UROP Project

Post-victimization reporting and help-seeking behaviors among hate crime victims: A systematic review

hate crime victimization, victim reporting, help-seeking, victim services, systematic review
Research Mentor: Sarah Wouters, she/her
Department, College, Affiliation: Criminology, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Contact Email: swouters@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Lexi Faulkner she/her
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: afaulkner2@fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Criminology, sociology, social work, psychology, public health, or related majors.
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-6, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Not participating in the roundtable

Project Description

A growing body of research has begun to identify the different ways in which hate crime versus non-hate crime victims seek help to cope with their experiences. However, these studies vary widely in terms of the populations, help-seeking behaviors, and victimization types they include, as well as the methodologies used to examine help-seeking patterns. Our project involves conducting a systematic review of the existing literature on hate crime victim help-seeking in order to take stock of what we know (and don't know) and subsequently guide future policy/research.

Research Tasks: Database searches for relevant literature
Article screening (using Covidence)
Reading, annotating, and extracting important information from scientific articles
Basic coding/data management (in Stata)
Citation management

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: Strong academic writing and verbal communication skills
Required: Strong attention to detail
Required: Experience reading and annotating scientific research articles
Recommended: Experience using databases to identify relevant research (e.g., using GoogleScholar, Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, etc.)
Recommended: Experience or familiarity with citation management programs (e.g., Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, etc.
Recommended: Basic knowledge of research methods and statistics.

Mentoring Philosophy

Our priority as research mentors is to promote your transition from a passive consumer of knowledge to an active producer of it. As graduate students ourselves, we will promote a safe space for you to ask questions and make mistakes (arguably, the most important steps in this transition). We hope to learn about your individual goals and unique skills, knowledge, and lived experiences, then offer flexible support that meets you where you are as aspiring researchers. Over the course of this project, we will strive to provide you with transferrable skills and resources to elevate your reading, synthesis, and data skills moving forward. In return, we ask that you engage in this partnership with the highest level of integrity, honesty, and a willingness to accept and apply constructive feedback.

Additional Information


Link to Publications


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