Publications and Bibliographies

Reviewed by Wade Kotter, Stewart Library, Weber State University, April 4, 2000.

Criminal Justice Abstracts, 1968-date. Publisher: Criminal Justice Press, P.O. Box 249, Monsey, NY, 10952, phone 1-914-354-9139, Fax 1-914-362-8376, http://www.criminaljusticepress.com Vendor: SilverPlatter Information Inc.Vendor: SilverPlatter Information Inc., 100 River Ridge Drive, Norwood, MA, 02062-5043, phone 1-800-343-0064, Fax: 1-781-769-8763, http://www.silverplatter.com. Pricing is based on number of simultaneous users within a single institution. Purchasers may select annual or quarterly updates, the latter involving additional costs. Negotiated consortium prices can be arranged, and discounts may be available through regional networks. Pricing is independent of ownership of the printed product.

Introduction:

Published by Criminal Justice Press in cooperation with the Criminal Justice/NCCD Collection of Rutgers University Libraries, Criminal Justice Abstracts (CJA) provides indexing and abstracts for selected articles from nearly 600 periodicals in criminal justice and related fields from 1968 to the present. A list of periodicals indexed is published annually on the Criminal Justice Press Web site. CJA also indexes and abstracts selected books, chapters in books, dissertations, and reports. This comprehensive database provides access to information that is directly relevant to sociologists and anthropologists whose research focuses on such topics as deviance, social control, social movements, and social psychology. It is intended for anyone doing research in criminal justice and will be equally valuable to students, faculty, and practitioners. The version reviewed The version reviewed here is accessed over the Internet using SilverPlatter's WebSpirs interface (Version 4.1), which provides a full range of search capabilities. A print version is also available.

Scope, Size, Coverage and Currency:

The publisher of CJA claims to provide comprehensive international coverage of the major publications in criminal justice and related fields. An examination of the annually updated title list provided on the Criminal Justice Press Web site supports this assertion. The database not only provides full coverage of over 60 periodicals in criminal justice and criminology in several languages and from all parts of the world, but also selective coverage of relevant articles from core journals in such related fields as criminology, law, penology, police science and forensics. Selective coverage extends to majors. Selective coverage extends to major international publications in sociology and social work as well as core works in seemingly distant fields such as medicine, public health, political science, biology, history, business, and economics. Because of the multi-disciplinary nature of the database, it is not possible to give an accurate account of proportional coverage of the major subjects. It is clear, however, that searchers will retrieve relevant documents from an extraordinarily broad range of publications when they use this database.

The breadth of geographic coverage is clearly reflected in the results of a sample search for publications on domestic violence published in 1998. Of the 86 items retrieved, 20 referred to circumstances outside the United States as determined by a direct examination of the citations. Although the descriptor field often includes a geographic term, such as New Zealand, there seems to be inconsistency in the applicatms to be inconsistency in the application of terms. Some items in this search were clearly focused on the United States but were not assigned any geographic term in the descriptor fields. Others were assigned the term United States, while still others were assigned terms representing individual states, such as California. Fortunately, the assignment of geographic terms for the rest of the world seems to be more consistent.

Where language is concerned, cited publications in the database are primarily in English, although the online index for the Language field indicates that publications in at least 16 other languages are indexed in the database. This fact also supports the publisher's claim for international coverage. Unfortunately, the language field in available only in records from 1988 onward, making it impossible to provide accurate proportions for the entire database.

Examination of the 86 citations retrieved in the search mentioned above showed that 38 represented non-periodicals, including monographs, chapters in edited collections, and reports. Although instructive, this example may not reflect the proportion of periodical to non-periodical in the entire database. In fact, the overall proportion is impossible to determine due to a problem similar to that noted for language: the document type field is available only for records added from September 1999 onward.

As of September 1999, the database included more than 75,000 records. According to SilverPlatter, approximately 3,000 records are added each year. Subs00 records are added each year. Subscribers may select either quarterly or annual updates. The version reviewed was updated in September 1999. As of that date, there are 562 entries for items published in 1999, 1,797 entries for 1998, and 2,484 entries for 1997. These data suggest a lag time of approximately six months between publication and indexing.

Format and Organization:

For this review, CJA was accessed using SilverPlatter's WebSpirs user interface, Version 4.1. This Web-based product combines text and graphics to create what most searchers will find to be a user-friendly interface. When started, WebSpirs 4.1 opens a full screen browser window and immediately overlays this with a second, smaller window with three frames. Along the right side is a narrow frame containing a column of graphic buttons with text labels that support navigation, proxt labels that support navigation, provide access to generic and database-specific help screens, and allow the user to logout of the system. Options not available are grayed out. A wider frame takes up the top left portion of the window. It provides a text box for typing in search terms, a drop-down list that provides access to database-specific help, and radio controls for limiting the search. To the right of the text box are two buttons: one initiates the search and the other links to the Search Builder, a forms-based window for searching multiple fields. Also provided are graphic buttons that link to screens where additional limits can be placed and display parameters can be modified. Below the search frame is another frame of the same width that is initially empty.

Clicking on the Start Search button initiates the search. In a few seconds, a message stating the number of items retrieved together with a Display button appears. Clicking on the Display button clears the left side of the main window and presents a scrollable list of results in a format that is fully customizable. The option of long field descriptions is especially valuable for inexperienced searchers. Citations are clear and complete, and avoid the use of cryptic abbreviations. The results screen includes graphic buttons for printing, saving, and emailing results. A button labeled Searches on the right side of the screen returns the user to the search frame and displays a search history in the bottom frame. This frame provides check boxes and radio controls that can be used to combine previous searches, as well as graphic buttons that allow searchers to save their search history and load previously saved searches. Overall, the format and organization of the search interface is logical and consistent. However, clicking on one of the graphic buttons almking on one of the graphic buttons almost always opens a new browser window. The result is that three or four windows are often open at the same time, creating a potential for confusing even the most sophisticated user.

Record Structure, Retrieval and Display:

The following fields may be searched in the SilverPlatter version of CJA:

The abbreviation in brackets is the code used for each field when entering search statements. Inclusion of a field in a record depends on the type of publication and the date the citation was entered into the database. Book, ISBN and Series Title are used only for non-periodicals, while ISSN is used only for journal articles. Publisher only appears in citations from 1982 onward and Language in citations from 1988 onward. Document Type, ISBN, and ISSN first appeared in citations added in September 1999. These facts reduce the usefulness of these fields except for the most recent entries. Most records also include a display-only field called Publication Details [PD], which contains the nn Details [PD], which contains the number of pages in the item and identifies if it has appendices.

Using text boxes, check boxes, and radio controls, the search interface provides for a combination of menu and command searching. Novice searchers familiar with Web search engines will find this interface familiar and easy-to-use, and expert searchers will appreciate the flexibility provided in support of more sophisticated searches. Radio controls on the main search screen allow users to search for keywords anywhere in the record or limit their keyword search to author, title or subject. Using a different set of controls, users may also limit their search to articles in one or more of the following languages: English, French, Spanish, German, or Italian. The text box allows users to enter single words or phrases as well as complex search statements using a full set of boolean operators, proximity operators, and truncation wildcards. Previous searchruncation wildcards. Previous searches listed in the search history window can be represented in search statements by set number. The Publication Year field can also be searched using range operators. Search statements may be nested using parentheses. Keyword searches may also be limited to specific fields using the in operator, and index fields may be searched using the = (equals sign) operator. For example, the following search statement would retrieve citations with "recidivism" in the Title field: recidivism in ti, while this search statement would retrieve citations for publications whose original language in Spanish: la=spanish.

An Indexes button on the right side of the main window gives access to five alphabetical indexes: General, Accession Number, Classification, Document Type, and Language. One or more terms or phrases may be selected from these lists and added to the search. The General index is probably the most useful, since it includes words and phrases from all of the text fields. A Search Builder button provides access to a forms based interface for building multiple field searches. Finally, a Set Other Limits button allows the searcher to set more precise limits by Publication Date, Accession Number, Classification, Document Type, and Language. The least useful of these is Accession Number, which is a number assigned by the publisher as an identifier for the physical item in the Criminal Justice/NCCD Collection of the Rutgers University Library. Although this number could be used for document delivery from Rutgers as a last resort, the help screens encourage searchers to use interlibrary loan at their home library to obtain items. The usefulness of the Language field is restricted by the fact that it is only available in citations from 1988 onward. The Document Type field is even less useful because it appears on less useful because it appears only in citations added during the most recent update in September 1999.

Records are displayed in a clear, easy-to-read format that is fully customizable. Entries in the Author and Journal fields are highlighted in blue and underlined. Clicking on these initiates a lateral search for all citations containing the highlighted word or phrase in the appropriate field. In addition, displayed records may be printed, downloaded to disk, or sent to an email address. Novices will likely be overwhelmed by the multiple options provided, but tests of each option proved successful.

Indexing and Subject Access:

The Author field is searchable both by keyword and alphabetical index. Names are not abbreviated and a scan of the author index indicates careful, although not perfect, authority control. The ability to do lateral searching by author adds to the usefulness of this index.

General subject access is provided by entries in the Classification field, which are selected from the following six choices: Crime, the Offender and the Victim (C); Juvenile Justice and Delinquency (J); Police (P); Courts and the Legal Process (CT); Adult Corrections (CR); and Crime Prevention and Control Strategies (CP). Users can search this field by keyword, by the abbreviated codesd by keyword, by the abbreviated codes listed above in parentheses, or by selecting terms from an alphabetical index. Interestingly, the index includes entries for the entire phrase as well as each significant word in that phrase.

More specific subject access is provided by entries in the Descriptors field selected from a much longer list of controlled vocabulary. Four was the maximum number of descriptors assigned to citations examined as part of this review, but the majority had three or fewer. These descriptors vary from single words to long phrases, resulting in a sometimes confusing combination of individual terms and pre-coordinated phrases. Most of the descriptors are topical, although the controlled vocabulary includes a number of geographic terms as well. Unfortunately, the publisher does not provide a formal, structured thesaurus either online or in print. Instead, online users must use the Database Information button to access several scrformation button to access several screens of "related terms," which list each descriptor in alphabetical order followed by possible alternatives. Also, there is no alphabetic index for the Descriptors field. Users can find descriptors listed in the General keyword index, although these are not particularly easy to identify.

Several citations were examined in preparation for this review. The descriptors assigned to these citations seemed appropriate. However, as noted above, there was some inconsistency in assignment of United States as a geographical term. There were no factual or typographical errors in the citations examined.

User Guidance:

SilverPlatter provides two levels of user guidance in its version of CJA. A Help button on the left side of the main search window provides access to a series of general help screens for the WebSpirs interface. This information is well organized and easy to use. Context-sensitive access to these general help screens is provided by yellow word balloons, enclosing red question marks, that are strategically placed on the various screens. Clicking on these balloons brings up the appropriate section of the general help screens. Well-written user guides for WebSpirs are available directly from SilverPlattertly from SilverPlatter.

A Database Information button on the left side of the screen provides access to information specific to CJA, including a list of search fields, several search examples, and links to the screens of related terms mentioned above. The information is well organized and clearly written, although the use of multiple browser windows might create confusion for some users.

SilverPlatter provides general support on their web site, byides general support on their web site, by email, and by toll-free phone number. Sample user inquiries were handled promptly and professionally. A link to an annually updated title list is provided on the Criminal Justice Press Web site, as is an email address for specific inquiries.

Document Availability:

There is no online document delivery. Instead, in the online database guide users are encouraged to use interlibrary loan to obtain indexed publications not found in their home library. As a last resort, users may contact the Criminal Justice/NCCD Collection of Rutgers University Library for fee-based assistance in obtaining specific items.

Comparisons with Related Resources:

A comparison of CJA with Criminal Justice Periodicals Index (CJPI), an Internet accessible ProQuest Direct database from Bell and Howell Information and Learning, Inc., brings to light some interesting similarities and differences. A significant difference is that CJA provides abstracts in all records, while CJPI began adding abstracts in 1999. CJPI also provides full-text for selected publications, an option not available in CJA. Another difference is that CJPI only covers periodicals, while CJA covers a wider selection of document types.

An important similarity is the obvious overlap in major subjects. However, the latest title list for CJPI includes 135 titles, 66 of which are shared by CJA, an overlap slightly under 50%. The unique titles in CJA include several foreign publications and selectively indexed journals from distantly related fields. On the other hand, CJPI covers a number of legal digests and reporters not indexed by CJA. One would expect differences in the items retrieved by a search.

A keyword search for items on domestic violence published in 1998 in each database supported this expectation. CJPI yielded 77 citations, while the same search in CJA resulted in 86 hits. However, only 48 of the CJA citations referred to articles. The other 38 were monographs and reports. This would seem to give C reports. This would seem to give CJPI the advantage for periodicals, but 33 of the hits from this index were to untitled notices of court decisions from legal digests and reporters. And many of the unique citations from CJA refer to lengthy articles from journals in related fields such as psychology, sociology, and public health. Given the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of Criminal Justice, this would seem to be significant advantage.

Although not definitive, this comparison suggests that researchers wishing to do a broad, comprehensive literature search should use both products. Institutions that must choose between them will need to consider the specific needs of their patrons. However, the breadth of coverage, the inclusion of abstracts for all records in the database, and the coverage of non-periodicals would seem to give CJA an advantage in most circumstances.

Recommendations for Improvement:

Subject access would be significantly improved by adding an index search option for the Descriptors field as well as the capability for lateral seapability for lateral searching of descriptors from the record display. A more ambitious improvement would be a redesign of the controlled vocabulary along the lines of the sophisticated thesauri used by databases such as PsycInfo and Sociological Abstracts. It would also be useful to move geographic terms to a separate field to ensure that the controlled vocabulary is consistently topical in focus. There should also be more consistency in the use of United States as a geographic term. Finally, it would be very helpful if the publisher were to provide a list of deletions and additions to accompany the annual title list. These improvements would make a very valuable database even more useful.

Positive Aspects:

The most positive aspect of CJA is its unparalleled breadth of coverage across disciplines, geographic regions, and languages. It provides a truly international perspective on the increasingly important field of criminal justice. The flexibility of the WebSpirs interface makes this information readily available to both novices and experts. Criminal Justice Press and SilverPlatter are to be commended for their fine work on this database.