LibGuides: Police: Finding Criminal and Legal Research

Journal Articles

What are journals?

They are:

like magazines but of a scholarly nature
published at regular intervals with no predetermined end
contain articles on a variety of topics
the articles are written by different authors
sometimes they also contain reviews and other information
in printed and electronic formats

Why Should I use them?

journal time is much quicker than for a book
using information from journals will keep you up to date and informed of new developments in your subject
journals articles are more specific than books. They give you more detailed information in a more scholarly and concise format
subject may not yet (or may never) be covered in books
quality research - academic reputation - peer reviewed.

What does peer reviewed mean?

Written by an academic, who is a specialist in the subject
Submitted to an editor, who then passes the work to other professionals or 'peers' for a critiques, the work is then passed back to the original writer for changes to be made before being published
Longer articles, heavily text based
Charts, tables, statistics and images
Properly referenced with a list of references at the end of the article.

Using databases for your subject area

For more specialist searching use an online database

What are online databases?

Databases are specialist search engines that search for quality information, such as journal articles and research papers.

The databases listed below cover specific subject areas. The brief summary will give you guidance on the subject coverage.

Hover over the icons by each, to see what help is available.

For more general databases which cover many different subject areas see the next tab - General databases. These will still be very useful for crime and investigation.

For legal information (e.g. cases and legislation) look at the Legal databases - listed under the Legal databases tab.

For help searching the databases contact your SSHL information team. Details on the Home page

Please note that all databases are provided for educational use only

Criminal Justice Abstracts (with full text) This link opens in a new window
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Published by Ebsco, this resource includes bibliographic records and full text covering essential areas related to criminal justice and criminology. The increasing globalization of criminology is reflected in coverage of hundreds of journals from around the world. There are more than 300,000 records and full text comes from 200 magazines and journals, as well full-text books & monographs.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access EBSCOhost databases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Ebsco licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (E-H) (This link opens in a new window)
ForensicNetBase This link opens in a new window
A collection of searchable e-books covering forensics, crime scene science, fire investigation, security management and computer crime investigation
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Forensic NetBase you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
Authorised Users may, in accordance with the Licence and the Restrictions:
Copy and paste up to one thousand (1000) words per single eBook, serial or other literary work forming part of the Licensed Materials under this Agreement, per Authorised User, per session for Personal Use only.
Each Authorised User shall not access any one (1) Licensed Material for more than one hundred and twenty (120) minutes per session.
A copy of the full terms of the Forensic NetBase licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (E to H)
ASSIA This link opens in a new window
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ASSIA is a bibliographic database which gives references (with abstracts) to the literature of the applied social sciences, including social policy, social services, society, family issues, economics, politics, employment, race relations, health, education and youth work. The abstracts are taken from over 550 English language journals from 16 countries. Coverage is from 1987, with information being updated monthly.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access ProQuest databases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource.

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms for ProQuest can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M-P) (This link opens in a new window)
PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
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PsycINFO contains citations and summaries of journal articles, books, technical reports and dissertations in the field of psychology and related disciplines such as psychiatry, physiology and sociology. Over 55,000 references are added annually.
Help and guidance is available at http://libguides.tees.ac.uk/cinahl
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access PsycArticles, PsycINFO & PsycTESTS you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the PsycArticles, PsycINFO & PsycTESTS licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M to P)
EMBASE This link opens in a new window
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EMBASE is a major biomedical and pharmaceutical database indexing over 3,500 international journals in the following fields: drug research, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, toxicology, clinical and experimental human medicine, health policy and management, public health, occupational health, environmental health, drug dependence and abuse, psychiatry, forensic medicine, and biomedical engineering/instrumentation.

Further Help and guidance is available at https://libguides.tees.ac.uk/cinahl/support - please select the Embase tab
Can I access this resource?
To access Embase you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Embase licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (E to H)
National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts This link opens in a new window
The NCJRS Abstracts Database contains summaries of the more than 200,000 criminal justice, juvenile justice, and substance abuse resources housed in the NCJRS Library collection
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Policing Insight This link opens in a new window
Policing Insight content consists of news, opinion, research and analysis produced by our editorial team and over 1000 external expert contributors, delivered through articles and reports as well as the hugely valuable Media Monitor service. Media Monitor is a curated daily brief and searchable database of over 68,000 links to articles, reports and research from media, academic and policing and criminal justice organisations. Each link is tagged in detail creating an amazing research database.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
For information on how to access Policing Insight go to: Access Instructions

Can I access this resource?
To access Policing Insight you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Policing Insight licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M to P)

Campbell Collaboration
Systematic reviews of social, educational and criminological interventions

Databases are specialist search engines that search for quality information, such as journals articles and research papers.

The databases listed below cover many different subject areas. They are very useful for the crime and investigation subject area.

Hover over the icons by each, to see what help is available.

For legal information (e.g. cases and legislation) look at the Legal databases - listed under the Legal databases tab.

For help searching the databases contact your SSHL information team. Details on the Home page

Please note that all databases are provided for educational use only

Scopus This link opens in a new window
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Easy to use and comprehensive, Scopus is the world’s largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature covering 20,500 journals.

Further Help and guidance is available at http://libguides.tees.ac.uk/cinahl/support - please select the Scopus tab

Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Scopus you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Scopus licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window
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An extremely popular comprehensive database of primary literature which provides the full-text of more than 2,500 peer-reviewed scientific, technical and medical journals
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Science Direct Journals you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Science Direct Journals licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
Sage Journals Online This link opens in a new window
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Sage Journals Online provides access to the following collections:
Premier Journals Collection portfolio of 1,101 titles
SAGE IMechE portfolio of 18 titles
SAGE RSM portfolio of 28 titles
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Sage Journals Online you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Sage Premier licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
Ingenta This link opens in a new window
Ingenta is a multidisciplinary database which offers access to article summaries from over 28,000 publications. Fulltext access is available to subscribers of particular publications although for a definitive view please follow the Electronic Journals page. Non-subscribers can, for the majority of articles, pay-per-view choosing from electronic, fax or ariel delivery. Please see also Zetoc (Electronic Table of Contents from the British Library) available at http://zetoc.mimas.ac.uk/
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
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An abstracting & indexing database covering over 12,000 journals via the Science Citation Index Expanded, the Social Sciences Citation Index, and the Arts and Humanities Citation Index. Conference proceedings for science and social sciences & humanities are also indexed
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Web of Science you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Web of Science licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (U to Z)

The databases listed below are legal and law specific subject databases, covering cases, legislation, journal articles and news articles.

Hover over the icons by each, to see what help is available.

For help searching the databases contact your SSHL information team. Details on the Home page

Please note that all databases are provided for educational use only

Hein Online This link opens in a new window
HeinOnline content spans multiple library collections, and subscribers enjoy online access to tens of millions of pages of research material that in many instances is only available in HeinOnline.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Hein Online you must be either:
- A UK-based Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A UK-based member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource.
Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Hein Online licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (E to H)
Lexis Plus (formerly LexisLibrary) This link opens in a new window
Lexis Plus (Lexis+) is a legal database containing UK, EU and international case law, legislation, legal journals, commentary texts, current awareness, and news. The database provides access to full text online legal and news information services and contains a range of practitioner texts including Butterworths Company Law Handbook and Butterworths Family Law Service as well as All England Law Reports, Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents, and Halsbury's Laws. A full-text collection of several UK broadsheet, tabloid and local newspapers is also included.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Lexis Library you must be either:
- A UK-based Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A UK-based member of Teesside University Faculty or Library staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
The licence for Lexis Nexis includes the following terms:
- The material available on Lexis Library is only for educational purposes directly linked to academic coursework
- You may only print one single hard copy of up to ten documents
- You may only download one single copy of up to ten documents
A copy of the full terms of the Lexis Library licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (I to L)
Westlaw UK This link opens in a new window
This is a database which searches for cases, legislation and journals both for the UK and EU. Searches can be carried out for journal articles using the Legal Journals Index or UK Journals which gives some full text articles.

Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Westlaw UK you must be either:
- A UK-based Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A UK-based member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Westlaw UK licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (U to Z)
British and Irish Legal Information Institute This link opens in a new window
This organisation aims to promote a system of vendor and media neutral citation in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Sage Research Methods This link opens in a new window
SAGE Research Methods is a research methods tool created to help researchers, faculty and students with their research projects. SAGE Research Methods links over 175,000 pages of SAGE’s book, journal and reference content with advanced search and discovery tools. Researchers can explore methods concepts to help them design research projects, understand particular methods or identify a new method, conduct their research, and write up their findings. Since SAGE Research Methods focuses on methodology rather than disciplines, it can be used across the social sciences, health sciences, and more.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Sage Research Methods and Cases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Sage Research Methods & Cases licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
Sage Research Methods Cases This link opens in a new window
Search and browse this collection of case studies of real social research, specially commissioned and designed to help you understand abstract methodological concepts in practice.
Accessibility Statement (This link opens in a new window)
Can I access this resource?
To access Sage Research Methods and Cases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Sage Research Methods & Cases licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)

Help - journal articles

The following guides will help you to develop your skills in finding journal articles:

Finding Journals

Critical thinking - what it is and why it matters.

Doing a Literature Search

Developing Keywords

Police

Journal Articles

What are journals?

Why Should I use them?

What does peer reviewed mean?

Using databases for your subject area

For more specialist searching use an online database

What are online databases?

Databases are specialist search engines that search for quality information, such as journals articles and research papers.

Help - journal articles

Certicated Training for WestLaw & LexisLibrary training resources