Typical questions

• • I need to find data on women prisoners.

• • Where can I locate articles on the war against drugs?

Starting points

• • The study of criminology can be wide ranging. Students may also find relevant resources in the Law, Psychology, Sociology, Science and Medicine and Nursing chapters. The latter two are particularly relevant to those researching forensic medicine.

• • Many documents are produced by think tanks. Check the Grey Literature chapter for tips on tracing these.

• • Resources often refer to specific national systems. Therefore it is important to check the geographic area and date of materials required. Older items may not be online. Check major catalogues such as Library Hub Discover service (discover.libraryhub.jisc.ac.uk) for availability.

Recommended resources

Key organisations – associations

The websites of these membership organisations support academic and professional practitioners. They are good places for locating listings of recent and forthcoming conferences, courses and research publications.

American Society of Criminology

www.asc41.com

Website also includes sample syllabi.

British Society of Criminology

www.britsoccrim.org

European Society of Criminology

www.esc-eurocrim.org

Key organisations – international

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

www.unodc.org

UN specialist agency. Its website includes reports, data and legal documents covering the causes, prevention and fight against all forms of international crime. Key publications include: Global Homicide Report and World Drug Report.

Journal articles

Criminal Justice Abstracts (Subscription)

www.ebsco.com/products/research-databases/criminal-justice-abstracts Prepared in co-operation with the Don M. Gottfredson Library of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University Law Library. Covers all fields of Criminology from 1968 onwards.

NCJRS Virtual Library and Abstracts Database

www.ncjrs.gov/App/AbstractDB/AbstractDBSearch.aspx

Free access to the database published by the US Department of Justice. Summaries of English language materials about crime and policing. Includes US federal and state government documents and journal articles from 1975 onwards. Full text available for most items issued since 1995.

Statistical data

These are useful starting points for general crime statistics. Other sources include the websites of national ministries of justice and the main statistical offices listed in the Statistical Data chapter.

UK Government

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/statistics Free access to latest data covering the prison and probation service, courts and the judiciary. Includes surveys of women and the criminal justice system and race and the criminal justice system.