Research Guides: Administration of Justice Research Basics: Develop Your Topic

Start With Background Reading

Many students turn to Wikipedia for their initial exploration of a topic. This is fine, but be sure to augment your background research with sources you can actually include on an academic bibliography.

Conduct background research because:

It is a great source of core knowledge on your topic
It can generate ideas on different ways to focus your topic
It can answer research questions you've already posed
It may help you clarify and/or expand research questions
It often points you towards other sources of information on your topic

Reference sources are highly credible sources filled with thorough yet concise discussions that let you know the “who, what, when, why, and where” information on your topic right at the start of your research.

Top Picks:

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Use this database for preliminary reading as you start your research. You'll learn about your topic by reading authoritative topic overviews on a wide variety of subjects.
What's included: Gale eBooks is comprised of subject, specialized encyclopedias with articles written by scholars and experts.
CQ Researcher Online This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Use this database when you want to find comprehensive, unbiased reporting and analysis to get background information on issues in the news.
What's included: Overview reports of topics related to health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy in America.

Develop Research Questions

Research questions help you focus your topic and give you a series of questions that you'll spend your research time answering. You'll create your questions based on the background reading that you do.

Broad Topic: DNA Evidence

Research Questions to Define Your Topic:

What is DNA fingerprinting and why is it an issue?
What are potential benefits of using DNA evidence?
Why is using DNA evidence controversial?
Should DNA samples be collected from all people arrested and included in a national database?
Do DNA databases pose a threat to individual rights?
Based on my research, what do I think?

MJC Librarian, Kathleen Ennis, explains why you should always begin your search for relevant, credible information by creating a list of research questions that will drive your research quest.

Brainstorm Key Terms

Using the correct words to search will help you find relevant information. Use your research questions to help you create a list of key words to use in your searches for information.

Key Subject Terms:

dna fingerprinting

forensic genetics

dna data banks

____________________

Because different authors and search tools use different words to describe the same concepts, it's useful to have a list of similar and related terms in your arsenal when you set out to search for relevant information.