Searching Multiple Databases & Resources at Once
- Start Your Research This link opens in a new windowSearch multiple databases and different types of content together. Databases searched include the library's catalog, Texas State Digital Collections repository, and many but not all Texas State licensed databases.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowSearches scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts, and technical reports.
Suggested Databases
Databases come from the Criminal Justice and/or Sociology subjects on the main databases page. The following list resources are considered core research databases for Criminal Justice research.
- Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new windowCriminology & related disciplines, crime trends, crime prevention and deterrence, juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, police, courts, punishment and sentencing. International coverage, 1910-present.
- Criminal Justice Database This link opens in a new windowTheoretical and practical material for both scholars and those in criminal justice related fields. 1981 to present.
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Abstracts of research about corrections, courts, crime statistics, domestic preparedness, drugs, juvenile justice, law enforcement, and victims. 1970 to present.
- Sociology Source Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive scholarship on sociology and related fields (anthropology, criminology, etchnic studies, gender studies, social psychology, substance abuse, urban studies). 1895-present.
- Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new windowIndexes articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers in sociology and related fields. International in scope. 1952-present.
- Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Indexes to journal articles and book reviews in the social sciences (anthropology, economics, education, philosophy, political science, law, and sociology). 1983-present
- PsycINFO (APA) This link opens in a new windowThe most comprehensive international index of peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health. 1887 to present.
- Sage Journals Online This link opens in a new windowCovers all subject areas but particularly strong in social studies. Most journals provide access from volume 1 to present.
- Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new windowFull-text access to Wiley and Blackwell journals and over 22,000 ebooks. 1997 to present, with select journal titles going back further to volume 1.
Tips for Finding Empirical Research
Only a few databases have a simple methods to locate empirical research. Using "empirical" as a keyword will find some studies, but miss others. Consider using terminology recommended by the Criminal Justice Abstracts and Sociological Abstriace subject indexes.
Some useful keywords to add to your search are:
- Case Studies
- Empirical Methods
- Empirical Research
- Ethnography
- Experiments
- Fieldwork
- Grounded Theory
- Interviews
- Qualitative Methods
- Qualitative Research
- Quantitative Methods
- Quantitative Research
- Surveys
- Research