1. Criminology
Research: Theory
Testing and
Publishing

2. Keywords
• Bias
• Circular Reasoning
• Falsification
• Logical Fallacies
• Overgeneralization

3. Scientific Method
• A way to investigative how or why something works, or how
something happened, through the development of hypotheses
and subsequent attempts at falsification through testing and
other accepted means.

4. Scientific Method
• The scientific method is a way of ensuring the results
one obtains when researching something are both valid
and reliable.

5. Scientific Method
• The method of testing is called falsification (Popper,
2002

6. Falsification
• One cannot prove whether a theory or hypothesis is true.
• One can only prove that it is false,

7. Black swan

8. Karl Poppers falsification

9. Reliability and Validity
• A test is reliable if it consistently yields the same result within
whatever margin of error, we are willing to accept.
• Validity In reference to testing, when the results are reliable and
accurate.

10. Reliability and Validity

11. Peer Review
The process of subjecting an author’s work, research, or ideas to
the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field.
Research submitted for publication should be critiqued and that
research not meeting acceptable standards should be kept from
publication.

12. Peer
Review

13. Logical Fallacies
• Circular reasoning. Using data to prove something that was used to develop
the hypothesis; a proof that essentially restates the question. An example
would be: “There is no such thing as a false confession, because innocent
people do not confess to crimes they did not commit.”
• Overgeneralization. Making generalizations to a broad population based on
insufficient data.

14. Lack of
Validity/Overgeneralization
• Circular reasoning. Using data to prove something that was used to develop
the hypothesis; a proof that essentially restates the question. An example
would be: “There is no such thing as a false confession, because innocent
people do not confess to crimes they did not commit.”
• Overgeneralization. Making generalizations to a broad population based on
insufficient data.

15. Validity/Overgeneralization case
example: organized crime scene
vs disorganized crime scene
• An organized crime scene might be one where the offender planned the
assault and brought a weapon which he/she took with him/her when leaving
the scene.
• The disorganized crime scene would be one where the offender acted
impulsively and used something he/she found at the scene as a weapon to
commit an assault of some kind. .

16. Validity/Overgeneralization case
example: organized crime scene
vs disorganized crime scene
“Our study was an exploratory one.”(Burges and Ressler, 1985 p. 32). “It
is imperative that this be viewed as demonstrating only that profiling is an
objective possibility.,” “The study does not establish that profiling can, in
fact, be done, or that if it were done, it would be successful.” and “Instead,
we show that further study of profiling is, indeed, reasonable and
appropriate.

17. Summary
Maintaining expected standards in research and academic
publishing is important to further and protect scientific endeavors.
Adherence to ethical guidelines is important in conducting research
and scholarly publishing as the end-user relies on the integrity of
such products in conducting further research.