Basics of Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 4th Edition

Michael G. Maxfield

Copyright 2016
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Basics of Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology 4th Edition by Michael G. Maxfield

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Overview
Meet the Author
What's New
Features
Table of Contents
Pricing

Overview

A concise paperback based on Maxfield and Babbie's best-selling RESEARCH METHODS FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND CRIMINOLOGY, this "basics" version combines accessibility and a conversational writing style with Michael G. Maxfield's expertise in criminology and criminal justice. In fewer than 400 pages, BASICS OF RESEARCH METHODS FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND CRIMINOLOGY, Fourth Edition, introduces students to the core of criminal justice research. It utilizes the most current, real data and features coverage of such key topics as ethics, causation, validity, field research, and research design, among others. The Fourth Edition includes expanded coverage of qualitative research and interviewing, focus groups in criminological research, and snowball sampling, as well as additional examples of student research. Balancing coverage of both qualitative and quantitative methods, the text is packed with real-world examples, practical applications, and Internet research exercises.

Meet the Authors

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Michael G. Maxfield

Michael G. Maxfield is Emeritus Professor of Criminal Justice at John Jay College, City University of New York. He is the author of numerous articles and books on a variety of topics, including victimization, policing, homicide, community corrections and long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect. Working with students and colleagues at the John Jay College Research and Evaluation Center, Professor Maxfield developed the evidence generation approach to applied justice research. He served as editor of the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency from 2008–2016.

What's New

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Significant changes in this edition include the addition of a new chapter (Chapter 8) on qualitative interviewing, expanded examples of student research, and additional coverage of how to evaluate the quality of information presented on web pages.
All-new chapter-opening vignettes help to frame the discussion of topics to be covered in the chapters. Some vignettes draw from recent research by Ronald Clarke and the author, collaborating with students at Rutgers University, while others describe research by former students or recent research in particularly high-profile areas. The vignettes can also be used as points of departure for class discussion. For example, the opening vignette in Chapter 3 applies criminal justice theory to the important applied topic of serial sex offenders. This example is especially meaningful because it shows the very practical application of theory (something students sometimes assume is irrelevant) to an issue that receives much media attention at the expense of analytic thinking Chapter 3, "General Issues in Research Design," includes an expanded discussion of qualitative and quantitative data as well as new information on units of analysis and the ecological fallacy.
Chapter 6, "Sampling," includes an expanded discussion of snowball sampling.
Chapter 7, "Survey Research," adds new examples regarding survey of attitudes about sex offenders, combining surveys with observations, and updates information on the diminished use of telephone surveys.
Chapter 10, "Agency Records, Content Analysis, and Secondary Data," presents new examples of online data analysis using secondary data.

Features

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Material on writing proposals and reading research articles helps students sharpen these important skills for real-life practice.
Succinct yet thorough, BASICS OF RESEARCH METHODS FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND CRIMINOLOGY delivers excellent coverage of conceptualization and operationalization, sampling, crime data, ethical problems and criminal justice research, and other key topics.
The authors' relevant coverage of policy analysis reflects the trend toward a more analytic perspective in justice agencies, giving students valuable insight into the issues they will face in a career in the criminal justice field.
Helping students master the material, the text's top-caliber pedagogical aids include real-world examples, outlines, figures, key term definitions, chapter summaries, and review questions and exercises.
Some end-of-chapter exercises require students to solve research problems using the Internet, giving them hands-on experience using online resources to find timely, high-quality data.

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1. An Introduction to Criminal Justice Inquiry.
2. Ethics and Criminal Justice Research.
3. General Issues in Research Design.
4. Concepts, Operationalization, and Measurement.
5. Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs.
6. Sampling.
7. Survey Research.
8. Qualitative Interviewing.
9. Field Observation.
10. Agency Records, Content Analysis, and Secondary Data.
11. Evaluation Research and Problem Analysis.
Glossary.
References.
Author Index.
Subject Index.