Testing Criminological Theories: Guidelines for Research and Application

Testing criminological theories is a research process for establishing empirical theories applicable to the criminal justice system. There are 11 guidelines for testing criminological theories as identified and summarized in this paper. The first guide is for one to develop the necessary research skills. Since it is a thorough research activity, the researcher should be highly knowledgeable to execute the task. Secondly, the researchers should familiarize themselves with the datasets involved. In this case, the theory developer should understand the data used in criminological studies. Thirdly, the researcher should be aware of the existing literature. Accordingly, one should conduct an in-depth literature review on the subject matter.

The researcher should pose a quality question. The theory creator should establish a good research question based on the literature reviewed. The fifth guideline is to get the appropriate data. In this case, the researcher should rely on authentic facts. Subsequently, the researcher should utilize the collected information to answer the research question as the sixth guideline. Defending the availed data is often a hurdle in testing criminological theories. Correspondingly, the theory tester should disqualify any methodological lapses by checking for results consistency using multiple research designs.

The theory analyst should prove mastery of his/her work. In this regard, the eighth rule is to understand the implications of your theory. In most instances, the theorist should evaluate the impact of the hypothesis under test on the existing literature. Nonetheless, the developer should welcome advice and corrections through expert consultations and adopt any recommended changes. The homestretch of theory testing is publication. Therefore, the research should select a reputable journal for publishing the refined manuscript as the tenth guideline. Finally, the theorist should be open to post-publication revisions as the last rule. Ultimately, testing criminological theories ends with the continual theory paper improvement.

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