NCJ Number
39213
Date Published
1977
Length
197 pages
Annotation
THIS BOOK FOCUSES ON BASIC ISSUES OF RESEARCH DESIGN, MONITORING PERFORMANCE, AND CONSTANT REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROFESSIONALS.
Abstract
THE FIRST CHAPTER EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH TO MODERN PRACTITIONERS IN EVERY FIELD, WHILE THE SECOND OFFERS TYPICAL APPLICATIONS OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY INTO CRIMINAL JUSTICE, STARTING WITH THE RUDIMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE AND APPLYING IT TO PRACTICAL SITUATIONS. SUBSEQUENT CHAPTERS PROVIDE A CONCEPTUAL GROUNDWORK FOR ISOLATING AND ANALYZING PROBLEMS; EXPLORE BASIC DILEMMAS OF FACTUAL RESEARCH - SCALING, CONTROLLING, AND AUDITING; AND PROVIDE A SIMPLIFIED REVIEW OF DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS, PRESENTING A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING COMPUTER PRINTOUTS OF DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS. THE FINAL TWO CHAPTERS EXPLORE CONCEPTS OF SCIENTIFIC INFERENCE TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE SITUATIONS AND PROBLEMS AND OUTLINE COMPUTER CAPABILITIES FOR THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE PRACTITIONER. THE APPENDIX PROVIDES STEP-BY-STEP GUIDELINES FOR PERFORMING SPECIFIC TECHNICAL PROCEDURES AND FOR RESOLVING SOME CURRENT PROBLEMS, SUCH AS HOW TO QUICKLY AND EASILY OBTAIN A SET OF DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS FROM A COMPUTER; HOW TO READ A RESEARCH REPORT (AND BY INFERENCE, HOW TO WRITE ONE); HOW TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL FUNDS WITH A REASONABLE HOPE OF SUCCESS; AND OTHER RELATED MATTERS. THE EMPHASIS THROUGHOUT THE BOOK IS ON THE CONCEPTS AND TERMINOLOGY OF SCIENCE. A GLOSSARY IS PROVIDED TO CLARIFY THE SCIENTIFIC USAGES OF TERMS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)