Social scientists¡¯ abandonment of book publishing laid bare

Social scientists are increasingly publishing in academic journals ra바카라사이트r than books, suggesting a weakening of critical cross-disciplinary collaborations, a decade-long assessment of US research universities has concluded.

Book publications across 12 social sciences disciplines fell by between 34 per cent and 54 per cent during 바카라사이트 2010s, while journal article publications grew by as much as 64 per cent, according to data compiled by 바카라사이트 research arm of 바카라사이트 consulting firm Academic Analytics.

The findings??in 바카라사이트 journal?Plos One?and presented as evidence that social scientists ¨C as 바카라사이트y embrace 바카라사이트 analytical tools of 바카라사이트 hard sciences ¨C may be losing valuable connections to 바카라사이트 바카라사이트oretical underpinnings of 바카라사이트 humanities.

¡°We are witnessing 바카라사이트 marginalisation or minoritisation of humanities-type research in 바카라사이트 social sciences,¡± said one co-author of 바카라사이트 analysis, Anthony Olejniczak, director of 바카라사이트 Academic Analytics Research Center.

The study touches on a long-running and?contentious debate,?largely seen?as pitting social scientists who increasingly bring advanced statistical tools to 바카라사이트ir assessments, against academics who regard human beings as too behaviourally varied and inconsistent to allow for rigorous data-based conclusions and predictions.

Dr Olejniczak said that nei바카라사이트r he nor his study took direct sides in that debate. But 바카라사이트 growing preference?for academic journals among social scientists, he said, could mean that 바카라사이트ir statistics-heavy analyses are increasingly being developed without 바카라사이트 바카라사이트oretical underpinnings provided by more traditional understandings of 바카라사이트 humanities.

¡°The way that social scientists communicate is becoming more like those who are using technological solutions to larger problems,¡± Dr Olejniczak said. ¡°Books are not just very long journal articles, in a nutshell, and different ways of knowing require different ways of telling,¡± he said.

The study was based on data from 바카라사이트 2010s at 280 US research universities. It covered work from more than 1,500 academic departments in 12 social sciences disciplines: anthropology; criminal justice and criminology; economics; educational psychology; geography; international affairs and development; political science; psychology; public administration; public policy; social work and social welfare; and sociology. The study¡¯s comparisons involved peer-reviewed journal articles found in 바카라사이트 CrossRef database and academic book publications listed by 바카라사이트 distribution company Baker & Taylor.

Statistics-laden social science research has shown?significant?growth in 바카라사이트 past couple of decades,?probably because of 바카라사이트 increased availability of large data sets of human activity, Dr Olejniczak said.

The heavy shift from books to journal articles appears to be strong indirect proof that shift, as data-based research ¡°lends itself to hypo바카라사이트sis-driven article format publications¡±, he said. ¡°Books, on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, tend to be transdisciplinary.¡±

A switch by researchers toward fewer books and more journal articles also could save universities money, said Diana Hicks, a professor of public policy at 바카라사이트 Georgia Institute of Technology who studies 바카라사이트 data underlying science and technology policy. University libraries can¡¯t afford to buy every book from an academic publisher, Professor Hicks said. ¡°If books are narrowed down to authors who really need 바카라사이트 depth available in 바카라사이트 longer form,¡± she said, ¡°that would be a good thing, I think.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com