Getting to know your topic
Although much of the following information is not from peer reviewed journals, it can be an excellent source for finding background information on your topic. Use this information to understand the issues, learn about the history of the topic, determine appropriate keywords, and identify leading authorities on the issue. Once you have a good background, use that information to refine and update your search in the scholarly journal databases listed under the "Find Articles" tab. NOTE: Much of the material in these databases is dated--be sure you look for more current information.
- CQ ResearcherCQ Researcher reports cover “hot” issues in the news in depth. Topics include social issues, the environment, health, education, science, and technology.
- Gale in Context: Opposing ViewpointsVery similar to CQ Researcher, but has some additional features, such as multi-media, images, statistical information, and others. Also, more diverse topics and coverage.
Reference Materials
Another useful way to get background information, identify and understand keywords, and locate leading researchers on the topic. Use the "Find articles" tab above to locate more recent, scholarly sources.
Crime and Punishment by ISBN: 9781414403243Publication Date: 2006-07-14Crime and Punishment explores the development, diversity, and duality of attitudes and arguments related to crime and punishment.Included are approximately 175 full or excerpted documents---speeches, legislation, magazine and newspaper articles, essays, memoirs, letters, interviews, novels, songs, and works of art---as well as overview information that places each document in context. Entries are organized into chapters that feature a general overview of the chapters subtopic. The following standard subheads are included in each entry: Date Source About the Author Introduction Primary Source Significance Further Resources All titles contain an introduction to its topic, a chronology of major events associated with the topic, and a general index.
Government, Politics, and Protest by ISBN: 1414403275Publication Date: 2006-10-30These volumes of primary source documents focus on leading social issues of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. International in scope, each title is devoted to one topic: Crime and Punishment Environmental Issues Family in Society Gender Issues and Sexuality Government, Politics, and Protest Human and Civil Rights Immigration and Multiculturalism Medicine, Bioethics, and Health Social Policy Terrorism Each title contains approximately 175 full or excerpted documents---speeches, legislation, magazine and newspaper articles, essays, memoirs, letters, interviews, novels, songs, and works of art---as well as overview information that places each document in context.
Social History of Crime and Punishment in America by ISBN: 1412988780Publication Date: 2012-01-01Several encyclopedias overview the contemporary system of criminal justice in America, but full understanding of current social problems and contemporary strategies to deal with them can come only with clear appreciation of the historical underpinnings of those problems. Thus, this four-volume work surveys the history and philosophy of crime, punishment, and criminal justice institutions in America from colonial times to the present.
Terrorism: Essential Primary Sources by ISBN: 1414406215Publication Date: 2005-11-11These volumes of primary source documents focus on leading social issues of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. International in scope.
World Encyclopedia of Police Forces and Correctional SystemsISBN: 0787677361Publication Date: 2006-09-01Describes the national law enforcement and correctional systems of over 200 countries around the world. Providing both statistical and analytical information, the encyclopaedia features scholarly analysis by authorities about law enforcement organisations in a user- friendly, alphabetical order.
World of Forensic Science by ISBN: 1410332861Publication Date: 2016-03-29A revision of the 2006 edition, this two-volume set is a comprehensive guide to the scientific processes and the legal, social, and ethical issues involved in the forensic sciences.
- Supreme Court YearbookSupreme Court Yearbook provides essential coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court and in-depth coverage of every decision of the nation's highest court since 1989. The Yearbook Series offers: Year-end overviews of Supreme Court terms from 1989-2010; Case summaries of every opinion written during each court term; Essays on the most significant cases from each year and the trends in each term. This source includes useful tables and figures on voting patterns and constitutional law.