SCI210: Forensic Science

Use this guide to research the ethical issues and science involved in criminal investigations.

For More Articles, Books, Videos


   Start Your Research Here:   

Finding Forensic Science Articles

The "Start Your Research Here" meta-search box above does a broad, shallow search of 100+ article databases at once. 

  • Limit your search to Articles.
  • Use Advanced Search to overlap two or more topics.   
  • Click Peer-reviewed Journals if wanted. 
  • it does not search WestLaw, so search that database separately. 

Search examples:

To look for articles about ethical or legal issues, try a search like this. OR between similar ideas finds more results. Copy and paste the suggested phrasing below. Limit by date if wanted. 

  [your subject]
AND    evaluat* OR reliabl* OR controvers* OR valid* OR debate* OR erroneous OR false OR disput*

Suggested Search Terms

Here are some search terms that work well. Ask a librarian for assistance at any point for suggestions. 

  • ethical    
  • controvers*    
  • social    
  • economic
  • evaluat*
  • reliabl*    
  • disput*    
  • questioned    
  • political    
  • legal
  • exception    
  • appeal    
  • "legal preceden*"    
  • opposition    
  • dismiss*    
  • misconduct    
  • "malicious prosecution"

Finding More Articles

Dive deeper with more specialized article databases that cover science, law and other subjects.

  • Mouse over these databases to see what they cover. 
  • ProQuest Central includes the New York Times and other major newspapers covering major criminal cases. 
  • WestLaw Next offers legal cases and research. 

Sample Library Database Searches

Here's a sample search using the Start Your Research Here search box. (AND will overlap subjects, finding results with both/all of the terms.) Limit the search to articles, books, ebooks, videos, etc. and by date. 

This search will find almost 200 articles using the Start Your Research Here metasearch box. The result is linked below. (OR finds any of the synonyms.) 
     "Bloodstain pattern analysis"
     AND criminal
     AND evaluat* OR reliabl* OR controvers* OR valid* OR debate* OR erroneous OR false OR disput*

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