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Edge Hill University

"This text has clearly been written with the student researcher in mind by offering an accessible and well organised book. The book provides a logical journey for students by enabling them to apply the theories of social research to the practicalities of researching criminology. The book promises a guide but it delivers so much more by engaging students in real life research challenges. The application of real world criminological research, the breaking down of complex terminology and the inclusion of research tips will be beneficial to any undergraduate student embarking on research for the first time."

– Dr Suzanne Young, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Leeds Beckett University

 

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