Research foundations in criminal justice - Term Paper Example

Research foundations in criminal justice This paper explains my developed knowledge. Stages in conducting a research are one of the developed knowledge from the course. The research process involves presentation of a research proposal for approval and implementation of the proposal to generate data that is then analyzed and results and recommendations communicated. Doing a research involves identification of a problem to be investigated that may result from social concerns or personal interests in a field and culminates to research questions, based on background information.

Review of literature on the topic of interest follows, leading to accurate identification of existing knowledge gap and potential approach to bridging the gap (Sampson, 2012). A problem statement, statement of purpose, and research hypotheses are then established before development of research methodology. When the research committee approves a proposal, the methodology is implemented and data analyzed, documented, and communication done to target audience (Scuth, 2010; King and Wincup, 2008).

Literature review informs a researcher of previous developments such as investigated and developed theories together with involved methodologies, and findings. Identified consistency in applied research method, research design and data collection instruments, for example, communicates tradition in a research topic and unless a researcher can develop alternative strategies that better suits the research, such traditional practices informs a proposed research methodology.. dology such as data collection instruments and measures for ensuring ethical studies as other researchers have applied in conducting their researchers (Acton, 2013).

Research by other people also helps in development of new theories or modification of existing theories because reviewing and comparing existing knowledge allows for identification of flows in existing theories that new research initiatives can remedy (Corrigan, 2013). Review of other researchers’ findings can inform the need for codification of scattered knowledge into a theory while a review of existing theories may induce problem statements into new research that adds to the existing theories or develops new and overruling theories (Dantzker and Hunter, 2011).

The role of existing research as bases for informing future study is another derived knowledge from the course concepts. In addition to directions that a researcher develops from analysis of results from previous studies, a research may recommend further research to remedy its reliability and validity concerns or effects of its confounding factors in research (Bayens and Roberson, 2010). A researcher should therefore be critical to note potential challenges in a study and communicate the challenges together with possible remedies in future research by the researcher or other researchers (Maxfield and Babbie, 2011).

Deployment of theory through identification and implementation of a theoretical framework is another area of knowledge that the course concepts have covered. In addition to the role of previous research in facilitating development of research problems and guiding methodologies, theoretical frameworks offer bases for identifying variables in a study and forecasting relationships among the variables. This further informs research