Institutional repositories are the standard tool for capturing the research and scholarship created at academic institutions and research organizations. The Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR) lists over 4700 repositories worldwide.
There are many benefits of sharing your work using the repository:
Research shows that open, freely available scholarship is read and cited more frequently. Your works will be preserved and accessible through technological changes. Collecting your work in the repository is less time-consuming than maintaining a personal website, and creating a long-term record of your work. Sharing in the repository likely fulfills open access mandates/requirements set by your funding agency. For students, evidence of high-quality research can enhance applications for employment or graduate school, and prospective students may be attracted by the research focus of a faculty member or the institution.
Members of the MRU community may submit works to the repository, including faculty, students, staff, and other employees. We offer two options for submitting works.
Option 1: Library-supported submission
Library staff are available to submit works on your behalf or to assist you with the submission process. You can either contact myself (Madelaine mvanderwerff@mtroyal.ca) or my colleague Cari (cmerkley@mtroyal.ca) and we are happy to assist!!
Option 2: Self-submission
Visit the submission page, where the submission form will take you through the following steps:
Once your work is submitted we will need some time to review the submission before it is committed to the repository.
The following is a select list where undergraduate students in CRJS who have been published in the past. If you are interested in sharing your work beyond the repository, please connect with me and I am happy to assist in this process!
(De)Constructing Criminology: International Perspectives - an open-access international journal that accepts student work on issues relating to crime, law, offending, victimization, criminalization, and decolonization of our justice systems.
UJPPS - The Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Policy and Society is an open-access journal that seeks to publish the academic work of undergraduate students within the arts, social sciences, and humanities. There is a call for papers that normally goes out every February.
UTUCR (University of Toronto Undergraduate Criminal Review) - a student-run publication that publishes scholarship that will have a positive impact on the criminology community.
Justice Report - This is a sister trade publication of the Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Canadian Journal for Undergraduate Research (CJUR) - a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed student-led open-access journal for undergraduates across Canada.
Spectrum - Student-run, open access, collaborative undergraduate journal that publishes content within the areas of health sciences, natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, and humanities.
Appeal - Review of Current Law and Law Reform - A student-run peer-reviewed journal operating out of UVic. Promotes legal scholarship in its political, philosophical, and social contexts.
Western Journal of Legal Studies - An open-access student-run journal focusing on contributions to Canadian Law.
List of (mostly American) undergraduate research journals
There are a couple of very useful guides authored by other MRU librarians that may help before you get started:
What is a literature review?
It describes and evaluates the research that has been done in a particular area of research.
What is it for?
Literature reviews should synthesize and compare studies that discuss different aspects of your topic, depending on your purpose (for example, you might compare experimental method, population studied, theoretical framework, etc.).
A Successful Literature Review
Types of Lit Reviews
Narrative or traditional literature reviews provide a general overview of the previous research done on a topic, and can take many shapes and forms. They do not need to follow any specific guidelines or standards, so they can be completed more quickly and by a solo researcher. Example
A narrative literature review should have...
Scoping reviews are a type of knowledge synthesis that uses a systematic approach to identify and synthesize an existing or emerging body of literature on a given topic. These are time-sensitive and normally require a multi-person team. They are more common in the health sciences, but we are seeing them more in the social sciences. Example
Integrative reviews are critical analysis of empirical, methodological or theoretical literature that aims to highlight future areas of research/needs relating to a topic. Similar to scoping reviews, it requires a systematic search and appraisal of selected studies. Example
Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses - high-level review article that collates all empirical evidence that fits with pre-specified eligibility criteria in order to answer a specific research question. Narrative reviews or traditional reviews tend to be mainly descriptive and while systematic reviews and meta-analyses focus more on the search strategy and research plan. These types of reviews should be replicable by other researchers. Prevalent in the health sciences and essential to inform evidence-based decision-making. Example
Structuring your review
Chronological Approach - reviewing the various studies in order of their appearance in time
Methodological Approach - organizing by different methodologies used
Thematical Approach - organizing around different themes or concepts, key issues or debates or sometimes discipline/area of study
Summaries and background papers compiled by the Library of Parliament to support policy decisions.
Citation management software
Citation management software allows you to save and organize items found via searching the library's databases. It also can be used to create reference lists and citations for papers. There are a number of software systems available.
There are two citation management tools you may consider using to organize your research:
Take a close look at them both and decide which one would work best for your research projects. You can also take a look at this chart for a quick look at the differences between the two products to help you make a decision about what best meets your needs.
Insurgent Research (A. Gaudry) If you are doing research relating to Indigenous populations, this is a must-read.
Indigenous Studies Portal (USask) The iPortal content has a primary focus on Indigenous peoples of Canada with a secondary focus on North American materials and beyond.
Crime and Justice - A sub-page of the Stats Canada site with focus police, crime, and court statistics.
Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics - statistics related to crime and victims of crime prepared by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP).
Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society - a searchable database that connects scholars with research and initiatives relating to terrorism and security policy.
Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction - includes quick data and statistics, fact sheets, and research publications.
Juristat - In-depth analysis and detailed Canadian statistics on a variety of topics and issues related to justice and public safety.
Stats Canada - Stats Canada is the official national statistics site.
Correctional Services Canada Contains general information for the public but also links to publications and research and special reports.
THOMAS - A one-stop site to find American federal legislation.
National Institute of Corrections (US) Resources targeted toward corrections practitioners and researchers.
