Library Guides: CRIMJ 250W: Research Methods in Criminal Justice: Effective Searching

Helpful Databases

Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
Need opinions for your article? This database has scholarly articles for and against controversial topics.
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center provides research and background information on social issues. The database contains the essays from the Opposing Viewpoints series, supplemented by statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles. Keywords: hot topics, current events, social issues, social trends, English 15, CAS 100, background information, general interest, contemporary issues, overviews.
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
reports covering political and social issues
The CQ Researcher is a collection of reports covering political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy. Keywords: hot topics, current events, social issues, social trends, archive, English 15, CAS 100, background information, general interest, contemporary issues, overviews. CQ Global Researcher (formerly a stand alone DB) content was merged into CQ Researcher.
PsycINFO (via ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
psychological information
PsycINFO provides access to international literature in psychology and related disciplines. Unrivaled in its depth of psychological coverage and respected worldwide for its high quality, the database is enriched with literature from an array of disciplines related to psychology such as psychiatry, education, business, medicine, nursing, pharmacology, law, linguistics, and social work. Nearly all records contain nonevaluative summaries, and all records from 1967 to the present are indexed using the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms.
Health Poll Database This link opens in a new window
data from surveys of public opinion back to the 1930s
Covers eighty years of national public opinion polling from health-related U.S. survey questions. Searchable questions and results, demographic crosstabs, and trends are available on every topic related to health, from social determinants and influences on health to insurance, costs and health-care utilization.

More public opinion research

The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world. It also conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis, and other empirical social science research.

Pew Research Center

Keywords

When searching through databases or LionSearch, using the right keywords can have a large effect on your search results. If a keyword isn't bringing up the kind of articles you're looking for, try thinking of synonyms or use the Thesaurus or Index at the top of the page (if available).

Examples:

cannabis versus marijuana (please see This short article on why terminology is important)

jail versus prison versus incarceration

juvenile versus young adult versus teenager versus teen versus adolescent versus adolescence

guns versus firearms

reoffend versus recidivism

death penalty versus capital punishment

quitting smoking versus smoking cessation