Types of References for Student Papers (In very approximate order of quality)

(1) Refereed Journal Articles and University Press Books. There are hundreds of refereed journals in criminology, criminal justice, and sociology. Examples in criminology and the sociology of crime include American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Social Problems, Crime, Law, and Social Change, Crime and Delinquency, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, British Journal of Criminology, Signs, Crime, Law and Social Change, Humanity and Society, Federal Probation, Social Justice, and many, many others. University Press books are those published by a press affiliated with a college or university. Articles (chapters) in such books are also great sources.

(2) A close second (and often times as good as a university press book) is a book published by a for-profit press like Sage, Wadsworth, MacMillan, Garland, or Nelson-Hall. Articles (chapters) in such books are also generally of sound quality.

(3) Governmental publications can be great sources of information, and often times are main sources of data in the type of research I conduct. Examples include studies by the General Accounting Office, the EPA, OSHA, and the NTSB (all U.S.). For criminal justice statistics use the Uniform Crime Reports, the National Victimization Survey, and various Bureau of Justice Statistics publications.

(4) Articles in non-refereed journals, magazines, or newspapers. This category includes publishers like Time and Newsweek, and journals such as Peace Review. Also, the New York Times and Washington Post can be good sources of information

(5) World Wide Web documents. The quality of these documents very greatly. Use caution in citing documents which do not themselves cite any of the above types of research outlets.

In addition, brochures and pamphlets from organizations can be very useful. Examples include city, county, state or federal criminal justice agencies.