This subject guide provides information on Criminal Justice resources available from UNT Libraries.
- Reference sources, such as encyclopedias, handbooks and dictionaries, are a good place to start your research because they provide:
- background on a topic
- historical research
- potential keywords for your catalog and database searches
- Books in both print and electronic format provide:
- in-depth coverage of a topic, broad in scope and usually historical
- information that is two to three years old by the publication date
- indexes where you can check if the book contains your topic
- Articles provide:
- the most current source of peer-reviewed information
- focused research, narrow in scope
- literature reviews
- Government documents, such as congressional hearings, laws, and agency reports in both print and electronic format, provide:
- information on legislative or regulatory aspects of a topic
- detailed studies of criminal justice issues with national impact
- Statistics, most of which are collected by government agencies, primarily in the Department of Justice, provide
- statistical sources from the national to the local level
- data on specific crimes, offenders, victims, and the operations of justice systems at all levels of government
- Videos, in both DVD and online/streaming formats
- in-depth coverage of a topic
- information presented in a way that makes it up close and personal
- Websites must be evaluated for credibility, authority and accuracy before using and provide:
- the most current information on a topic (but not necessarily peer-reviewed)
- obscure, hard-to-find information
If you need additional help, please drop by one of the library services desks, in Willis or Sycamore Library, or contact the Criminal Justice librarian.
