"Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology: A Text and Reader" by Christine Tartaro serves as a comprehensive guide to research methodologies pertinent to the fields of criminal justice and criminology. The book delves into various topics, including ethics in research, research design, causation, operationalization of variables, sampling, data collection methods (such as surveys), utilization of existing data, validity, and reliability. Each section provides a concise summary of the research method, discusses its strengths and limitations, and presents real-world examples of its application. Introductory essays contextualize each research example, and discussion questions and exercises encourage critical thinking among students.
The text incorporates recent and relevant articles from leading journals, expertly edited to highlight research design issues. Topics addressed include immigration and crime, post-9/11 security, racial profiling, and media coverage bias in crime reporting. Additional articles are available for download at the Support Materials tab on the publisher's website. This resource is designed to foster classroom discussion and is essential for undergraduate and graduate courses in research methods within criminal justice, criminology, and related fields.
