Liberty University CJUS740 Week 1
Discussion Thread: Scientific Inquiry
You are a Ph.D. candidate in Criminal Justice and working to find a topic for
your dissertation. How would you go about reviewing the existing literature
on a topic you find interesting? When reading scholarly articles, what reading
methods would you employ to be an active and effective researcher?
Selecting a Dissertation Topic in Criminal Justice
The initial basis for selecting a criminal justice dissertation topic will be considering the
specific area of study that the student had focused on for the Ph.D. course. The aspect will be
through brainstorming that allows for an in-depth determination of ideas that revolve around the
Ph.D. course. One basis is through ascertaining the reason for selecting the topic and the specific
contributors to the topic. The context underlines the specific queries centered on the topic
(DeVaney & Willmarth, 2019). Another basis is evaluating where the topic is of significance and
if the topic attempts to tackle past, present, or future issues.
Therefore, the given topic of choice should be unique, narrow, and definite to limit the
scope of the study area in an effectively manageable sense. Also, the topic of choice should be
able to uphold a robust foundation for linking to the student’s current or future career passion.
The need for appropriately reviewing existing literature on the topic will be founded on
highlighting the origin principles (Ameen et al., 2018). The context is through checking for
specific time-frames when the scholarly articles were developed, the geographical locales, and
the best form of applied research methodology.
Reading Methods
The next process for literature review is utilizing applicable keywords that may be in the
form of looking for the library databases. The best form of reading method is the structure-
proposition-evaluation approach. The approach allows for an in-depth evaluation of the
framework of research outcomes and the logistical propositions used (Safura & Helmanda,
2020). Consequently, there is the enablement for appraising the advantages of the presented
