Description
For the discussion board assignment this week, you should start with a brief summary of the module readings. Your summary should be about 150 words. Then, write about 150 word response to the following prompt:Consider the possible relationship between education and prejudice. Discuss how this relationship might be examined. Discuss how you might narrow the topic to one that could be researched.
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Chapter 2
Identifying a Topic, a Purpose,
and a Research Question
Learning Objectives
• Describe why a research topic is necessary, and
identify several sources for developing a research topic
• Compare and contrast the four primary purposes of
research
• Identify the purpose of a research question, and
demonstrate your ability to evaluate a research
question
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Learning Objectives
• Evaluate the importance of the Federal Policy for
Protection of Human Subjects, its subparts, and the
role of the Common Rule
• Summarize a “vulnerable population,” and identify the
ways in which a group may be vulnerable
• Define “human subjects” and “research” according to
the Common Rule
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SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Identifying a Topic, Purpose, and
Research Question
• All research is guided by an interest in a topic
• Science is a recursive process
– It is never ending and works as a continuous loop
– Walter Wallace created a visual depiction of the
scientific process
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Wallace’s Wheel of Science
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Wallace’s Wheel of Science
• The wheel of science includes the following:
– Theory
– Hypotheses
– Research design
– Observation
– Analysis and findings
– Empirical generalizations
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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How to Identify a Research Topic?
• A research topic is a subject that you are curious about
• Published research is a valuable resource for
identifying topics of interest
• Available data are an excellent resource for identifying
research topics
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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How to Identify a Research Topic?
• Requests for proposals (RFPs) are formal statements
asking for research proposals on a particular topic
• Personal experiences are another way of identifying a
research topic
• Viewing the news, movies, and documentaries also
can help identify a topic
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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How to Identify the Purpose/Goal of
Research?
• A researcher must narrow down a research topic and
make it into a feasible research question
• One way to narrow down the topic is to identify the
purpose of the research
– The purpose can be thought of as the goal of the
research
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
10
How to Identify the Purpose/Goal of
Research?
• There are different purposes for research
– Exploratory research is appropriate when little or
nothing is known about a topic
– Descriptive research describes a topic
– Explanatory research provides explanations about
topics
– Evaluation research assess a program based on
objective criteria
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Gathering More Information and
Refining the Topic
• After selecting a topic, it is necessary to focus the topic
• Narrowing the topic requires the gathering of more
information about the topic and purpose selected
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
12
How to Construct the Research
Question
• A formal research statement needs to be constructed
that identifies the purpose and the narrowed topic
• A research question is the impetus behind the research
– It guides every step in the research endeavor
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
13
Common Pitfalls in Research
Questions
• The research question should be a question
• Answering the research question must be feasible
• The research question should be interesting
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Common Pitfalls in Research
Questions
• The research question should increase knowledge
• The research question should be crafted so that it is
not overly broad
• The research question should not be too narrow
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Ethical Considerations
• Ethical considerations must remain at the forefront
during the entire research process
• A research question must consider the three principles
from the Nuremberg Code and the Belmont Report
– Respect for persons, beneficence, and justice
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Ethical Considerations
• The primary sources of guidance for human subjects
research originated in the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
– Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects
(1991)
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Ethical Considerations
• There are five subparts to HHS’s Federal Policy
• Subpart A (referred to as the Common Rule)
– Outlines the fundamental procedures for conducting
human research
o IRB and informed consent
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Contemporary Role of IRB
• IRB committees must be diverse
• The Common Rule identifies research that must be
reviewed by an IRB
• IRB committees must review many elements of the
proposed research
– Has authority to approve, require modifications, or
disapprove of any research
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
19
Contemporary Role of IRB
• IRB committees also ensure the following:
– Risks to subjects are minimized
– Risks are reasonable to benefits
– Selection of research subjects is equitable
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Vulnerable Populations
• Vulnerable populations receive an additional layer of
review
• Vulnerable populations include:
– Pregnant women
– Human fetuses and neonates
– Prisoners
– Children
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SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Exempt, Expedited, or Full Panel
Review at the IRB
• There are three types of research categories when
submitting to IRB
– Exempt
– Expedited
– Full panel review
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SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Exempt, Expedited, or Full Panel
Review at the IRB
• Exempt research occurs when researchers analyze
existing data, documents, or records
– No way to identify the subjects
• Expedited review of research means that the review of
the research protocol will be done by the IRB chair and
perhaps other members
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
23
Exempt, Expedited, or Full Panel
Review at the IRB
• Full panel review is required in all other types of
research
• With full panel review, the research protocol is
reviewed and discussed by the full IRB committee
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Training in Protecting Human
Subjects
• Your institution will likely require you to take training on
the topic of human subjects research
• You can access free human subjects online training
through the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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Open-Access Student Resources
• Quizzes
• eFlashcards
• SAGE Journal Articles
• Multimedia Resources
• And more at edge.sagepub.com/rennisonrm
Rennison, Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology 1e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
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