Research Process and Terminology
November 30, 2013
Research terminology is important to the criminal justice professional and will aid him or her to better understanding of terminology and how to conduct oneself. Criminal justice professionals will be able to obtain an articulate information that is obtained from their research because they will understand the language, circumstances, and terminology that is within their profession.
Terminology that a criminal justice professional should be aware of, understand, and be able to explain would be theory, paradigm, methodology, replication, and operationalization. Other terminology in the criminal justice profession that should be fully understood should include scientism, concepts, quantitative research, qualitative research, and applied research. Having knowledge of these words and the in-depth definitions of them would aid in a career in criminal justice because they pertain to research. Knowing that theory is …show more content…
Because policies are so important this term is one that should be fully understood and used to ensure policies are being understood and any problems are being fixed. Some terms can also be mistaken if overlooked such as quantitative research and qualitative research which have different but equally important meanings in the criminal justice profession. Quantitative research is concepts that are assigned numerical value whereas in qualitative research the concepts are viewed as “sensitizing ideas or terms that enhance our understanding” (Frank E. Hagan, 2010, p.14). Knowing the proper terms for what information a criminal justice professional is trying to relay is very important and can keep people from misinterpreting the information at