Research as a Method: Anecdotal versus Empirical Data
Within criminal justice, researchers are often faced with a plethora of anecdotal data with little empirical support for such assertions. We have all, no doubt, heard anecdotes pertaining to gang initiation rites, killers stalking baby sitters, or corpses discovered rolled in carpets by hapless hotel maids.
Criminal justice researchers depend primarily upon empirical data as the most useful tools with which to explore the nuances of the issues plaguing society. However, one can always ponder the usefulness of anecdotal data. In contemporary research, there has yet to be a consensus pertaining to the proper place and function of anecdotal data. Jacques (2014) discusses both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• How would you explain the differences between the use of empirical research data from that of anecdotal data?
• How do these differences inform how criminal justice data might be evaluated and interpreted in published research findings?
• Is there a place in formal research for anecdotal data?