Department Research

Student Publications

Many legal research opportunities exist for students to be published in recognized journals and publications, or even present at national conferences. Here is a sample of what our students have published or presented:

  • Miller, M. K., & Thomas, A. (2015). Understanding changes in community sentiment about drug use during pregnancy using a repeated measures design. In M. Miller, J. Blumenthal, & J. Chamberlain (Eds.), Handbook of community sentiment. (pp. 113-128). New York, NY: Springer.
  • Boppre, B. L., & Miller, M. K. (2014). How victim and execution impact statements affect mock jurors' perceptions, emotions, and verdicts. Victims and Offenders, 9, 413-435. doi: 10.1080/15564886.2013.845124.
  • Forsythe, S., & Miller, M. K. (2014). Novel defenses in the courtroom. The Jury Expert, 26, 1-16.

Faculty research

For those students interested in research and who demonstrate excellence in statistics, research methods and writing, they may choose to pursue research opportunities with one of our faculty members. Some faculty research topics include:

Sources for legal research

Any justice or justice-related professional at some point in their career will need to find primary legal resources, such a state or federal statute, or an appellate court case. There also are secondary legal sources that are useful, such as law journals or review articles.

In northern Nevada, there are two public law libraries:

  • The Washoe County Law Library, 75 Court St. in Reno, is open daily and evenings. Call (775) 328-3250 for current operating hours.
  • The Nevada Supreme Court Law Library is located in Carson City at 201 S. Carson St. It is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. For more information, call (775) 684-1640.

State law websites

  • The Nevada Legislature: Access the latest information on Nevada legislative sessions, including the status of bills and past sessions. From this site, users also can link to the state law library and research Nevada's current statutes - Nevada Revised Statutes - as well as the State's Administrative Code.
  • The Nevada Supreme Court: Provides information on the state's courts and also a link to the state online law library.

Legal research websites

If students are interested in learning more about legal resources and research, the Department of Criminal Justice offers a five-week, one-credit course each spring semester (CRJ 126: Legal Research and Method).