Advanced Forensic Science

FSC 406Linda Galloway

Syracuse University Library Fall 2014

What we’re going to do today…

• Talk about topics, keywords and finding information

• Learn how to find books @ SU Library –both print and electronic books.

• Learn how to use scientific databases to locate scholarly journal articles

• Understand how & why to use the legal/news resource Lexis-Nexis

library.syr.edu

http://researchguides.library.syr.edu/forensics

Choose a topic you are interested in!

Carefully define and develop your topic.

A well defined topic is easier to search

Luminol

Luminol AND Forensic

Does Luminol affect DNA profiling?

How to research a topic…

1. Choose a topic that interests you.

2. Evaluate your topic.

3. Get a working knowledge of your topic. (develop keyword list)

4. Identify controversies or questions.

5. Develop your research question.

6. Write your clarifying paragraph, or introduction, or thesis statement.

Background Information

• Google• Encyclopedias

–Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences–Big “W”

• Books and other media

Let’s develop our topic1. Choose a topic that interests you (Criminal profiling)

2. Evaluate your topic (Too broad or narrow?)

3. Get a working knowledge of your topic. (develop keyword list) (How to do this??)

4. Identify controversies or questions (Background reading)

5. Develop your research question (Why?)

6. Write your clarifying paragraph (Or introduction, or abstract)

Offender profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is a behavioral and investigative tool that is intended to help investigators to profile unknown

criminal subjects or offenders. Offender profiling is also known as criminal profiling, criminal personality profiling, criminological profiling, behavioral profiling or criminal investigative analysis. Geographic profiling is another method to profile an offender. Television shows such as Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Profiler in the 1990s, the 2005 television series Criminal Minds, the 2011 television series Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, and the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs have lent many names to what the FBI calls "criminal investigative analysis.“

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offender_profiling#Controversies

http://library.cqpress.com.libezproxy2.syr.edu/cqresearcher/index.php

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2009071700&type=hitlist&num=0

researchguides.library.syr.edu/forensic

Effective Search StatementWorksheet

Finding Books

Electronic Book

In print: HV8073 .H77 2010

In print: QA276 .A264 2010

http://library.syr.edu

eBooks in Forensics

http://researchguides.library.syr.edu/forensic

Finding Articles

Databases!Do you have your own

database?

•Cell phone address book•Online article collection

http://researchguides.library.syr.edu/forensic

When searching databases…

Remember: RATS

• Synonyms• Subjects• Suggested topics• Types of materials

– Scholarly Journals, Magazines, etc.

Read All The Screens!

Recognize the difference between a magazine and a

journal…..

Peer review: suitability for publication credibility quality control

Primary Sources& Peer Review

Primary Source - Original document containing firsthand information– Diaries, interviews– Original research including journal articles

and preprints

A peer reviewed primary source is a work that is evaluated by experts in the field of study prior to publication. Think of this as quality control.

Scopus

Re-sorted by Relevance…

One good article can lead you to….

Cited References below

Generate a citation to this article

Search Databases vs. Browse Journals

Demo Searches in Proquest Central Database

Legal & News Resources

http://researchguides.library.syr.edu/forensics

Search for:confession AND false AND interrogation

in “Look up a Legal Case”yielded 300+ results

Web Resources

Research Methods & Guidance

Before you begin your research…

• Define your topic• Gain a working knowledge of your topic –

background info, keywords, controversies • Write your abstract/introduction OR your

outline• Make sure you know what you are looking

for• Find articles in databases

Final tips…

Is Google Scholar OK to use??

Search Tips

• Most search tools insert AND between words.– Criminal AND profiling

• To search for an exact phrase, use quotation marks

“criminal profiling”• Use advanced search or read help

sections for further assistance

Google

Google Scholar

Summon

Specialized databases

Broad,Interdisciplinary

search Tools

Focused, subject-specific search engines

with advanced research features

Citing Sources

Citation Managers

Questions???