Optimization measures and innovation modes of the conference of experts＇ reading before printing for medical periodicals： a case study of Journal of Medical Postgraduates

通过一系列审读会流程控制,医学期刊刊前审读会对稿件质量的强化作用日趋明显;但随着会议内容的不断延伸,一些影响审读会效能发挥的问题逐渐显现。通过优化刊前审读会中专家配置、稿件筛选、会议流程、意见处理等环节,建立并完善创新性审读模式,进而拓展期刊发展空间,加速期刊质量的全面提升。     

Between the Structural and the Personal: Situated Sense-Makings of “Race” This research was supported by a grant from the MOSAIC Multicultural Center at San Jose State University.

Using a critical intercultural communication perspective and cultural studies interviewing method, this study traces individuals’ subjective sense-makings of diversity through the trope of “race.” Such sense-makings represent the key (and taken-for-granted) locus of the structural and personal where social actors live out the constructions of diversity and race in deeply felt ways. Our study reveals how individuals articulate and understand race via raceless diversity encodings (whereby race is seemingly stripped of its power inequalities, and all racial/ethnic groups are made equal) and racial pivoting (whereby participants both discursively pull away from and move toward race to suit their individual experiences).     

Reinvisioning and redesigning “a library for the fifteenth through twenty-first centuries”: a case study on loss of space from the Library and Center for Knowledge Management,University of California,San Francisco

The University of California, San Francisco, is an academic health sciences campus that is part of a state public university system. Space is very limited at this urban campus, and the library building''s 90,000 square feet represent extremely valuable real estate. A planning process spanning several years initially proposed creating new teaching space utilizing 10,000 square feet of the library. A collaborative campus-wide planning process eventually resulted in the design of a new teaching and learning center that integrates clinical skills, simulation, and technology-enhanced education facilties on one entire floor of the building (21,000 square feet). The planning process resulted in a project that serves the entire campus and strengthens the library''s role in the education mission. The full impact of the project is yet unknown as construction is not complete.     

Where's the value? The worth of public libraries: A systematic review of findings,methods and research gaps

Existing research argues that studies of the value of public libraries support libraries by demonstrating their worth to society. Knowledge of research methods, value and research gaps can potentially strengthen the field of value research and support policymaking and development of libraries. Among 16,683 records retrieved from a systematic literature search, 39 studies were selected for systematic review within this topic. Findings indicate that studies focus on examining libraries as valued community assets in several aspects. It is recommended that further research explore how library services enhance democracy, reading and culture. Moreover, further research is needed that systematically reviews how libraries articulate their value to stakeholders. Concluding remarks state that value can be a robust measure for emphasising and developing libraries' worth towards society. By systematically reviewing how value is emphasized in activities, libraries are provided with the means to advocate political empathy and to develop towards community needs.     

Caveats for the journal and field normalizations in the CWTS (“Leiden”) evaluations of research performance

The Center for Science and Technology Studies at Leiden University advocates the use of specific normalizations for assessing research performance with reference to a world average. The Journal Citation Score (JCS) and Field Citation Score (FCS) are averaged for the research group or individual researcher under study, and then these values are used as denominators of the (mean) Citations per publication (CPP). Thus, this normalization is based on dividing two averages. This procedure only generates a legitimate indicator in the case of underlying normal distributions. Given the skewed distributions under study, one should average the observed versus expected values which are to be divided first for each publication. We show the effects of the Leiden normalization for a recent evaluation where we happened to have access to the underlying data.     

The lectures on “discoveries and inventions”‐a neglected aspect of the public speaking career of Abraham Lincoln

The experiences of Abraham Lincoln with lectures as a form of public discourse are explored in this essay. Lincoln experienced greater success with subsequent speeches than he did with the series of lectures he delivered. Although his success in this speech form was limited, an understanding of his experiences here may assist in a clearer understanding of the communication behavior of Lincoln.     

Problems of exclusionary research criteria: The case against the “usable knowledge” litmus test for social justice communication research

In 1996 five Loyola University faculty members proposed limiting the term “social justice communication research” exclusively to studies whose designs focused on “usable knowledge.” For them, that criterion necessitates that a legitimate social justice research project entail immediate action recommendations and direct researcher intervention in the interests of immediate study participants. This essay contends that such a litmus test restricts acceptable research to short‐term case studies aimed at immediately measurable outcomes produced by the researcher him‐ or herself, qualities that do not necessarily match the complex nature of problems of social in(justice) or exclusively yield the type of research outcomes that most powerfully address such problems. Widespread acceptance of their criterion: 1) limits scholarly influence to those few sites of struggle where a researcher's location and finite schedule allow extended personal engagement; 2) encourages counter‐productive dependence by lay social justice advocates on Communication researchers; 3) works against discovering and integrating broader, long‐term systemic solutions or effectively empowering advocates in other social justice struggles; 4) discourages the innovation of “the scholarship of discovery” with respect to social (in)justice issues in favor of the safer, predictable strategies of responsible “scholarship of application” (and vice versa) by necessitating the combination of conflicting objectives in a single scholarly project; and 5) promotes dysfunctional isolation and territoriality within the Communication discipline.     

Television's “Event Worlds” and the Immediacies of Seeing: Notes from the Documentary Archive

This article raises questions about the pictorial organization of documentary material in the context of a broader phenomenology of television. It looks particularly at the way in which combinations of shots generate “event worlds” for the viewer to engage with and gain knowledge from. Continuity and narrative development is often achieved by a commentary working across disparate kinds of material, including archive footage. How the visuals relate to specific times, places, and actions can vary considerably even within the same sequence. The viewing modes appropriate to watching composite material are briefly discussed, including their relationship to ideas of the evidential and the immediate. Two examples from the British documentary archive are cited to bring out the issues of perceptual management and cognitive control that are raised.     

Where the private meets the public: Results of a survey of library professionals’ observed student use of academic library spaces for prayer

Abstract

Reports of college students using the library for spiritual practices, including prayer and meditation, consist mainly of anecdotal observations, news stories, or press releases about the creation of such spaces within academic libraries. Driven by their own experiences with students using library spaces for prayer, the authors examined how prevalent this was across US academic institutions. Using a large-scale national survey, this study found library professionals observe a wide range of student prayer behavior in a variety of library spaces, regardless of institutional or campus demographics. The results provide academic libraries with evidence to support accommodating students’ spiritual needs in library spaces.     

The land of confusion?: High school students and their use of the World Wide Web for research

The use of the World Wide Web by high school students to complete school assignments was studied by interviewing high school students. The author expected to find that students were using the World Wide Web as their primary source of information and that the students had difficulty in evaluating whether information on a web site was scholarly. The author considered Perry's Scheme of Student Development and the unique nature of the World Wide Web to come to these assumptions, which were only partially validated by this study. As is typical in a qualitative study, the sample was small, but some themes that could help provide direction to further research emerged. It was discovered that the students in the study used a good variety of resources, including libraries and the World Wide Web, to find information for school assignments. However, the students were weak at determining the quality of the information that they found on a web site. Students did poorly at evaluating web site information in the absence of gatekeepers.     

Gutenberg and the Digital Evolution: Highlights of a Trend-Follower Market from a Distributer’s Perspective

Germany’s acceptance and spread of e-books are typical for a trend-follower. Germans are still reluctant to change their reading habits and strongly support the diversity of small bookshops. Germany’s biggest book distributor and wholesaler KNV strongly believes in the future of the printed books and is building the most modern media distribution center in central Germany. KNV is also placing a lot of efforts in supporting small and medium size bookshops and in establishing multi-channel strategies and promoting online and digital sales. After many unsuccessful efforts to establish an e-reading platform in Germany by various organizations, the “Tolino” platform has the potential to grow to a real significance alongside to Amazon and Apple. Therefore, KNV will support its clients to become part of the new alliance, initiated by the major book chains, Bertelsmann and Deutsche Telekom.     

“Really Social Photojournalism” and a Photojournalistic Changing of the Guard: Observations and Insights

In a changing technological ecosystem where photojournalists are attempting to reach larger audiences, they are forced to serve multiple masters and social media platforms. The tools and terminologies that these visual storytellers and communicators are using are also changing, which forces many of them to grapple with their roles and how best to contribute their craft within a market that is drastically different than two decades ago. This study asked 104 photojournalism practitioners, academicians, and administrators to define and explain the term “Really Social Photojournalism” and if it might rise past the level of jargon in a changing vocation? The findings reveal there are many complexities with this new term. But there are also opportunities for RSP to evolve in the photojournalism ecosystems with the appropriate support of its various stakeholders.     

Breaching ethics for the sake of a “good” interview

This essay presents a series of short stories – autoethnographic tales from the field – about my experiences as a female (qualitative) researcher studying humor in male-dominated workplaces in 2014. I conducted over thirty ethnographic interviews with professional hair stylists and barbers throughout Phoenix, Arizona and Sacramento, California to better understand the discursive processes by which humor is gendered in non-corporate organizations. While in the field, however, I encountered more than I bargained for. The study participants (male and female) openly engaged in humorous dialogue including: verbal critiques of my body/sexuality, sexual harassment, suggestive innuendos, physical touch, and outright heterosexist humor. After reflecting on my experiences, I realized how institutional resources (e.g. Institutional Review Board) and protocols function to protect research participants yet do little to ensure the safety, security, and/or comfort of researchers.     

“Seeking Information from the Lips of People”: oral history in the archives of Qatar and the Gulf region

The turn to oral history in Qatar and the Arabian (also known as Persian) Gulf is not a rejection of traditional archival authority as has been the case in other parts of the world. In the Gulf, oral history has been embraced out of a desire to fill the silences of the largely unwritten record attributable to previous low levels of literacy and strong oral traditions in the region. Today, oral history is seen as the best method to capture details about traditional ways of life during the pre-oil era. After discussing archival concerns about the evidentiary nature of oral histories, this paper explores how it has come to be a crucial documentation tool in the Gulf, adapted to the specific nation building and cultural heritage priorities of the region.     

“Request for proposal” or “run for protection?” some thoughts on RFPS from a librarian and a bookseller

Increasingly, academic librarians are using the RFP (Request for Proposal) to assist them in selecting materials vendors. While this has been a common practice for integrated library system selection for some time, it is still a relatively new phenomenon in the acquisitions field. The authors, one a library administrator and the other a bookseller, review the pros and cons, pitfalls and benefits of using the RFP method for purchasing library materials.     

A review of: “Film Structure and the Emotion System by Greg Smith”

This article offers an analytical overview of pathbreaking U.S. telecommunications reform legislation, as a concrete first step in establishing new industry and regulatory paradigms for telecommunications. It describes key elements of the Act, contrasting them to the status quo ante, in the areas of competition, concentration, and the public interest. It concludes that, while the Act responds to economic, political and technological paradigm shifts, it continues to assert a prominent role for the state in articulating policy, and leaves open an important role for civil society in defining and implementing it terms.     

“Flipping the Scripts” of Poverty and Panhandling: Organizing Democracy by Creating Connections

This study relies on participant observation and in-depth interviews to explore how StreetWise, an organization with a newspaper by the same name, mobilizes symbolic and material support for people without homes or those at risk. Pragmatism is used to understand how StreetWise ameliorates the experience of homelessness by building community. In stark contrast to forces that erase “the homeless” from the public scene, StreetWise integrates people without homes, as vendors, into community life by providing employment and raising awareness about poverty-related issues. Through its structure, mission, and business plan StreetWise encourages an engaged citizenry and enhances civic discourses. StreetWise provides scholars with a context within which to understand the reflexive and interactive organization–society relationships that strive to support a democratic way of life.     

“Morning fog,spider webs,and escaping from Alcatraz”: Examining metaphors used by public safety employees and their families to help understand the relationship between work and family

This study examines public safety employees’ (PSEs) (police officers and fire fighters) experiences with work and family as well as the experiences of their family members. Past research concerning work–family has typically concentrated on white-collar professions, rather than the non-standard workforce, which includes PSEs. Moreover, research has not considered the perspective of family members who openly strive to share equally in managing the relationship between work and family. Using interviews and focus groups, this study focuses on metaphors that were employed by PSEs and their family members with regard to how they articulate the relationship between work and family. Previous research has relied upon constructs and metaphors that have been created by scholars and researchers (i.e., balance, conflict, segmentation). Rather than imposing these past constructs on participants, this study allows participants to craft their own way of describing work and family. Theoretical and practical implications are offered as well as directions for future research.     

‘What a setting for a mystery’: Yaddo, the Yaddo records, and the memory of place

‘Yaddo’, recalled composer Aaron Copland, ‘became so much a part of my life that I tend to forget how strange the name sounds to those not familiar with it.’ By its very delineation, vagary of purpose, and posture of cloistered withdrawal, Yaddo is defined by a meticulously cultivated and carefully guarded tradition of community and cultural identity; one that was carefully preserved (and, in turn was informed by) the formation of an archive. My point of query centers on the particular consequences of the bond between historical trace and physical place being severed (as perhaps it always must be) when the very materiality that informs an institution’s ‘memory’ is irrevocably distanced.     

“A certain stigma” of educational radio: Judith Waller and “public service” broadcasting

This paper explores Judith Waller’s radio programming philosophy over her career that began in 1922 at WMAQ Chicago. In the 1940s, representing the interests of her employer NBC, Waller began to use the phrase “public service” as a way to break free of the “stigma” of educational radio. The concept of public service programming shifted during the 1930s and 1940s in the US, redefined and negotiated in response to assumptions about radio listeners, the financial motivations of commercial radio, and Federal Communications Commission rulings. This paper brings renewed attention to the past and present political economy of media in the US, providing a window into the historically complex relationship between commercial and noncommercial media that continues to this day.