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Chapter contents
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· Introduction 36
· Getting Started: Planning and Proposing Criminological Research 36
¡ Planning dissertation research 37
¡ Identifying a research topic or idea 39
¡ Formulating a research question 41
¡ Being clear about the purpose of your research 43
¡ Reviewing the research literature 44
¡ Reading and note taking 46
¡ Making time and marking milestones 46
· Making Connections: Proposing Data Collection Methods 48
¡ Proposing secondary or primary research 48
¡ Access and sampling 52
¡ Data processing and analysis 54
¡ Ethical considerations 54
¡ Supervision, peer support and critical reflection 57
· Bringing it Together: Writing and Presenting Your Research Proposal 58
· Summary and Review 60
· Study Questions and Activities for Students 61
· Suggestions for Further Reading 62
· References 63
GLOSSARY TERMS
research questions research proposal inductive deductive
research objectives research design secondary data
primary data quantitative qualitative quantitative research qualitative research probability sampling reflexivity
PLANNING AND PROPOSING CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Peter FrancIs
INTRODUCTION
This chapter outlines the stages involved in planning and proposing criminological research. Once you have read it, you will be confident about what to do and why, and eager to get started on planning and proposing your own project. Whilst it can be frustrating and certainly hard work, planning criminological research is a source of considerable pleasure and satisfaction, especially if you end with a proposal for research that is feasible, manageable and deliverable. It can engender a real enthusi- asm for a topic and harness your intellectual excitement!
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The chapter is structured into three sections. The first section explores how you might identify a topic area and formulate a research question, drawing on your interests, what you may have studied as part of your course and the research literature. The second sec- tion examines the process of planning the connections between what it is you want to study and how you will actually study it. It explores research design and the importance of making informed decisions about your methodology and methods of data collection and analysis. The third section outlines one way in which you may wish to write up your ideas in a research proposal. It also discusses the importance of talking through your ideas with peers and supervisors, and of engaging reflexively in the process. Being able to reflect critically is a key element of planning criminological research – knowing when to execute certain stages; reflecting on when they have worked; and, importantly, learn- ing when and why they did not. To bring alive the various stages, I have used, by way of illustration, the final year dissertation project, as it is my view that the stages described in the pages that follow, if not the final research outcome, are similar for both under- graduate and postgraduate levels of study.
Whilst the chapter has been written to help you plan your research, it has not been written as a step-by-step guide. Nor is it meant to convey simple linear steps to plan- ning and completing your proposal. In some instances, the stages described may well appear to operate in parallel. Sometimes you may be able to bring stages forward and push other steps back. And, throughout, you will make mistakes, even before you finalise the proposal. But don’t worry. Take risks and enjoy the process. Be adventur- ous and ambitious, as the chapter will then serve in equal measure as an exacting yet fulsome resource to challenge and support you through the process. With these points in mind, please read this chapter with curiosity and imagination about what it is you wish to study, why and how.
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