When you’re a student in criminology or criminal justice, you’ll inevitably need to do some academic research. On this page we’ve decided to put together some of the most helpful resources for the field criminology.
These might be helpful for as sources for an academic paper or just as a way to gain more knowledge about criminology. It should also be noted that this is merely a collection of recommended resources, not a comprehensive bibliography.
They’re split up into three categories: reference resources, journals and article databases. At the end, we have listed a few key criminology organizations and research centers.
Reference Resources
If you’re not familiar with the term “Reference Resources,” just think of encyclopedias, handbooks, guides: the types of resources that would give you a good starting point in learning about a field.
- The Blackwell Companion to Criminology
- 21st Century Criminology: A Reference Handbook
- The Oxford Handbook of Criminology
- Encyclopedia of Criminological Theory
All of these titles are recommended as great options for learning more about criminology. They are available to be purchased, but are also held by many libraries, both university and public. If you are not enrolled in an academic program, you can check the closest library to you to see what they have. (Even if it isn’t large enough to have these titles, the library should be able to request it for you through interlibrary loan, where they borrow it from another library.)
Key Criminology Journals
- Criminology
- Criminal Justice and Behavior
- Theoretical criminology
- Crime, law and social change
- Crime, Media, Culture
- Australian and New Zealand journal of criminology
Commercial Databases for Finding Criminology Articles
- Sociological Abstracts
- PsychINFO
- Web of Knowledge
- HeinOnline (criminology with respect to law)
- Criminal Justice Abstracts
Most libraries subscribe to a large number of online databases and resources that you can access 24/7 from the comfort of your own computer. And this isn’t just limited to physical libraries at traditional campuses. For example, check out the online library of the University of Phoenix.
If you are enrolled in a criminology or criminal justice program, you will want to check and see what resources your university subscribes to. In addition to the ones listed here, popular interdisciplinary databases such as Academic Search Premier can yield many good results for criminology research questions.
Major organizations in Criminology
American Society of Criminology – The largest and most influential organization in criminology is the American Society of Criminology which dates all the way back to 1941. Today, it has around 3,500 members from over 50 countries. They publish two key journals in criminology found above, Criminology and Public Policy and Criminology.
Other Criminology Organizations
The Justice Studies Association
The Western Society of Criminology
British Society of Criminology