Criminology 401- Comparative Criminology

Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Writing the Paper

For further research assistance, please contact Pat Prieto (pprieto@usm.maine.edu; 780-5662) Research and Instruction Librarian, Glickman Library, University of Southern Maine.
Chat and e-mail research assistance and an appointment request form are also available through our Ask a Librarian service.

This guide serves as an introduction to comparative criminology research in Glickman Library. It is selective, rather than comprehensive; its aim is to introduce you to categories of information as well as to specific sources.

Some suggestions on approaching your research:
Start with your "comparison" country; it will be easier to find material about a crime in another country and then find comparable information about the U.S. than vice versa.
Test the waters early on - if you can't find several resources on your topic, you may need to adjust it.
Keep a careful record of where and how you have searched (ie., database or website name and search terms used) - it will save you time in the long run!
Check the references in the articles, books, and reports you use - they may lead you to other useful resources.

Library Catalogs

URSUS is the catalog for the University of Maine System libraries, Maine State Library, Law and Legislative Reference Library, and Bangor Public Library.  The online requestor function in URSUS allows you to request books from the other libraries. (For more on searching the catalog and requesting titles from other URSUS libraries, consult the URSUS tutorial.)

Maine InfoNet
Includes Bowdoin, Bates, Colby, and the Portland Public Library. Like URSUS, it has an online request function.

WorldCat
A national and international catalog of books, Internet sites, audio-visual sources, government documents, CD-ROMs and more.  Search by keyword to find relevant essays or articles in edited books. Limit your search to English, if applicable, to eliminate materials that will not be useful to you.

Library catalogs in foreign countries
University, public and government libraries in foreign countries are very good places for identifying criminology sources.  Try academic libraries, public libraries in large cities, national libraries.

• Yahoo
• Libdex

Note: Many of the sources found in WorldCat or foreign library catalogs will have to be ordered through the Interlibrary Loan service, but check first to see if they are available in the University of Maine System or other cooperating Maine libraries. If the item is not available through the University of Maine System (URSUS) or Maine InfoNet you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (Illiad).

Reference sources provide useful background information, give quick, factual information, and can help you develop a vocabulary to use when searching URSUS and the periodical databases.

General Country Information / Statistics / Guides to Further Research / Directories

General Country Information

Europa World Year Book
Por Reference JN1.E85
Each country profile includes an overview of recent history, government, defense, economic affairs, social welfare, and education, as well as a statistical survey of demographic and economic information and a directory of government, political organizations, diplomatic respresentation, judiciary, the press, and trade and industry organizations.

The World Factbook
Por Reference JA51.W675
This annual publication supplies brief information on geography, people, government, economy and communications for each country.  Also available online at: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

Country Studies
Por Stacks, call numbers vary.
Search URSUS by keyword with the words "country study" and the name of your country, e.g., country study and ethiopia.
Produced by the U.S. Army, this series includes most of the world's countries; notable omissions are Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and other Western nations, as well as a number of African nations.   These are excellent sources for background information with chapters on history, society, economy, government and politics, and national security.  Also available online at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html

Statistics

Crime in Maine
Por Reference HV6793.M2A35
State of Maine statistics from the Uniform Crime Reports; annual.
Also available online at http://www.state.me.us/dps/cim/crime_in_maine/cim.htm

Crime in the United States (Uniform Crime Reports)
Por Reference HV6787.A3
Also available online at http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm
This annual publication provides statistics on offenses as reported to police; crimes covered include murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, hate crimes, officers killed and assaulted and arson.

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
Por Reference HV6787.S72
Also available online at http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/
This is an excellent and exhaustive annual source of statistics on criminal justice.

Guides to Further Research

Criminal Justice Information: How To Find It, How To Use It
Por Reference HV7419.5.C75 1998

Criminal Justice Research In Libraries and on the Internet
Por Reference HV7419.5.N45 1997

Information sources in the social sciences
Por Reference H61 .I56 2002

International government information and country information : a subject guide
Por Reference ZA5050 .M67 2004

Directories

Encyclopedia of Associations
Por & Gor Reference HS17.G335

Encyclopedia of Associations -- International Organizations
Por & Gor Reference AS8.E53
These directories are excellent sources for identifying pertinent organizations.

To complete your research, you will need to consult periodicals as well as books. The databases listed below can help you identify journal articles and other publications on your topic. Once you have a citation, Finding Articles at USM gives detailed instructions on locating full text articles online and in print journals.

Criminal Justice Abstracts
Indexes and abstracts articles and other publications dealing with criminal justice policies, theories, programs and administration.  While the focus is primarily domestic, numerous international topics are also covered.

NCJRS Document Data Base
Abstracts and full text of criminal justice books, journal articles, and reports published by the U.S. Department of Justice, other local, state, and federal government agencies, international organizations, and the private sector.

Academic Search Premier
A multi-subject index that provides full text for nearly 4,000 scholarly publications of which 3,100 are peer reviewed. Academic areas of study include: social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.

Contemporary Women's Issues
A multidisciplinary, full-text database with content from mainstream periodicals, gray literature, and the alternative press, this is recommended for topics such as domestic violence, prostitution, etc.

LegalTrac
An index to law journals, available only at the Law School Library (go to the 3rd floor of the Law School building for reference assistance)

Sociological Abstracts
The primary index for sociology and related disciplines including criminology, education, gerontology, mental health, minority studies, public health, social psychology, social work, urban studies, welfare programs, and women's studies. Comprehensive and international in scope. Covers about 2,600 journals in 30 different languages from 55 different countries. Also includes books, conference papers,and doctoral dissertations.

PsycINFO
The primary index to the professional and academic literature in psychology and related disciplines. Coverage includes references and abstracts to over 1,300 journals in more than 20 languages, and to book chapters and books in the English language.

HeinOnline
A searchable collection of full text articles from nearly 370 academic legal periodicals.

Social Work Abstracts Plus
An index to the social work literature, with good coverage of topics such as child abuse and domestic violence.

ERIC
The primary education index; recommended for topics such as school violence.

FactSearch
A guide to statistical statements on current social, economic, political, environmental and health issues.

IngentaConnect
A multi-subject index, good for obscure topics because it indexes almost 30,000 publications.

ProQuest Newspapers
Indexes articles from the last 5-15 years (dates vary) of many important U.S. newspapers, as well as numerous foreign papers in English. Full text is available for most titles.

Since there is no authority control for the Internet, it is important, in choosing Internet resources, to evaluate the authenticity of the source. The MARINER Tutorials provide helpful tips for Evaluating Websites.

Australian Institute of Criminology
The website of Australia's "pre-eminent national crime and criminal justice research agency" includes the full text of many crime related reports from the Australian government and other cooperating organizations.

Bureau of Justice Statistics (United States)
One of the best places for a variety of criminal justice statistics.  Be sure to look at the site's alphabetical listing of publications and the International Justice Statistics section.

International Crime Victim Survey
An important source of criminal justice data, the ICVS is conducted every few years with the purpose of providing a more realistic picture of crime in countries by means of household surveys and by standardizing the definitions of crimes.  This site allows you to view some statistics online, as well as browse a complete list of publications based on the Survey.

International Data Base (IDB)
Maintained by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, this is a good source for demographic and socioeconomic information about countries all over the world.

Internet Public Library
Has an extensive listing of online newspapers throughout the world.

Maine Statistical Analysis Center
A collaborative service of the University of Southern Maine's Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service and the Maine Department of Corrections, the Center publishes the Maine Crime and Justice Data Book online annually.

Statistical Agencies (International)
Another U.S. Census Bureau site, this site provides links to the official statistical agencies of foreign governments, listed alphabetically by country.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Searchable site with links to many publications such as the United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and World Drug Report.

United Nations Statistics Division
A searchable compilation of demographic, economic, social and environmental statistics from many sources.

Yahoo! Newspapers
Another country-by-country newspaper listing.

Accurate, properly formatted footnotes and bibliographies are indicators of good academic research, and the ethical/legal use of information. The Criminology Style Guide for Writing Papers is based on APA documentation style. For more on citing using APA documentation, the following resources are also available:

Online: A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources (Look under “Citation Styles” for APA format)

Endnote
USM has a site license for Endnote, a personal reference database program. The main functions of this program include maintenance of a database of references, downloading references from other databases, using the database to link to references in word-processed documents, and generating a bibliography in the correct style for publications. See the Introduction to Endnote for further information.