ABSTRACT
The scientific study of delinquency is based on the ability to gather accurate and valid data. However, gathering data that accurately represent the occurrence of delinquency is a persistent problem in criminology. Social scientists have used various research methods to obtain data from a variety of sources, including agencies that constitute the juvenile justice system, victims, and offenders themselves. In this chapter, we explore these research methods and sources of data. We begin with examples of various research methods used to study delinquency, including comparison of offenders and non-offenders, ethnography, ecological analysis, and survey research. We then examine sources of data used to study crime and delinquency, including “official data” and data from victimization and self-report surveys. We also compare these three data sources and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each, focusing on what each source can really tell us about delinquency.
