Which term is used for research questions that guide empirical investigations into crime?

Which term is used for research questions that guide empirical investigations into crime?

• A. Research question
• B. Hypothesis
• C. Theory
• D. Method

Answer: (A)

At the heart of empirical crime studies is a research question. It frames what you want to learn about crime, specifies the population and context, and shapes what data you collect and how you analyze it. Research questions can be descriptive, exploratory, or explanatory, and they guide every step of the investigation from data collection to interpretation. A hypothesis, in contrast, is a specific, testable statement about expected relationships between variables that researchers test with data. Theory provides the broader framework that explains crime phenomena, and method refers to the procedures used to gather and analyze data. So, the term that best fits “research questions that guide empirical investigations into crime” is research question. For example, a question like “How does neighborhood disorder relate to street robbery rates among adults in City X?” illustrates the guiding inquiry that shapes the study.

At the heart of empirical crime studies is a research question. It frames what you want to learn about crime, specifies the population and context, and shapes what data you collect and how you analyze it. Research questions can be descriptive, exploratory, or explanatory, and they guide every step of the investigation from data collection to interpretation. A hypothesis, in contrast, is a specific, testable statement about expected relationships between variables that researchers test with data. Theory provides the broader framework that explains crime phenomena, and method refers to the procedures used to gather and analyze data. So, the term that best fits “research questions that guide empirical investigations into crime” is research question. For example, a question like “How does neighborhood disorder relate to street robbery rates among adults in City X?” illustrates the guiding inquiry that shapes the study.