HARRIS LIBRARY

The following Pathfinder is intended to step you through the basic library research process for identifying resources relating to the area of Violence and Violence Prevention. 

Violence: "Severe and intense exercise of force and power, usually resulting in injury or destruction.  The term "crimes of violence" pertains to those crimes in which physical harm occurs or is threatened, such as homicide, rape, aggrevated assult, and battery."-- The Social Work Dictionary (5th ed.).

The Dr. Semi J. and Ruth W. Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education , here at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, is dedicated to the multidisciplinary study of violence that leads to scientifically based violence prevention programs and widely applicable violence prevention policy.

Consult the Steps to Research and Writing a Paper  for more detailed information.

References to book and journal titles and their call numbers and locations are specific to items owned by the MSASS Harris Library and Case Western Reserve University libraries (although in most cases the resources can be found in other academic and public libraries). The websites that are included at the end of the pathfinder are intended as a starting point for research on the internet and are not meant to be inclusive.


Topic overview research materials:

1. Start by locating resources that provide an overview of your topic.

This will help you define terms in that discipline and provide background information in your subject area. Encyclopedias,  handbooks  and subject specific dictionaries  offer good places to start.

Some titles specifically related to crime, violence, and/or violence prevention are: 

Bosworth, M. (Ed.). (2005).  Encyclopedia of prisons & correctional facilities (Vols. 1-2).  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.  [KSL  HV9471.E693 2005] 

Cameron, S., & Newman, E. (Eds.). (2008).  Trafficking in humans: Social, cultural and political dimensions.  Tokyo; New York: United Nations University Press. [MSASS HQ281.T717 2008]

Congress, E. P., & Gonzalez, M. J. (Eds.). (2005).  Multicultural perspectives in working with families (2nd ed.).  New York: Springer.  [MSASS & KSL HV699.M85 2005]

Connors, P. (Ed.). (2007).  Hate crimes.  Detroit, MI:  Greenhaven Press.  [MSASS HV6773.5 .H38 2007]

Doll, L. S., Bonzo, S. E., Sleet, D. A., Mercy, J. A., & Haas, E. N. (Eds.). (2007).  Handbook of injury and violence prevention. New York: Springer.  [OhioLINK EBC]

Dressler, J. (Ed.). (2002).  Encyclopedia of crime and justice (2nd ed., Vols. 1-4).  New York: Macmillan Reference.  [Law HV6017 .E52 2002]

Durham, J. L. (1996).  Crime in America: A reference handbook.  Santa Barbara, CA:  ABC-CLIO.  [OhioLINK EBC]

Hagedorn, J. M. (Ed.). (2007).  Gangs in the global city: Alternatives to traditional criminology.  Urbana, IL:  University of Illinois Press.  [KSL HV 6437 .G354 2007]

Hampton, R. L., & Gullotta, T. P. (Eds.). (2006).  Interpersonal violence in the African American community: Evidence-based prevention and treatment practices.  New York: Springer.  [MSASS HV6626.2 .I58 2006]

Jaffe, P. G., Baker, L. L., & Cunningham, A. J. (Eds.). (2004).  Protecting children from domestic violence: Strategies for community intervention.  New York:  Guilford Press.  [MSASS HV6626.2.P76 2004]

Johnson, H., Ollus, N., & Nevala, S. (Eds.).  (2008).  Violence against women: An international perspective.  New York: Springer.  [OhioLINK EBC]

Karch, S. B. (Ed.).  (2007).  Drug abuse handbook.  Boca Raton, FL:  CRC Press/Taylor & Francis.  [MSASS Quick Reference  RM316 .D76 2007]

Kinnear, K. L. (2007).  Childhood sexual abuse: A reference handbook (2nd ed.).  Santa Barbara, CA:  ABC-CLIO.  [MSASS HV6570.K55 2007]   [Also available at OhioLINK EBC]

Kocsis, R. N. (Ed.).  (2008).  Criminal profiling: International theory, research, and practice.  Totowa, NJ: Humana Press.  [OhioLINK EBC]

McCue, Margi L. (2008).  Domestic violence: A reference handbook (2nd ed.).  Santa Barbara, CA:  ABC-CLIO.  [MSASS HQ809.3.U5.M385 2008]

McLaughlin, E., & Muncie, J. (Eds.). (2006).  The Sage dictionary of criminology (2nd ed.).  London; Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.  [KSL HV12.S34 2006]

Mustard, D. B. (2003).  Racial justice in America:  A reference handbook.  Santa Barbara, CA:  ABC-CLIO.  [OhioLINK EBC]

Roberts, A. R., & Springer, D. W. (Eds.). (2007).  Social work in juvenile and criminal justice settings (3rd ed.).  Springfield, IL:  Charles C. Thomas.  [MSASS HV7428 .S5745 2007]

Schwartz, B. K., & Cellini, H. R. (Eds.). (1995-2005). The sex offender (Vols. 1-5).  Kingston, NJ: Civic Research Institute.  [MSASS Quick Reference RC560.S47 S467]

Walker, S., Spohn, C., & DeLone, M. (2004).  The color of justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America (3rd ed.).  Belmont, CA : London: Wadsworth.  [MSASS HV9950.W33 2004]

Welsh, B. C., & Farrington, D. P. (Eds.). (2007).  Preventing crime: What works for children, offenders, victims and places.  New York:  Springer.  [OhioLINK EBC]

Zahar, A., & Sluiter, G. (Eds.). (2008).  International criminal law: A critical introduction.  Oxford [England]; New York: Oxford University Press.  [Law K5165 .Z34 2008]

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2. Search the online catalog for additional books that will give you the history, context, definitions and theories.

Define the terms that you want to use when you are doing a search for materials. If you do a subject search in the online catalog, the system limits you to using predefined Library of Congress Subject Headings. Click here for more information on doing a subject search.

Some subject headings for violence and/or violence prevention (in alphabetical order):

     Child Abuse 
     Children of women prisoners 
     Community-based corrections 
     Criminal Justice, administration of 
     Criminal rehabilitation  
     Family violence 
     Gangs 
     Imprisonment 
     Juvenile Delinquents 
     Police 
     Prisoners 
     Radical Profiling in law enforcement
     Victims of crimes
     Violence prevention

Doing a keyword search will give you many more titles than a subject search and may help you focus the results. When you do a keyword search the system looks in the title, subject and table of contents fields. Click here for more information on doing a keyword search.

To do effective keyword searching, you will need to think of concepts and terms related to your topic. Consulting a thesaurus will help you find synonyms for concepts. Click here for a list of thesauri owned by the Harris Library.

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Search the Library Catalog for: KEYWORD SUBJECT

3. Find some general articles on your topic.

After you have located books on your topic, you will want to look for general journal articles in your subject area. Case and OhioLINK offer several general databases. These include: Expanded Academic ASAP, Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, Periodical Abstracts, SIRS Researcher, and Social Sciences Index. These databases provide a mix of popular magazine articles and scholarly research articles. You can get to these databases by choosing the Research Databases option in the Library Catalog.   Note: Access is limited to authorized users.

TIP: When you search in general databases, you will sometimes retrieve citations to book reviews related to your topic. These book reviews may be helpful in leading you to book titles and/or authors in your area of interest.

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4. Search subject specific databases for more scholarly journal articles.

Once you have assembled general journal articles on your topic, you can begin focusing on scholarly research articles. Citations, abstracts and, sometimes, the full-text of journal articles are found in a variety of databases available through Case Western Reserve University and OhioLINK to authorized users.

Case and OhioLINK databases are available by clicking on Research Databases in the Library Catalog.

The World Wide Web also makes available a range of databases. Some of these require a subscription fee to be paid; others are free. Click here to view a list of selected databases available on the web that are related to social work and the social sciences.

Literature on violence and/or violence prevention is found in many disciplines. Some of the databases that will have articles on this topic include:

Academic Search Complete: Provides access to over 5,300 full-text journals, including peer reviewed English-language titles as well as full text for many non-English.  This is an excellent database to search for publications in criminal justice, sociology, and psychology.  This database is available electronically through the OhioLINK Research Databases.  [Last reviewed November 29, 2007]

LexisNexis:  Available electronically through the OhioLINK Research Databases.  It provides current information by allowing access to domestic and international newspapers, trade journals and newsletters, and magazine articles.  Full-text is available.  Searches can be done by region or state by choosing the U.S. News category.  The database also provides current articles related to the business, legal and medical fields. [Last reviewed November 29, 2007]
       LexisNexis Academic - law review journals, court cases, statutes
       LexisNexis Congressional - Congressional documents, bills and laws

PsycINFO:  Available electronically through the OhioLINK Research Databases. The database indexes the world's literature in psychology and related disciplines. This database has peer-reviewed research journals on many criminal justice topics.  It covers over 2000 journals as well as books, and individual book chapters. The coverage is from 1967 forward. This index corresponds to the printed publication Psychological Abstracts.   PsycINFO Historical is a different database that covers similar information between the years 1887-1966. [Last reviewed: November 29, 2007.]

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5. Browse current issues of journals that contain literature on your topic.

Click here for a list of journals to which the MSASS Harris Library subscribes.

Journals that are most likely to contain information on the topic of violence and/or violence prevention include: 

Crime & Delinquency.  Online at: OhioLINK,  Sage,  EBSCOhost.   (Public catalog.)  [Harris Library hardcopy discontinued]
This journal is geared for policy makers, scholars, and researchers in the criminal justice field.  Available online 2002 to present.

Criminal Justice and Behavior.  Online at:  OhioLINK.  E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog.)
Available online from the OhioLINK Electronic JournaL Center from 1990 to present.

Criminology.  Online at:   E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog.)
Available online from the OhioLINK Research Databases from 2001 to present. Full text 2/2002 to present.

Criminology and Criminal Justice.  Online at:  OhioLINK (Through 2006);  OhioLINK (2006-current).  E-Journal Portal.   (Public catalog.)
Available online from the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center from 2001 to present.   

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology.  Online at:  OhioLINK.  E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog.)
Available online from the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center from 1985 to present.

Journal of Family Violence.   Online at: OhioLINK.   E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog)
Available online from the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center from 2003 to present.

Journal of Interpersonal Violence.  Online at:  OhioLINK,  Sage,  EBSCOhost.  E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog.)
Available online from the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center from 1986 to present.

Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency.  Online at:  OhioLINK,  Sage,  EBSCOhost.  E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog.)
Available online from the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center from 2002 to present.

Violence and Victims.  Online at:  E-Journal Portal.  (Public catalog.)
Available online from the SocIndex from 2005 to present.

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6. Do a web search on the Internet for additional information.

Information located through the Internet can provide supplemental material to scholarly research articles. Material retrieved from websites should always be evaluated for currency, authorship, bias and accuracy.

Following are selected websites that might be helpful when looking for information on violence and/or violence prevention:

American Society of Criminology
The American Society of Criminology "is an international organization concerned with criminology, embracing scholarly, scientific, and professional knowledge concerning the etiology, prevention, control, and treatment of crime and delinquency.  This includes the measurement and detection of crime, legislation, the practice of criminal law, as well as a review of the law enforcement, judicial, and correctional systems."--From the website.  [Listed November 29, 2007.] (ASC)

Bureau of Justice Statistics
Offers the user current statistics on a multitude of topics such as:  victim characteristics; crime trends; drug arrests; juvenile justice statistics; courts and sentencing; jails; prisons and much more.  [Listed November 29, 2007.]  (BJS)

Childhelp.   800-4-A-CHILD  (800-422-4453)
Childhelp's mission statement " exists to meet the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of abused, neglected and at-risk children.  We focus our efforts on advocacy, prevention, treatment, and community outreach." -- From the website.  [Listed November 29, 2007.] (Childhelp)

Directory of Crime Victim Services (OVC)
This online directory provides a simple search engine for individuals to locate nonemergency crime victim services in the United States and abroad.  You can search by a). location; b). type of victimization; c). service needed; and d). agency type.  [Listed November 29, 2007.] (OVC)

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Domestic Violence Resource Center
This is the State of Ohio's State Legal Services Association's website on domestic violence resources.  This site provides information on domestic violence and stalking, including information on the law and community resources available to help you stay safe and complete the court papers necessary to get legal protection.  The Resources Shelters/Advocates/Legal Aid Organizations page assists victims locate shelters, dvocates, and legal aid organizations. [Listed November 29, 2007.]  (DVRC)

 

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Violent Gangs
The information provided on this website gives the user an understanding of how U.S. gang members operate.  "Many are sophisticated and well organized; all use violence to control neighborhoods and boost their illegal money-making activities, which include drug trafficking, robbery, theft, fraud, extortion, prostitution rings, and gun trafficking.  Here, you'll find more on the threats posed by gangs, on how you can help spot and prevent gang activity, and on how we're redoubling our efforts to disrupt and dismantle them through intelligence-driven investigations and new initiatives and partnerships."--From the website.  [Listed November 29, 2007.] (FBI-Gangs)

Internet Crimes Against Children Task Foce Training & Technical Assistance Program
The ICAC Task Force Program was created  to help state and local law enforcement agencies enhance either investigative response to offenders who use the internet, online communication systems, or other computer technology to aid sexually exploited children.  ICAC offers training & technical assistant programs in support of their Internet Crimes Against Children initiatives.  For training and more information contact the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office in Cleveland, Ohio. [Listed November 29, 2007.] (ICAC)

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV)
Informative web source tht provides current domestic violence statistics, including abuse in later life, dating violence, psychological abuse, etc.  This site also provides public policy updates and position papers.  There is also a suggested reading list and much more.  [Listed November 29, 2007.] (NCADV)

National Consortium on Violence Research (NCOVR)
NCOVR is a research, training, and data resource specializing in violence research. [Listed November 29, 2007.] (NCOVR)

National Council on Child Abuse and Family Violence
"Founded in 1984, NCCAFV provides intergenerational violence prevention services by bringing together community and national stakeholders, professionals and volunteers to prevent domestic violence (spouse/partner abuse), child abuse and elder abuse."--From the website.    [Listed November 29, 2007.] (NCCAFV)

National Criminal Justice Reference Service  
A federal funded government resource that offers justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide.  This site contains incredible current information about victims, criminals, human trafficking, crime prevention, the court system, everything.  [Listed November 29, 2007.]  (NCJRS)

National Domestic Violence Hotline  800-799-SAFE (800-799-7233)
[Listed November 29, 2007.]  (NDVH)

National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
The NIJ is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice and is dedicated to researching crime control and justice issues.  NIJ provides objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice, particularly at the state and local levels.  NIJ's principal authorities are derived from the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended (see 42 USC § 3721-3723) and Title II of the Homeland Security Act of 2002.   [Listed November 29, 2007.] (NIJ)

National School Safety Center
"The National School Safety Center serves as an advocate for safe, secure and peaceful schools worldwide and as a catalyst for the prevention of school crime and violence."  --From the website.  This site features school safety solutions; free resources on information such as bullying, schools & terrorism, a checklist of characteristics of youth who have caused school-associated violence deaths, plus much more.  This is a current and easy to use website.  [Listed November 29, 2007.] (NSSC)

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center - for teens
This is an informative website geared for teenagers on a variety of topics such as: bullying, date violence, depressions, abuse, school violence, and many other subjects.  [Listed November 29, 2007.] (NYVPRC)

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7. Evaluate the information you have collected from books and articles.

Consult the bibliographies of the books and articles you have selected. This will lead you to additional references and authors to investigate. Make notes of the gaps in your literature so that you can use this information when you do additional searches. Click here for more information on evaluating the information you have collected.

 

_{Created by June Hund,  12/07.}