PERCEIVED SCHOLARSHIP AND READERSHIP OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE JOURNALS

• NCJ Number: 66595
• Journal: Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: (MARCH 1980) Pages: 15-20
• Author(s): D A FABIANIC
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: International Assoc of Chiefs of Police
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY DATA WERE GATHERED FROM A SAMPLE OF 204 CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACADEMICIANS AND EDUCATORS TO DETERMINE THE STATUS OF REGULAR READERSHIP AND PERCEIVED SCHOLARSHIP QUALITY OF 38 CRIMINAL JUSTICE JOURNALS.

Abstract

AS PART OF A MORE EXTENSIVE SURVEY, A SAMPLE OF 145 ACADEMY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SCIENCES (ACJS) MEMBERS AND 59 CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATORS WERE ASKED TO RATE THE LEVEL OF SCHOLARSHIP OF EACH OF 38 CRIMINAL JUSTICE JOURNALS AS EXCELLENT, GOOD, AVERAGE AND POOR; INDICATE WHICH 3 JOURNALS MADE THE BEST SCHOLARLY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GENERAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE FIELD; AND INDICATE THE JOURNALS OF WHICH THEY CONSIDERED THEMSELVES REGULAR READERS. THE 38 SCHOLARLY CRIMINAL JUSTICE JOURNALS CHOSEN FOR RATING WERE DERIVED FROM AN EARLIER PILOT STUDY, AND RESPONDENTS WERE REQUESTED TO RATE ONLY THOSE JOURNALS WITH WHICH THEY WERE FAMILIAR. RESULTS INDICATED THAT 8 OF THE 10 JOURNALS WITH THE HIGHEST SCORES FOR SCHOLARSHIP WERE ALSO THOSE RECEIVING THE HIGHEST NUMBERS OF NOMINATIONS AS ONE OF THE 3 BEST JOURNALS. THIS GROUP OF EIGHT CONSISTED OF AMERICAN CRIMINAL LAW REVIEW, THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY, CRIME AND DELINQUENCY, CRIMINOLOGY, JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW AND CRIMINOLOGY, JOURNAL OF POLICE SCIENCE AND ADMINISTRATION, AND JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN CRIME AND DELINQUENCY, THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION JOURNAL, AND THE CRIMINAL LAW REPORTER WERE AMONG THE 10 JOURNALS WITH THE HIGHEST QUALITY SCORES BUT NOT INCLUDED AMONG THE 8 JOURNALS RECEIVING THE MOST 'BEST' NOMINATIONS. ALTHOUGH THE STUDY HAD SEVERAL LIMITATIONS--ACJS MEMBERS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATORS DO NOT REPRESENT THE ENTIRE CRIMINAL JUSTICE FIELD, THE INTERPRETATION OF 'SCHOLARLY' WAS LEFT TO THE RESPONDENT, AND SUPERIORITY IN SPECIALIZED AREAS BY INDIVIDUAL JOURNALS WAS NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT--IT CAN BE CONCLUDED THAT INDIVIDUALS INTENDING TO PUBLISH SCHOLARLY CRIMINAL JUSTICE MATERIAL WOULD DO WELL TO AIM FOR PUBLICATION IN THE HIGHER RANKED JOURNALS. TABLES ARE INCLUDED. (DEG)