American Criminology Journals Research Articles

Changes in Scholarly Influence in Major American Criminology and Criminal Justice Journals between 1986 and 2015

To investigate changes in scholarly influence in criminology and criminal justice over a 30-year time period, the most-cited scholars in six major American journals were determined for 2011–2015, with results compared to those obtained for 2006–2010, 2001–2005, 1996–2000, 1991–1995, and 1986–1990. The most-cited scholars in 2011–2015 were Robert J. Sampson in American criminology journals and Alex R. Piquero in American criminal justice journals. The most-cited scholars in criminology journals focused on longitudinal/criminal career research and/or criminological theories. The most-cited scholars in criminal justice journals focused on these topics or on criminal justice issues such as rehabilitation and sentencing. Some highly-cited authors were specialized; others were versatile. During this 30-year period, older and deceased scholars became cited less often, while younger scholars became more highly cited. An intergenerational transmission of influence from older to younger scholars occurred through mentoring. This research documents the waxing and waning of careers of criminological influence.

Changes in the Most-Cited Scholars in 20 Criminology and Criminal Justice Journals Between 1990 and 2015 and Comparisons with the Asian Journal of Criminology

The main aim of this article is to assess the most-cited scholars in 20 criminology and criminal justice journals in 2015 and to compare them with the most-cited scholars in these journals in 1990–2010 and with the most-cited scholars in the Asian Journal of Criminology (AJC) in 2015. Five American criminology journals, five American criminal justice journals, five international criminology journals, and five international criminal justice journals have been studied since 1990. The most-cited scholars tended to be those who carried out research on developmental and life-course criminology. Most of these highly cited scholars were also highly cited in previous years, showing the persistence of scholarly influence. Generally, the most-cited scholars in criminology and criminal justice journals overlapped considerably, as did the most-cited scholars in American and international journals. Also, the most-cited scholars in AJC in 2015 overlapped considerably with the most-cited scholars in these other categories of journals. We conclude that there is considerable agreement in American, Asian, and international criminology and criminal justice on the most-cited, and therefore most influential, scholars.

Scholarly Influence in Criminology and Criminal Justice Journals in 1990–2005

This research investigates changes in scholarly influence by identifying the most-cited scholars and their most-cited works in 20 journals: Five American criminology journals, Five American criminal justice journals, Five international criminology journals, and Five international criminal justice journals. Results obtained in 2005 were compared with previous findings in 2000, 1995, and 1990. Exactly the same methods and journals were used in each year. In 2005, the most-cited scholars were Robert J. Sampson in American criminology journals, American criminal justice journals, and international criminal justice journals, and David P. Farrington in international criminology journals. Overall, Robert J. Sampson was the most-cited scholar in these 20 journals in 2005. He was also the most-cited scholar in these journals in 2000, compared with Lawrence W. Sherman in 1995 and Marvin E. Wolfgang in 1990. The most-cited works of the most-cited scholars included the theories of Sampson and Laub, Gottfredson and Hirschi, and Moffitt, as well as the criminal career paradigm, the effectiveness of correctional treatment, and evidence-based crime prevention. The authors conclude that these analyses reveal changes over time in theoretical concerns and policy issues.

Changes in Scholarly Influence in Major American Criminology and Criminal Justice Journals Between 1986 and 2005

To investigate changes in scholarly influence in criminology and criminal justice over 20 years, the most‐cited scholars in six major American journals were determined for 2001–05, and the results were compared with those obtained for 1996–2000, 1991–95, and 1986–90. The most‐cited scholars in 2001–05 were Robert J. Sampson in American criminology journals and Francis T. Cullen in American criminal justice journals. Highly cited scholars in American criminology journals focused on longitudinal/criminal career research and/or criminological theories, while those in American criminal justice journals focused on these topics or on criminal justice issues. Some highly cited authors were specialized, with one or two highly cited major works, while others were versatile, with many different works cited a few times each. Over time, older scholars such as Marvin E. Wolfgang were cited less often, while younger scholars such as Robert J. Sampson were increasingly cited. The waxing and waning of criminological influence careers are documented.

Scholarly influence in criminology and criminal justice journals in 1990–2000

The main aim of this research was to investigate changes in scholarly influence by identifying the most-cited scholars in twenty journals: five American criminology journals, five American criminal justice journals, five international criminology journals, and five international criminal justice journals. The most-cited works of the most-cited scholars were also reported. Results obtained in 2000 were compared with previous findings in 1995 and 1990, and with results obtained from analyzing nine journals in 1996–2000. In 2000, the most-cited scholars were Robert J. Sampson in American criminology journals, Francis T. Cullen in American criminal justice journals, John Braithwaite in international criminology journals, and Robert D. Hare in international criminal justice journals. The expansion from nine to twenty journals benefited international scholars such as John Braithwaite and Richard V. Ericson and scholars in less mainstream areas such as Murray A. Straus. Overall, Robert J. Sampson was the most-cited scholar in these twenty journals in 2000, compared with Lawrence W. Sherman in 1995 and Marvin E. Wolfgang in 1990. The prevalence of citations (the number of different articles in which a scholar was cited) and specialization (where a scholar's influence was based on one or two highly-cited works) were also studied.

Changes in Scholarly Influence in Major American Criminology and Criminal Justice Journals between 1986 and 2000

In order to investigate changes in scholarly influence in criminology and criminal justice over a 15‐year time period, the most‐cited scholars in six major American journals were determined for the period 1996–2000, and results were compared with those obtained for 1991–1995 and 1986–1990. The number of cited authors in these journals increased by 50% over this time period. Some highly cited authors were specialists, because they had one or two major works (usually theoretical books) cited a lot, whereas others were versatile because they had many different works with fewer citations each. The most highly cited works tended to be books rather than articles. During this 15‐year time period, older scholars such as Marvin E. Wolfgang were being cited less often, while younger scholars such as Robert J. Sampson were becoming more highly cited. The most‐cited scholars in 1996–2000 were Robert J. Sampson in American criminology journals and Francis T. Cullen in American criminal justice journals. An analysis of citations in Criminology in 2005 showed the emergence of the next generation of highly cited scholars, such as Alex R. Piquero. The most highly cited scholars in American criminology journals focused on longitudinal/criminal career research and/or criminological theories. The most highly cited scholars in American criminal justice journals focused either on these topics or on criminal justice issues such as rehabilitation, sentencing, and law enforcement.

Recent changes in the most-cited scholars in criminology A comparison of textbooks and journals

This article reports the fifty-nine most-cited scholars in twenty-two introductory criminology textbooks published from 1994–98. Comparisons over time of the citation patterns in criminology textbooks and in leading American criminology journals show considerable changes among the most-cited scholars. These changes are attributed to trends in the coverage of various research specializations in criminology. Volatility in the lists of the most-cited scholars over time justifies further studies of citation patterns in criminology and criminal justice.

Changes in the most-cited scholars in twenty criminology and criminal justice journals between 1990 and 1995

The main aim of this research was to identify the most-cited scholars in twenty journals: five American criminology journals, five American criminal justice journals, five international criminology journals, and five international criminal justice journals. Results obtained in 1995 were compared with those obtained in 1990 and with those obtained from analyzing nine journals in 1986–90 and 1991–95. The most-cited scholars in all four lists were Travis Hirschi, Michael R. Gottfredson, David P. Farrington, Delbert S. Elliott, and Francis T. Cullen. The expansion from nine to twenty journals benefited international scholars such as John Braithwaite and Ronald V. G. Clarke, and scholars in less mainstream areas such as Richard J. Gelles. Lawrence W. Sherman was the most-cited scholar in these twenty journals in 1995, compared with Marvin E. Wolfgang in 1990.

Changes in the most-cited scholars in major american criminology and criminal justice journals between 1986–1990 and 1991–1995

The most-cited scholars in three major American criminology journals (Criminology, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, and Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency) and three major American criminal justice journals (Justice Quarterly, Journal of Criminal Justice, and Criminal Justice and Behavior) were determined for 1991–1995, and results were compared with those obtained for 1986 –1990. The most-cited scholars in the three criminology journals in 1991–1995 were Travis Hirschi, David P. Farrington, Michael R. Gottfredson, Delbert S. Elliott, and Robert J. Sampson. The most-cited scholars in the three criminal justice journals in 1991–1995 were Francis T. Cullen, John L. Hagan, Travis Hirschi, Lawrence W. Sherman, and James Q. Wilson. The most-cited works of the most-cited scholars in 1991–1995 were primarily theoretical or on longitudinal/criminal career research.

Crime and Justice and the Criminal Justice and Criminology Literature

The most-cited scholars in state-of-the-art literature reviews in general volumes of Crime and Justice: A Review of Research between 1986 and 1993 were significantly correlated with the most-cited scholars in three major American criminology journals, three major American criminal justice journals, and three international criminology journals between 1986 and 1990. There was also substantial overlap between the most-cited works in Crime and Justice and the most-cited crime and justice works in the Social Sciences Citation Index between 1979 and 1993. Concepts developed in criminal career research can be used to enrich citation analysis. The prevalence of citations (the number of different articles in which an author was cited) can be distinguished from the individual citation frequency (the average number of an author's works cited whenever that author was cited). Mathematical models of citation careers can be developed.