MRes Criminology

Criminological research requires an understanding of different methodological approaches used to study crime, justice, and societal responses to deviance. This postgraduate course offers students an introduction to research methods specifically applied to criminology and criminal justice. Focusing on quantitative, qualitative and comparative methods, the course will provide an opportunity to learn a range of topics such as the logic of criminological inquiry, formulation of problems/questions, conceptualization, measurement, sampling, and different modes of data collection.  While this course does not focus on data analysis, it equips students with tools to critically evaluate the most appropriate ways to collect data for specific research questions, assess studies in the field of criminology, and design their own research in a rigorous way.

• Alternative ideas of causality (the qualitative tradition): causal process observations, cause of effects and qualitative comparative analysis (necessary and sufficient conditions)
• Within case analysis in case studies or small N and contrast with quantitative analysis
• process tracing tests (hoop and smoking guns tests)
• idea of comparative methods and its differences with a case study, and with quantitative methods (& qualitative methods)
• characteristics of comparative methods and its relationship with Mills method of agreement and difference
• discussing some examples of criminological studies that use comparative and case study methods, and analyse some of its limitations

The aim of the course unit is to provide postgraduate students with a comprehensive introduction to research methods in criminology, focusing on quantitative, comparative and qualitative research designs. The first part focuses on different research goals, how to develop relevant research questions/hypothesis, and the challenge of conceptualization and operationalization and measurement in the quantitative and qualitative tradition, particularly in the context of criminological traditional and non-traditional data sources and the problem of the dark figure of crime. The second part introduces quantitative observational, experimental and quasi experimental research designs, insights into the idea of causality of the quantitative tradition, the concept of statistical significance and how results are usually displayed in studies and reports. The third part of the course introduces comparative and case study methods, including an alternative idea of causality, and its main differences with quantitative and qualitative traditions. The fourth part will focus on qualitative methods in criminological studies including Interviews and Observation, ethical dilemmas faced by criminologists when doing research and how qualitative evidence is used in scientific literature. The final part introduces student to different types of systematic and non-systematic reviews of research and how to optimize review by using Artificial Intelligence. By the end of this module, students will learn to be critical consumers able to assess strengths and limitations of different research designs, evaluate which are more appropriate for specific research questions, as well as get insights on how to design and undertake in rigorous way their own research in the future. This course is not a ‘data module’, so students will not learn how to do qualitative or quantitative data analysis, but rather insights about how to design their own research or how to critically read studies.

Week 1: Introduction to the course, key research terms and aspects of the research process

The first week establishes the key principles of research design in criminology and social sciences including research goals, questions and hypothesis, quantitative and qualitative tradition in criminology, main strengths and limitations, the problem of methodological illiteracy (quantitative and qualitative), the research process, and how to assess a scientific paper.

Week 2: Conceptualization & measurement

Concepts and measures play a key role in the research process. The second week focuses on what are concepts and what is the difference between the quantitative and qualitative traditions, main criteria to evaluate concepts, relations between concepts, variables, and attributes, structure of composite measures/scales and steps to build them, and evaluation of measures: quality (reliability and validity) and psychometric structure

Week 3: Measurement of crime & data sources

Building on previous week, students learn about singular measurement challenges faced by criminologists when engaging with different sources of crime and deviance. This includes introducing students to the problem of the Dark figure of crime, different sources of crime information and its reliability and validity problems, the special case of homicide as golden rule of measurement of crime, building surveys and questionnaires to study crime, the challenge of using Big Data and of doing cross-national comparison of different types of crimes and sources.

Week 4: Quantitative Research Design 1: Observational Studies (cross-sectional and longitudinal) and random sampling

In week 4 students are introduced to strengths and limitations of non-experimental / observational studies (cross-sectional and longitudinal), sampling and types of random and non-random sampling, how this type of research designs presents empirical evidence in scientific studies, their challenges for causal inference, and the intuition of frequentist statistical significance.

Week 5: Quantitative Research Design 2: Causality and experimental/quasi-experimental designs

Building on previous week, students are introduced to the idea of causality in quantitative tradition and how is used in criminological research. This includes reviewing potential outcomes framework, distinction between correlation and causation, criteria for causality, the intuition of Directed Acyclical Graphs and what are good and bad controls. Students are then introduced to the use of lab and field randomized control trials in criminology, its basic assumptions, strengths and limitations, as well as the alternative of using quasi experimental research designs.

Week 6: Comparative and case study methods

Week 6 focuses on comparative and case study methods. This week students are introduced to an alternative idea of causality of qualitative tradition based on within case analysis, causal process observations, process tracing, and necessary and sufficient conditions. They review the idea of case study and comparative methods and its differences with quantitative methods, how it is used in criminology and its main advantages and disadvantages.

Week 7: Qualitative Research Design II: Interviews & non-random sampling

Building on week 6 students are introduced to qualitative methods and particularly those based on asking and listening. This involves first reviewing some main epistemological and methodological assumptions of qualitative methods and its strengths and adequacy for tackling specific goals and research problems. Student will learn about main types of interviews, how to design and implement them. They will also review the main strengths and limitations of qualitative methods in terms of validity, reliability and other alternative criteria (e.g. credibility, dependability, transferability, etc.).

Week 8: Qualitative Research Design I

Teaching and Learning methods will combine private study reading compulsory materials, interactive teaching in lectures and workshop sessions and some extra resources in blackboard

Compulsory Reading Materials
Each week, students are expected to complete 3 hours of compulsory readings before the lecture and workshop sessions. These readings will provide fundamental background information about the topics and exercises covered during the lecture and workshop sessions. There will be also additional online learning materials as extra resources.

10x 2-hour Lectures
The 2-hour lecture session will present key conceptual and methodological themes around different research methods and how they are used by criminologists with interactive elements (activities, discussion, brainstorming)

10x 1-hour Workshops
The 1-hour workshop session will be used to practice and develop students’ research skills. Students will work in groups to complete a set of activities with examples of criminological studies where they will have to evaluate and critically reflect about their findings.

If possible, within timetable, workshop and lab should be delivered in the same day to reinforce the learnings.
 

Identify and explain key principles and differences between quantitative, qualitative, and comparative research designs in criminology
Grasp the methodological challenges of conceptualization, operationalization and measurement, particularly crime, including the dark figure of crime and issues with different crime data sources
Identify different ideas of causality and how they are applied in different methodological traditions, including experimental, quasi-experimental, and comparative research designs
 

Be able to evaluate the strengths and limitations of various criminological research designs for addressing specific research questions 
Make reasoned arguments about different approaches to measuring offline and online criminological concepts and assess their reliability and validity
Critically assess limitations of qualitative and quantitative sampling designs
 

Identifying, analysing, and synthesising complex quantitative and qualitative empirical evidence from multiple academic and non-academic sources
Use research design principles to understand and evaluate empirical evidence included in reports, policy briefs and academic articles critically.
Communicate effectively findings of qualitative, quantitative and comparative research methods effectively
 

Critically analyse and interpret empirical research in context that involve sensitive data and diverse populations
Construct and present clear and informed arguments
Critically reflect on the strengths and weakness of existing real world criminological empirical research
 

Weekly multiple choice quizzes and video exercise – 30%

In person closed book exam (2 hours) – 70%

Bachman & Schutt (2024) The Practice of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice. 8th edition. SAGE.

Becker, H. (2008) Tricks of the Trade. How to Think about Your Research While You’re Doing It, chapter 4 concepts.

Bergstrom, C. & West, J. (2020) Calling Bullshit. The Art of Scepticism in a Data Driven World. Chapter 2 and 3 (21 pages)

Buil-Gil, D., Trajtenberg, N., & Aebi, M. F. (2024). Measuring Cybercrime and Cyberdeviance in Surveys. In R. Graham, S. G. Humer, C. Seungeun Lee, & V. Nagy (Eds.), The Routledge International Handbook of Online Deviance (pp. 44-72).

Cullen, F.T., Pratt, T. & Graham, A. (2019). Why longitudinal research is hurting criminology. The Criminologist 44.2: 1–7.

Davies & Francis (2018) Doing Criminological Research. Third Edition, SAGE.

Fabiano, N., Gupta, A., Bhambra, N., Luu, B., Wong, S., Maaz, M., ... & Solmi, M. (2024). How to optimize the systematic review process using AI tools. JCPP advances, 4(2), e12234.

Elster, J. (2011) Hard and soft obscurantism in the humanities and social sciences." Diogenes 58.1-2, 159 – 170.

Elster (2015) Explaining Social Behavior. Cambridge University Press.

Gerring, J. (2012). Mere description. British Journal of Political Science, 42(4), 721-746.

Gerring, J. (2012) Social Science Methodology. An Unified approach. Cambridge University Press.

Goertz, G. (2005) Social Concepts. A user guide. Princeton University Press.

Goertz, G., & Mahoney, J. (2012). A tale of two cultures: Qualitative and quantitative research in the social sciences. Princeton University Press.

Grigoropoulou, N., & Small, M. L. (2022). The data revolution in social science needs qualitative research. Nature Human Behaviour, 6(7), 904-906.

Lynch, J. (2018). Not even our own facts: Criminology in the era of big data. Criminology, 56(3), 437-454

Maguire, M. & McVie, S. (2017) ‘Crime Data and Criminal Statistics: A critical reflection.’ in A. Liebling, S. Maruna, & L. McAra (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, 6th Ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 163-189

Mann, C. (2003). Observational research methods. Research design 11: cohort, cross sectional, and case-control studies. BMJ Research Series. Emergency Medical journal 54-60.

Mardones-Bravo, D. (2022). Online Methods in Qualitative Criminology. In Qualitative Research in Criminology: Cutting-Edge Methods (pp. 85-102). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Maxfield & Babbie (2014) Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology. 7th edition. Cengage Learning

Petticrew, M., & Roberts, H. (2005). Systematic reviews in the social sciences: A practical guide. John Wiley & Sons, chapter 1

Ragin, C. & Amoroso, L. (2022) Constructing Social Research: The Unity and Diversity of Method. 3rd edition. SAGE Publications ltd.

Ray, J. (2020) Cross-Sectional Research Designs in Criminology and Criminal Justice in Oxford Bibliographies. 
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780195396607/obo-9780195396607-0281.xml

Rohrer, J. M. (2018). Thinking clearly about correlations and causation: Graphical causal models for observational data. Advances in methods and practices in psychological science, 1(1), 27-42

Roks, R. & van den Broek, J. (2024) What Happens on the Digital Street, stays on the Digital street? An Examination of Provocations, Threats and Beefs in the Online Drill Culture in Rotterdam in Graham, Roderick, et al., eds. The Routledge International Handbook of Online Deviance. Routledge.

Sampson, R. J. (2010). Gold standard myths: Observations on the experimental turn in quantitative criminology. Journal of quantitative criminology, 26, 489-500.

Seawright, J., & Gerring, J. (2008). Case selection techniques in case study research: A menu of qualitative and quantitative options. Political res