Starting Your Research

Helpful tips for Law Enforcement research: Researching a Problem from The Center for Problem-Oriented Policing

Internet Research

• Because anyone can publish on the web, Internet sites found during the course of a search need close review for accuracy, legitimacy, and authorship.
• Search mechanisms are unsophisticated; results can be unpredictable.
• Many resources are not found on the open internet.
• Learn to analyze information on the web:
  • Evaluating Internet Content from Georgetown University Library
  • Critically Analyzing Information Sources from Cornell University Library

Online Databases

• Commercial products compiled by subject matter experts and professional indexers
• Complex search functions provide focused results.
• “Pay-for-play”-- Access them through your local library, university, community college, or on site at some California state agencies, such as POST headquarters.

Journals

• The most current information can be found in journals. While many journals are indexed in the commercial databases, some law enforcement titles do not appear in these sources, or on the web.
• Journals can be divided into three categories: popular, scholarly, and trade journals. All are useful in research.  
• Access our current POST Library journals list or view journal titles on the POST Library online catalog.

Primary Sources vs. Secondary Sources

A good researcher stays aware of the type of information he/she is accessing.  Primary sources tell the story, while secondary sources put facts and figures into context.

Primary

• Unedited eyewitness accounts
• Transcripts of interviews, speeches, TV shows, etc.
• Financial figures
• First-hand description of event
• Creative works: literature, plays, etc

Secondary

• Analysis and discussion of transcripts or speeches
• Financial analysis
• Summaries of events by individuals not directly involved
• Criticisms or reviews

Books, Government Publications, White Papers

• Look here for overview, history, and background information.
• Good way to locate experts, reports and studies.
• Government agencies and law enforcement associations produce a wealth of information.

To consult on research strategies and POST Library collections, contact Laurel Espell at (916) 227-3204.