Key databases
- Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full TextA leading full-text database for criminal justice and criminology research. It contains full text for many important journals and magazines related to forensic sciences, corrections, policing, criminal law and investigation, history of crime, and substance abuse and addiction.
- ProQuest Criminal Justice DatabaseA comprehensive database supporting research on crime, its causes and impacts, legal and social implications, as well as litigation and crime trends. Includes international scholarly journals, correctional and law enforcement trade publications, crime reports, and crime blogs.
- InformitLarge collection of multiple Australian research databases in the education, research. Includes full text, indexes and abstracts to journals, books, conference proceedings and other research material. Please note: All Informit collections are now searchable via this platform, including; A+ Education, Health Collection, APAFT, AGIS Plus Text, Literature & Culture Collection, APAIS, CINCH, MAIS-ATSIS, ATSIHealth, Health & Society, FAMILY-ATSIS, and Humanities & Social Sciences Collection.
- Lexis AdvanceAustralian legal database including law reports, legislation, law journals, commentary and texts. Key titles include Halsbury’s Laws of Australia, Encyclopaedic Australian Legal Dictionary, CaseBase, and the Australian Law Reports (ALRs).
- Westlaw AUAccess to legislation, case law, commentary, journals, news and precedents that are easy to find and apply.
- AustLII - Australasian Legal Information InstituteFree access to Australasian public legal materials. Includes primary legal materials (legislation, treaties and decisions of courts and tribunals) and secondary legal materials created by public bodies for purposes of public access (e.g. law reform and royal commission reports). Also includes a substantial collection of law journals.
Secondary sources
- Oxford Handbooks OnlineEssays that review current research and the latest thinking in a range major topics including criminology and criminal justice. Handbook articles offer a thorough introduction to major topics and provide cutting-edge debates by scholars.
- PsycINFOScholarly literature in the psychological, social, behavioral, and health sciences. Extensive coverage from the 1800's to present. Content includes journal articles, book chapters and reviews, theses, editorials and literature reviews.
Key encyclopedias and dictionaries
- Oxford research encyclopedias - Criminology and criminal justiceSubstantive, peer-reviewed, and regularly updated.
- Halsbury's Laws of AustraliaHalsbury's Laws of Australia is a comprehensive legal encyclopaedia written in a clear, concise form covering all Australian law.
A Dictionary of Criminology by ISBN: 0429027087Publication Date: 2019This Dictionary provides a wide-ranging guide to concepts and terminology frequently used in criminology.
The Concise Dictionary of Crime and Justice by ISBN: 9780761921769The Concise Dictionary of Crime and Justice is an excellent, wide-ranging resource with clear definitions for over 2,000 key criminal justice terms.
Australian Law Dictionary by Call Number: 349.9403 AUSISBN: 9780190304737The Australian Law Dictionary is a key reference for those who need familiarity with, and a comprehensive knowledge of, Australian legal terms.
A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Studying Criminology by ISBN: 9781848601413Publication Date: 2009This is the book that criminology students have been waiting for. Written in a lively and conversational style, it introduces and familiarizes students with a set of basic notions which are essential to the study of crime and its control.
- LawlexLawlex provides links to authorised legislation (Bills, Acts and Regulations) in all Australian jurisdictions.
- Federal Register of LegislationThe Federal Register of Legislation (the Legislation Register) is the authorised whole-of-government website for Commonwealth legislation and related documents. It contains the full text and details of the lifecycle of individual laws and the relationships between them. (formally Comlaw)
- Legal SourceIndex and full text database of scholarly law journals. The collection is international in coverage and includes book reviews and case citations.
- HeinOnlineLarge image based legal research database. Includes full text Law journals, US statutory materials, US supreme court reports, and state and federal case law coverage.
- Legal Scholarship NetworkLSN is a component of the Social Science Research Network (SSRN). It includes papers and ejournals from law research centres and schools. Examples include the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property & Competition Law Research Paper Series, the Aust National University College of Law Legal Studies Research Paper Series, Notre Dame Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series, and the Harvard Law School, Public Law & Legal Theory Research Paper Series.
Other resources
- Australian Institute of Criminology publicationsThe Australian Institute of Criminology is Australia's national research and knowledge centre on crime and justice. We seek to promote justice and reduce crime by undertaking and communicating evidence-based research to inform policy and practice.
- AIHW - Australian Institute of Health and WelfareThe AIHW is an independent statutory Australian Government agency producing authoritative and accessible information and statistics to inform and support better policy and service delivery decisions, leading to better health and wellbeing for all Australians.
- BOCSAR: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and ResearchThe Bureau is a statistical and research agency within the Department of Communities and Justice.
- CriminologyTVThis YouTube Channel created by Australian Institute of Criminology provides videos or presentations in various aspects of criminology.
Law Library Guide
- Library Referencing GuideYou will need to use both APA and AGLC4 referencing styles in your degree.
Contact or help
Guide last reviewed 12 December 2022