1. Intro to Criminal
Justice
Term Paper: expediency in
the criminal justice system

2. Types of materials
 Format – what types of materials do what
types of things?
 Reference material – background
information, definitions, possible next steps
 Books – broad discussion of many facets of
a topic
 Journals/Periodicals – more focused
research and discussion of (usually) a single
issue or question

3. Which is best for your topic?
 Ask yourself – what type of material is best
suited to answer my questions?
 Reference materials?
 Books?
 Articles?
 A mix of materials?

4. Where to start?
 Are there terms you need a formal
definition for?
 Term Paper Topic – expediency in the cj
system
 Due Process
 Judicial Process
 Court Administration
 For broad overviews and definitions, head
to reference materials!

5. Reference Material
 Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment
(this is an ebook, just click “View this
book” and enter your 7 digit ID number)
 Due Process
 Criminal Trial
 Make sure to look at the bottom of the
article for additional related articles

6. Reference Material (cont.)
 Related articles help lead to other
solutions!
 For example: At the end of Due Process,
there are links to Differentiated Case
Management, Assembly-Line Justice,
Criminal Trials, Procedural Justice, etc.
 Are those possibilities for exploration to answer
your research question? (Yes!)

7. Brainstorming
 Reference material can lead you to
alternate terms/concepts you might not
have considered.
Write down all terms you might use
 For example: court administration, criminal
procedure, differentiated case
management, expediency, speedy trial,
due process, etc.
Why? Different writers use different terms

8. Brainstorming Possibilities –
Terms to Try
Expediency, Due Process, Court Procedure
 Differentiated case management
 Judicial Process
 Courts
 Justice, Administration of
 Criminal Procedure/Civil Procedure
 Pre-Trial Procedure
 Case Management
 Speedy Trial

9. Next Steps
 Use the information you found in the
reference material to lead your search for
books and articles
 Use your brainstormed terms as possible
search terms – mix & match!
 Think about possible answers to your
question, there are many possibilities!
 Then, look for information on your proposed
answers

10. Next Steps -- Books
 Reminder –
 Books contain broader based information
on a topic area
 Terms to try when searching for books
 Judicial Process
 Court Administration
 Civil/Criminal Procedure

11. Next Step – Journal Articles
 Reminder –
 Journal articles contain more focused
information on a specific facet of an issue
 For example
 Expediency in court dispositions
 Trial process and case management
 You should be using mostly SCHOLARLY
journal article for your paper!

12. Citing References
 For this class, you must cite in APA style
(not MLA!)
 Database citations, while useful, almost
always need correcting
 There is help on the research guide for this
class on the “APA Citations” tab
 Use the dropdowns under that tab for
specific source examples

13. Research Guide
 There is a research guide for this class that
links to relevant resources
 Books & More: search our catalog, search
the eReference materials (this is where
good CJ-related eEncyclopedias are)
 Articles: links to relevant databases
 APA Citations: info on citing in APA style

14. Need More Help?
 Contact me! That’s what I’m here for!
 Erika Behling: ebehling@clcillinois.edu