National Criminal Justice Reference Service

Document Data Base on the Web

In a natural extension of the Department of Justice’s Justice Information Center Web site, users will be able to use the Document Data Base -- a staple research tool in criminal justice for many years -- directly on the Web. Please visit the NCJRS Document Data Base on the Web at http://www.ncjrs.org/database.htm The Data Base is free online to all until February 1, 1998, at which point registration and fees may apply for some users.

About the NCJRS Document Data Base

The NCJRS Document Data Base provides 100-200 word abstracts for more than 140,000 criminal justice publications. Literature covered includes U.S. Federal, State and local government documents, books by publishers such as Sage and university presses, journals such as Crime and Delinquency and Prison Journal, unpublished research reports, program descriptions and evaluations, and international publications The Data Base summarizes criminal justice literature from the early 1970’s up to the present. Currently 355 new items are added to the Data Base each month.

For all publications with copyright clearance, photocopies are available on a cost-recovery basis from NCJRS. All of the literature is also available in the NCJRS Research and Information Center, which is open to criminal justice professionals and graduate students doing research. Interlibrary loans are available for all items in the collection to U.S. and Canadian libraries.

Features of the NCJRS Document Data Base on the Web

Search all parts of the records, or search specifically by title, subject, author, or NCJ #.

Perform simple or complex searches, combining words and phrases with AND, OR, and NOT, and parentheses. For example, drug courts and (California or Florida).

Limit searches by publication date. The entire Data Base, from the early 1970s to the present, is online.

Use wildcard (truncated) terms. For example, correction$ finds the words corrections, correctional, etc.

Consult comprehensive help text, with multiple links to specific help sections from the search screen, and from search results screens.

Click on staff-performed searches on popular topics, by linking to NCJRS' existing Topical Searches.

Sample Searches

• community policing and Texas "global search"
• victimization and (minority or minorities) "global search"
• bicycle patrol$ "subject search"
• Petersilia J "author search"

Other Ways the Document Data Base Is Available

• The Data Base is produced on CD-ROM annually. NCJRS will still produce the CD-ROM, for those who do not have Internet access or prefer the reliability of CD-ROM products over their Internet connection.
  
• Custom searches are performed by NCJRS staff.
  
• The Data Base is available via DIALOG, a commercial service available in most libraries. (DIALOG is known as DataStar outside the U.S.).
  
• Topical Searches and Topical Bibliographies, which are searches on popular topics, are also available for sale.

Questions? E-mail askncjrs@ncjrs.org or call (800)851-3420 or (301)519-5500.