Criminal Justice

Search Tips

Getting Started:

When searching in any search engine, (databases, library catalog, google scholar, etc.) it is best to use keywords rather than typing the full question or topic.

For example, if your question is:

"How do racial disparities in the criminal justice system impact sentencing outcomes?"

Remover the filler words from the question and focus on the main concepts. Next, brainstorm synonyms of the key words. You may type words such as these in the search bar:

race, inequity, criminal justice, sentencing, jail, incarceration, law

Advanced Search Tips:

Using Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT)

Boolean operators are used to either refine or expand your search. They are placed in between your keywords to yield more specific search results.

Too Few Results

Use: AND

For example: race AND sentencing

Either/Or Results

Use: OR

For example: race OR sentencing

Too Many Results

Use: NOT

For example: race AND sentencing NOT international

Note: For NOT, let's say you are interested in this research specifically within the U.S. - you would then want to exclude any international materials to focus your research. 

Visual Brainstorming:

If you prefer to draw when brainstorming, you may want to draw a concept map. You can do this on paper, a white board, or a smart board. For online resources focused on concept mapping, we recommend Canva. 

Search Example

Below shows how you might begin entering keywords in the library catalog search bar. It's always best to start off simple, with just a few keywords.