Methods of Research

INTERVIEWS
Pros:
By talking to experts you can gain in depth knowledge into a subject you know little on
You can see different sides of an argument
It is more personal, so you can see feelings and emotions, rather than just information
Cons:
People have biased opinions
You must speak to different people to gain a balanced argument
It is very time consuming
Interviews would be very useful for my subject as I can gain information over punishment methods from experts in the field, also I can collect information on how punishments affect criminals. 

NON-PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
Observing behaviour in group functions withoutn interacting with the particiapnts
Pros:
Gives access to natural settings
Can observe natural behaviour
Cons:
People could behave differently/have different opinions in group setting
Time consuming
Not relevant for my topic.

CASE STUDIES
Pros:
In depth knowledge that is usually accurate
Cons:
Relevant case studies may be difficult to find 
This would be very useful for my project as I can look at specific punishments and crimes throughout the ages.

QUESTIONNAIRES
Pros:
A large amount of information can be gathered, and from a diverse set of people
Cons:
If return is low, not very accurate
Can be interpretted in different ways
Not relevant for my topic.

ETHNOGRAPHY
The study of people, ethnic groups and formations
Pros:
First-hand experience gained
Cons:
Can be expensive and time consuming
This could be useful, however given my topic it would be difficult to carry out.

PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
Pros:
Inexpensive
Can be useful to experience something you wouldn't have otherwise
Cons:
Can be time consuming
Not relevant for my topic.

NEWSPAPERS
Pros:
Wide variety
Inexpensive
Contains lots of factual information
Cons:
Some might contain biased opinions
Only useful for things in the news at the moment
This could be very useful for my topic as I could look at cases in the news at the moment regarding re-offenders, murder of Jane Clough from October 2010 is a useful story!

WEBSITES
Pros:
Very easy access to a huge variety
Broad selection of views
Cons:
Some, especially Wikipedia, are open to editing, so not always accurate
Sometimes you have to pay a fee to access information
This would be useful for me as I could access facts and figures from a wide variety of countries and also use websites to research different methods of punishments.

BOOKS
Pros:
Accurate information
Usually less opinionated, more about facts
Cons:
Can be time consuming trying to find the right book
This could be useful to me as I could research different methods of punishments.

JOURNAL ARTICLES
Pros:
Presents new ideas
Must be accurate
Cons:
Sometimes difficult to get hold of
Can be quite difficult to understand
Not relevant for my topic.

FOCUS GROUPS
Pros:
Good for gaining different people's opinions
Cons:
Hard to set up and create a balanced argument
Not relevant for my topic, as it is based on facts rather than people's opinions.

MEDIA PROGRAMMES
Pros:
Usually easily understandable
Visual exploration of a topic can help
Cons:
Might be difficult finding the right programme on your topic
This could be useful for my topic as I could use to it learn about different countries' penal systems and punishment methods.

CONTENT ANALYSIS
Pros:
It can be used to examine a piece of writing or recorded information
Shows the intentions of the information
Cons:
Very time consuming
It could be quite useful in checking my sources are valid, however I don't think I will be using this.

LEADING ORGANISATIONS
Pros:
They have expert knowledge of an area
Information is accurate and reliable
Cons:
Can sometimes be difficult to contact them
This could be useful for me in researching different countries' punishment systems.