A study of 264 full-time African American social work faculty explored effects of gender, degree level, rank, tenure, and program type on manuscript submission to journals. Most manuscripts were submitted by a minority of subjects, about half were accepted, and high submission rates correlated with being male and having a doctorate. (Author/MSE)

Reports on a study of the theory of cumulative advantage and disadvantage as it applies to the productivity and prestige of academic departments within sociology. Finds that past accomplishments do not bear importantly on current perceptions of departmental prestige. (CFR)

Reports on a citation analysis study of the characteristics of knowledge included in the "Handbook of Research on Social Studies Teaching and Learning." Finds that the field relies largely upon its own scholarship, rather than drawing on the social sciences as its knowledge base. (CFR)

The state of scholarship and research in social work is analyzed with regard to research methods found in the core literature, faculty and doctoral scholarly productivity, graduate research curricula, and use of scholarship by practitioners. Challenges for improving social work research training, scholarly production, and knowledge transmission…

This third in a series of articles on scholarly communications and serials prices focuses on the possible role of electronic journals. Highlights include the increase in scientific and scholarly productivity; price differentials between private and for-profit journals; publisher's costs and profits; copyright issues; and the role of libraries and…

The current approach to research, teaching, clinical service, and administration at academic health centers is reviewed, and the traditional values underpinning this approach are challenged. A new form of faculty management that matches the individual faculty member's priorities and skills with the health center mission and which focuses on the…

Analyzes leading journal citations for introductory sociology textbooks to determine if there has been a decline in the quality of such textbooks. Discovers a greater percentage of citations to earlier textbooks. Suggests, however, that this could be due to expanded publishing opportunities and the emphasis given to original research. (MJP)

Scholarly publication of original work at community colleges is usually an elective pursuit, resulting more from a desire to learn than institutional requirements or financial incentives. At the College of DuPage, in Illinois, one faculty member has undertaken a 10-year, self-initiated research project in the biological sciences, involving…

Discusses the trend toward increased faculty research and its effects on the quality of undergraduate education. Argues for a balance between teaching and research and suggests several ways to encourage colleges to shift faculty emphases. Proposes that "research" faculty and "teaching" faculty be differentiated but equitably evaluated. (TW)

It is widely expected that a great deal of scholarly communication will move to an electronic format. This paper speculates about the impact this movement will have on the form of scholarly communication. In order to understand how journals might evolve, the paper begins with a look at the demand and supply for scholarly commutation today, as well…

A survey of current academic librarians at three Ohio universities was created to determine satisfaction in the faculty status structure followed by universities and colleges in the United States. The purpose was to determine if there is a desire for a professional status--between the levels of clerical and faculty--which requires an MLS but does…

Responds to recent scathing criticism of the peer review process of scholarly publishing. Identifies three main problems with reviewers and editors: unresponsiveness, inconsistency, and indecisiveness. Discusses the pros and cons of several proposed publishing reforms including multiple submissions, establishing clearer and more consistent…

Develops a simple theoretical model to evaluate interdisciplinary differences in research productivity between economics departments and related subjects. Compares the research publishing statistics of economics, finance, psychology, geology, physics, oceanography, chemistry, and geophysics. Considers a number of factors including journal…

Explores the relationship between publishing and a nonmonetary measure of academic employment success: job rank. Defines job rank as the relative position of an economist's department on the hierarchy of employers. Includes several tables and graphs showing statistical data. (MJP)

Within 40 departments, 10 each of physics, sociology, electrical engineering, and education, faculty commitment to the institution was assessed for each career stage and level of research productivity, examining the relative power of rewards and support variables. A meaningful but differential role for rewards is found among the disciplines.…