A comparative analysis of research methods in criminology and criminal justice journals

Abstract

The scientific standing of criminal justice and criminology has been an issue of sometimes heated debate among academics with varying research orientations. In an effort to help delineate the methodological development of the two fields, this study compares seven dimensions of research methods employed in the 966 articles published in Criminology, Journal of Criminal Justice, and Justice Quarterly during the period from 1976 through 1988. The findings show that Criminology papers tend to focus on crime causation, social control, and delinquency. This journal also places a strong emphasis on inductive empiricism; such research typically uses correlational research designs, cross-sectional data, and multivariate statistics. Studies in the criminal justice journals use similar methods but emphasize law enforcement (Journal of Criminal Justice), courts (Justice Quarterly), and corrections. An analysis over time shows a general increase in empirical works that examine relationships among variables and use multivariate statistics. It is argued that the overall pattern of findings reflects the relative age and development of the fields.

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