Introduction -- Research as an integrated process -- Connecting research and theory : influences on criminological research -- Crime research and criminological theory -- Using other people's data : secondary research and the analysis of official data -- Asking questions about crime : surveys and questionnaires -- Talking to people about crime : interviews and focus groups -- Watching crime and crime control : ethnographic and observational research -- Using documents : content, conversation and discourse analysis -- Mixed methods and triangulation -- Conclusion.