Human Trafficking: A Research Synthesis on Human-Trafficking Literature in Academic Journals from 2000–2014

Author: Russell, Ashley

Abstract: The current study is a research synthesis on human-trafficking literature. The purpose of this study is to examine trends over time, areas of research that have been covered by the literature, and areas where research is still needed. The data for this study come from a collection of 1,231 articles between the years 2000 and 2014. Articles were coded based on discipline, type of research, theory, data collection, type of sample, type of data analysis, type of trafficking, victim population, main purpose of the article, and geographic focus. Findings from this study identify prominent trends in the top article-producing disciplines and the need for more empirical studies. The implications for future research highlight the need for more theoretical-based studies and challenges researchers to address a variety of methodological issues such as data-collection techniques and sampling, with a specific focus on male and labor- and organ-trafficking victims, as well as their exploiters.

Keywords: human trafficking, interdisciplinary research, research synthesis, trafficking in persons