William A. Silverman
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780192630889
- eISBN:
- 9780191723568
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780192630889.003.0007
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter presents a 1989 commentary on the growing number of medical articles being published each year. It considers the question of how readers can cope with this unprecedented glut of data. It ...
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This chapter presents a 1989 commentary on the growing number of medical articles being published each year. It considers the question of how readers can cope with this unprecedented glut of data. It cites editors' rising concerns over the failure of the time-honoured peer review process to control the quality of published information.Less
This chapter presents a 1989 commentary on the growing number of medical articles being published each year. It considers the question of how readers can cope with this unprecedented glut of data. It cites editors' rising concerns over the failure of the time-honoured peer review process to control the quality of published information.
Richard Woodward
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199591145
- eISBN:
- 9780191594601
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199591145.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics, Political Economy
Chapter 3 sketches the OECD's role in economic governance, in particular the pursuit of its obligation to promote policies which maximize economic growth. While the OECD's work in the ...
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Chapter 3 sketches the OECD's role in economic governance, in particular the pursuit of its obligation to promote policies which maximize economic growth. While the OECD's work in the economic field evolves, its mechanisms of economic governance have barely altered. Richard Woodward argues that the OECD exerts ‘subtle discipline’ over the trajectory of economic governance through the use of its soft law mechanisms such as surveillance and peer review. These mechanisms can lead to convergence in national policies and, occasionally, outbreaks of international policy coordination. Ultimately, however, the proliferation of international mechanisms of governance and the internal politics of the OECD may be diluting its ability to shape the contours of international economic policy‐making.Less
Chapter 3 sketches the OECD's role in economic governance, in particular the pursuit of its obligation to promote policies which maximize economic growth. While the OECD's work in the economic field evolves, its mechanisms of economic governance have barely altered. Richard Woodward argues that the OECD exerts ‘subtle discipline’ over the trajectory of economic governance through the use of its soft law mechanisms such as surveillance and peer review. These mechanisms can lead to convergence in national policies and, occasionally, outbreaks of international policy coordination. Ultimately, however, the proliferation of international mechanisms of governance and the internal politics of the OECD may be diluting its ability to shape the contours of international economic policy‐making.
Kevin Korsyn
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195104547
- eISBN:
- 9780199868988
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195104547.003.0011
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition
This chapter argues that the crisis of musical research is ultimately an ethical crisis: when we reduce others to representatives of factions, we objectify them and their language; when we submit to ...
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This chapter argues that the crisis of musical research is ultimately an ethical crisis: when we reduce others to representatives of factions, we objectify them and their language; when we submit to the forced consensus of the ideology of the abstract, we objectify ourselves. Faced with this dilemma, the critique of musicology must draw its energy from an ethical commitment, from a commitment to justice. Three areas are identified in which change seems particularly urgent: (i) the process of peer review in professional associations (such as the AMS, SEM, and SMT); (ii) the university; and (iii) writing about music.Less
This chapter argues that the crisis of musical research is ultimately an ethical crisis: when we reduce others to representatives of factions, we objectify them and their language; when we submit to the forced consensus of the ideology of the abstract, we objectify ourselves. Faced with this dilemma, the critique of musicology must draw its energy from an ethical commitment, from a commitment to justice. Three areas are identified in which change seems particularly urgent: (i) the process of peer review in professional associations (such as the AMS, SEM, and SMT); (ii) the university; and (iii) writing about music.
Adil E. Shamoo and David B. Resnik
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195368246
- eISBN:
- 9780199867615
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195368246.003.0007
- Subject:
- Biology, Disease Ecology / Epidemiology, Biochemistry / Molecular Biology
This chapter provides a historical overview of scientific publication and peer review and describes the current practices of scientific journals and granting agencies. It also examines a number of ...
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This chapter provides a historical overview of scientific publication and peer review and describes the current practices of scientific journals and granting agencies. It also examines a number of different ethical issues and concerns that arise in publication and peer review, such as quality control, confidentiality, fairness, bias, electronic publication, wasteful publication, duplicate publication, publishing controversial research, and editorial independence. The chapter also addresses the ethical responsibilities of reviewers and concludes with a discussion of the relationship between researchers and the media.Less
This chapter provides a historical overview of scientific publication and peer review and describes the current practices of scientific journals and granting agencies. It also examines a number of different ethical issues and concerns that arise in publication and peer review, such as quality control, confidentiality, fairness, bias, electronic publication, wasteful publication, duplicate publication, publishing controversial research, and editorial independence. The chapter also addresses the ethical responsibilities of reviewers and concludes with a discussion of the relationship between researchers and the media.
Kenneth A. Armstrong
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199278374
- eISBN:
- 9780191594861
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278374.003.0003
- Subject:
- Law, EU Law
This chapter highlights the origins of, and motivations for, EU interventions to combat poverty and social exclusion in the 1980s and 1990s, and contrasts these with the explicit treaty commitments ...
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This chapter highlights the origins of, and motivations for, EU interventions to combat poverty and social exclusion in the 1980s and 1990s, and contrasts these with the explicit treaty commitments to combat social exclusion and new policy objectives of modernizing social protection systems emerging in the late 1990s. The development of the Lisbon strategy in 2000 provided a policy context and matrix for the articulation of these new commitments and objectives with the OMC as the governance tool for their implementation. In detail, the chapter explores the development and institutionalization of the architectural elements of EU social policy coordination, from the adoption of common objectives and indicators, to the production of national action plans, joint reports, and peer reviews. Notwithstanding the absence of more legally-defined processes, what emerged was a highly institutionalized process through recursive interaction of governmental and non-governmental actors.Less
This chapter highlights the origins of, and motivations for, EU interventions to combat poverty and social exclusion in the 1980s and 1990s, and contrasts these with the explicit treaty commitments to combat social exclusion and new policy objectives of modernizing social protection systems emerging in the late 1990s. The development of the Lisbon strategy in 2000 provided a policy context and matrix for the articulation of these new commitments and objectives with the OMC as the governance tool for their implementation. In detail, the chapter explores the development and institutionalization of the architectural elements of EU social policy coordination, from the adoption of common objectives and indicators, to the production of national action plans, joint reports, and peer reviews. Notwithstanding the absence of more legally-defined processes, what emerged was a highly institutionalized process through recursive interaction of governmental and non-governmental actors.
Bruce A. Thyer
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195323375
- eISBN:
- 9780199864430
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323375.003.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Research and Evaluation
This introductory chapter explains how and why journal articles are generally according greater prestige and merit within the scientific community, relative to other forms of disseminating research ...
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This introductory chapter explains how and why journal articles are generally according greater prestige and merit within the scientific community, relative to other forms of disseminating research findings through venues such as books, book chapters, weblogs, and presenting papers at professional conferences. Published journal articles typically have gone through a rigorous screening process known as blind peer review, whereby independent experts provide the author with critical commentary and suggestions to improve their final paper, prior to publication. Most print journals are now widely accessible over the internet and are relatively easy for others to access. Articles submitted to journals usually appear in print sooner than books or book chapters, and continue to be accorded greater influence in promotion and tenure decisions within academia than alterative means of distributing information. Articles published in peer reviewed journals are likely to remain a very important means of distributing research findings for the foreseeable future.Less
This introductory chapter explains how and why journal articles are generally according greater prestige and merit within the scientific community, relative to other forms of disseminating research findings through venues such as books, book chapters, weblogs, and presenting papers at professional conferences. Published journal articles typically have gone through a rigorous screening process known as blind peer review, whereby independent experts provide the author with critical commentary and suggestions to improve their final paper, prior to publication. Most print journals are now widely accessible over the internet and are relatively easy for others to access. Articles submitted to journals usually appear in print sooner than books or book chapters, and continue to be accorded greater influence in promotion and tenure decisions within academia than alterative means of distributing information. Articles published in peer reviewed journals are likely to remain a very important means of distributing research findings for the foreseeable future.
Allison B. Kaufman and James C. Kaufman (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262037426
- eISBN:
- 9780262344814
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262037426.001.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
In a post-truth, fake news world, we are particularly susceptible to the claims of pseudoscience. When emotions and opinions are more widely disseminated than scientific findings, and self-proclaimed ...
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In a post-truth, fake news world, we are particularly susceptible to the claims of pseudoscience. When emotions and opinions are more widely disseminated than scientific findings, and self-proclaimed experts get their expertise from Google, how can the average person distinguish real science from fake? This book examines pseudoscience from a variety of perspectives, through case studies, analysis, and personal accounts that show how to recognize pseudoscience, why it is so widely accepted, and how to advocate for real science. Contributors examine the basics of pseudoscience, including issues of cognitive bias; the costs of pseudoscience, with accounts of naturopathy and logical fallacies in the anti-vaccination movement; perceptions of scientific soundness; the mainstream presence of “integrative medicine,” hypnosis, and parapsychology; and the use of case studies and new media in science advocacy.Less
In a post-truth, fake news world, we are particularly susceptible to the claims of pseudoscience. When emotions and opinions are more widely disseminated than scientific findings, and self-proclaimed experts get their expertise from Google, how can the average person distinguish real science from fake? This book examines pseudoscience from a variety of perspectives, through case studies, analysis, and personal accounts that show how to recognize pseudoscience, why it is so widely accepted, and how to advocate for real science. Contributors examine the basics of pseudoscience, including issues of cognitive bias; the costs of pseudoscience, with accounts of naturopathy and logical fallacies in the anti-vaccination movement; perceptions of scientific soundness; the mainstream presence of “integrative medicine,” hypnosis, and parapsychology; and the use of case studies and new media in science advocacy.
Philip Lowe
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199566358
- eISBN:
- 9780191722790
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199566358.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare, International
This chapter provides an overview of the components that are considered necessary for a modern framework for competition policy. It summarizes how over the last years the European Union has ...
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This chapter provides an overview of the components that are considered necessary for a modern framework for competition policy. It summarizes how over the last years the European Union has modernized the legal instruments of competition policy in the areas of antitrust, merger control, and state aid control in order to allow for a more economic approach, to increase transparency, and to improve predictability. The chapter also explains how DG Competition has improved its mission, objectives, internal structures, and processes to align these more closely with the requirements of a modern competition policy institution. In particular, it discusses the benefits of prioritization, a more sectoral organization, a project-based allocation of resources, the setting up of peer-review panels, measuring performance and impact and demonstrating the added value of competition policy to citizens. It argues that competition authorities must constantly re-assess the components that are decisive for their functioning in the light of changes in their environment.Less
This chapter provides an overview of the components that are considered necessary for a modern framework for competition policy. It summarizes how over the last years the European Union has modernized the legal instruments of competition policy in the areas of antitrust, merger control, and state aid control in order to allow for a more economic approach, to increase transparency, and to improve predictability. The chapter also explains how DG Competition has improved its mission, objectives, internal structures, and processes to align these more closely with the requirements of a modern competition policy institution. In particular, it discusses the benefits of prioritization, a more sectoral organization, a project-based allocation of resources, the setting up of peer-review panels, measuring performance and impact and demonstrating the added value of competition policy to citizens. It argues that competition authorities must constantly re-assess the components that are decisive for their functioning in the light of changes in their environment.
Geoffrey E. Hill
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195323467
- eISBN:
- 9780199773855
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323467.003.0009
- Subject:
- Biology, Ornithology
This chapter steps away from the particulars and discusses how ivorybill searches are and are not scientific undertakings. Science is defined as the testing of hypotheses that explain natural ...
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This chapter steps away from the particulars and discusses how ivorybill searches are and are not scientific undertakings. Science is defined as the testing of hypotheses that explain natural phenomena. Searching for rare birds, it is argued, is not science, and the best searchers are not scientists. The discovery of Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas was announced in the journal Science but that does not make it a scientific endeavor. In the authors' opinion, the peer review process that fostered the publication was appropriate, but in hind site, the evidence for ivorybills was probably oversold. Hill is determined not to over-interpret evidence for ivorybills in Florida.Less
This chapter steps away from the particulars and discusses how ivorybill searches are and are not scientific undertakings. Science is defined as the testing of hypotheses that explain natural phenomena. Searching for rare birds, it is argued, is not science, and the best searchers are not scientists. The discovery of Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas was announced in the journal Science but that does not make it a scientific endeavor. In the authors' opinion, the peer review process that fostered the publication was appropriate, but in hind site, the evidence for ivorybills was probably oversold. Hill is determined not to over-interpret evidence for ivorybills in Florida.
Ann Nichols-Casebolt
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195378108
- eISBN:
- 9780199932634
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195378108.003.0007
- Subject:
- Social Work, Research and Evaluation
Dissemination of research findings is an essential responsibility for investigators, thus it is important we assure the integrity of the process. This chapter examines various publication practices ...
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Dissemination of research findings is an essential responsibility for investigators, thus it is important we assure the integrity of the process. This chapter examines various publication practices that guide dissemination, and authorship issues that may arise in the process, such as determining authorship credit and order of authorship. It also discusses special authorship considerations when publishing with students or community partners. Topics of open access publications, copyrights, and sponsor rights in publication decisions are covered. The chapter also presents information on the peer review process. The accepted view is that anonymous peer review with well-qualified reviewers is necessary to assure quality in the content and science of published articles, conference presentations, and grant proposals. This chapter discusses the purpose of peer review and the responsibilities of a peer reviewer.Less
Dissemination of research findings is an essential responsibility for investigators, thus it is important we assure the integrity of the process. This chapter examines various publication practices that guide dissemination, and authorship issues that may arise in the process, such as determining authorship credit and order of authorship. It also discusses special authorship considerations when publishing with students or community partners. Topics of open access publications, copyrights, and sponsor rights in publication decisions are covered. The chapter also presents information on the peer review process. The accepted view is that anonymous peer review with well-qualified reviewers is necessary to assure quality in the content and science of published articles, conference presentations, and grant proposals. This chapter discusses the purpose of peer review and the responsibilities of a peer reviewer.
J. A. Muir Gray
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262016032
- eISBN:
- 9780262298957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262016032.003.0007
- Subject:
- Psychology, Health Psychology
The quality of medical research depends on the use of structured protocols. Problems associated with poor quality research reports range from poor design to improper management or irrelevant ...
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The quality of medical research depends on the use of structured protocols. Problems associated with poor quality research reports range from poor design to improper management or irrelevant research. Structured protocols have been shown to improve reporting, yet implementation and adherence remain major issues for those who fund research as well as for those who publish the results. In addition, the peer-review process used in research selection and publication contains flaws that must be addressed. Priority needs to be given to systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials, as these yield higher quality, stronger evidence than the report of any single controlled trial.Less
The quality of medical research depends on the use of structured protocols. Problems associated with poor quality research reports range from poor design to improper management or irrelevant research. Structured protocols have been shown to improve reporting, yet implementation and adherence remain major issues for those who fund research as well as for those who publish the results. In addition, the peer-review process used in research selection and publication contains flaws that must be addressed. Priority needs to be given to systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials, as these yield higher quality, stronger evidence than the report of any single controlled trial.
Michael Sy Uy
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197510445
- eISBN:
- 9780197510476
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197510445.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
From the end of World War II through the U.S. Bicentennial, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Ford Foundation granted close to $300 million (approximately $2.3 ...
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From the end of World War II through the U.S. Bicentennial, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Ford Foundation granted close to $300 million (approximately $2.3 billion in 2017 dollars) in the field of music alone. In deciding what to fund, these three grantmaking institutions decided to “ask the experts,” adopting seemingly objective, scientific models of peer review and specialist evaluation. They recruited music composers at elite institutions, professors from prestigious universities, and leaders of performing arts organizations. Among the most influential expert-consultants were Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Lukas Foss, and Milton Babbitt. The significance was twofold: not only were male, Western art composers put in charge of directing large and unprecedented channels of public and private funds, but also, in doing so, they determined and defined what was meant by artistic excellence. They decided the fate of their peers and shaped the direction of music making in this country. By asking the experts, the grantmaking institutions produced a concentrated and interconnected field of artists and musicians. Officers and directors utilized ostensibly objective financial tools like matching grants and endowments in an attempt to diversify and stabilize applicants’ sources of funding, as well as the number of applicants they funded. Such economics-based strategies, however, relied more on personal connections among the wealthy and elite, rather than local community citizens. Ultimately, this history demonstrates how “expertise” served as an exclusionary form of cultural and social capital that prevented racial minorities and nondominant groups from fully participating.Less
From the end of World War II through the U.S. Bicentennial, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Ford Foundation granted close to $300 million (approximately $2.3 billion in 2017 dollars) in the field of music alone. In deciding what to fund, these three grantmaking institutions decided to “ask the experts,” adopting seemingly objective, scientific models of peer review and specialist evaluation. They recruited music composers at elite institutions, professors from prestigious universities, and leaders of performing arts organizations. Among the most influential expert-consultants were Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Lukas Foss, and Milton Babbitt. The significance was twofold: not only were male, Western art composers put in charge of directing large and unprecedented channels of public and private funds, but also, in doing so, they determined and defined what was meant by artistic excellence. They decided the fate of their peers and shaped the direction of music making in this country. By asking the experts, the grantmaking institutions produced a concentrated and interconnected field of artists and musicians. Officers and directors utilized ostensibly objective financial tools like matching grants and endowments in an attempt to diversify and stabilize applicants’ sources of funding, as well as the number of applicants they funded. Such economics-based strategies, however, relied more on personal connections among the wealthy and elite, rather than local community citizens. Ultimately, this history demonstrates how “expertise” served as an exclusionary form of cultural and social capital that prevented racial minorities and nondominant groups from fully participating.
Alex Csiszar
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780226553238
- eISBN:
- 9780226553375
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226553375.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
The scientific journal has long been viewed as central both to the identity of scientific practitioners and to the public legitimacy of scientific knowledge. But it was not always so. In Western ...
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The scientific journal has long been viewed as central both to the identity of scientific practitioners and to the public legitimacy of scientific knowledge. But it was not always so. In Western Europe at the dawn of the nineteenth century, elite study of the natural world was dominated by scientific academies and societies. Journals—ephemeral, cheap, and in thrall to the demands of the reading market—held an ambivalent place in this world, and were sometimes an object of outright suspicion. This book is a history of how this changed in the case of France and Britain. It describes the process by which nineteenth-century savants cobbled together a periodical genre and turned it into a central institution for registering, certifying, and representing authoritative knowledge in the sciences. It shows how a great deal of epistemic weight came to be concentrated in the journal format, and how researchers’ identities began to be funneled into the narrow confines of the authorship of short periodical papers. Rather than being a natural solution to a fundamental communications problem that hastened the growth of knowledge, the modern scientific journal emerges instead as a hard-won compromise born of political exigencies, shifting epistemic values, intellectual property debates, and the demands of commerce. The authority that the scientific literature came to possess during the twentieth century derives from its being a key mediator between expert cultures of trust and broad public values of openness and accountability.Less
The scientific journal has long been viewed as central both to the identity of scientific practitioners and to the public legitimacy of scientific knowledge. But it was not always so. In Western Europe at the dawn of the nineteenth century, elite study of the natural world was dominated by scientific academies and societies. Journals—ephemeral, cheap, and in thrall to the demands of the reading market—held an ambivalent place in this world, and were sometimes an object of outright suspicion. This book is a history of how this changed in the case of France and Britain. It describes the process by which nineteenth-century savants cobbled together a periodical genre and turned it into a central institution for registering, certifying, and representing authoritative knowledge in the sciences. It shows how a great deal of epistemic weight came to be concentrated in the journal format, and how researchers’ identities began to be funneled into the narrow confines of the authorship of short periodical papers. Rather than being a natural solution to a fundamental communications problem that hastened the growth of knowledge, the modern scientific journal emerges instead as a hard-won compromise born of political exigencies, shifting epistemic values, intellectual property debates, and the demands of commerce. The authority that the scientific literature came to possess during the twentieth century derives from its being a key mediator between expert cultures of trust and broad public values of openness and accountability.
Michael Hochberg
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- August 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198804789
- eISBN:
- 9780191843051
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198804789.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Biomathematics / Statistics and Data Analysis / Complexity Studies
Scientists must communicate their work through clear writing and publish it where it will be read. To succeed, you need method, but also need to understand the worlds of journals, publishers and ...
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Scientists must communicate their work through clear writing and publish it where it will be read. To succeed, you need method, but also need to understand the worlds of journals, publishers and science evaluation. The Editor’s Guide to Writing and Publishing Science provides a comprehensive approach to how to write engaging papers, and strategies for publishing where they will be read and have impact. Drawing on decades of experience as a scientist, mentor and chief editor, Michael Hochberg offers a unique, authoritative view on writing science and into the little-known worlds of journals and publication. Succeeding in science means being a citizen of science, and The Editor’s Guide educates the reader in some of the most pressing issues and possible solutions, and provides key references for deeper exploration. Developing one’s career does not mean careerism, and Hochberg provides guidelines and advice for young researchers to engage in the craft of science, forge collaborations, contribute to the scientific commons as a peer reviewer and interact through social media. Understanding the challenges and opportunities in publishing is only possible with knowledge of how science communication is changing, and the reader is introduced to the important, emerging world of Open Science. Written in a practical and accessible way for students, postdoctoral researchers, early-career scientists and professionals across a wide range of scientific fields, The Editor’s Guide is a powerful tool for learning and improving individual skills, and can be the basis for discussion groups, or used as a text for dedicated classroom courses.Less
Scientists must communicate their work through clear writing and publish it where it will be read. To succeed, you need method, but also need to understand the worlds of journals, publishers and science evaluation. The Editor’s Guide to Writing and Publishing Science provides a comprehensive approach to how to write engaging papers, and strategies for publishing where they will be read and have impact. Drawing on decades of experience as a scientist, mentor and chief editor, Michael Hochberg offers a unique, authoritative view on writing science and into the little-known worlds of journals and publication. Succeeding in science means being a citizen of science, and The Editor’s Guide educates the reader in some of the most pressing issues and possible solutions, and provides key references for deeper exploration. Developing one’s career does not mean careerism, and Hochberg provides guidelines and advice for young researchers to engage in the craft of science, forge collaborations, contribute to the scientific commons as a peer reviewer and interact through social media. Understanding the challenges and opportunities in publishing is only possible with knowledge of how science communication is changing, and the reader is introduced to the important, emerging world of Open Science. Written in a practical and accessible way for students, postdoctoral researchers, early-career scientists and professionals across a wide range of scientific fields, The Editor’s Guide is a powerful tool for learning and improving individual skills, and can be the basis for discussion groups, or used as a text for dedicated classroom courses.
William A. Silverman
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780192630889
- eISBN:
- 9780191723568
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780192630889.003.0029
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter presents a 1994 commentary on the machinations that go on in the conduct and reporting of clinical trials. A clinical trial is used to illustrate that temptations to circumvent the rules ...
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This chapter presents a 1994 commentary on the machinations that go on in the conduct and reporting of clinical trials. A clinical trial is used to illustrate that temptations to circumvent the rules of evidence are particularly great when huge sums of money in drug sales depend on trial outcomes. It also suggests that peer review of the quality evidence is weaker than we are willing to admit.Less
This chapter presents a 1994 commentary on the machinations that go on in the conduct and reporting of clinical trials. A clinical trial is used to illustrate that temptations to circumvent the rules of evidence are particularly great when huge sums of money in drug sales depend on trial outcomes. It also suggests that peer review of the quality evidence is weaker than we are willing to admit.
William A. Silverman
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780192630889
- eISBN:
- 9780191723568
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780192630889.003.0036
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter presents a 1996 commentary on peer review of medical research. In the past quarter century, prospective peer review of research proposals involving human beings has been required in most ...
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This chapter presents a 1996 commentary on peer review of medical research. In the past quarter century, prospective peer review of research proposals involving human beings has been required in most developed countries. Review boards, usually individual institutions, must make independent determinations of the rights and welfare of research subjects; of the appropriateness of the methods used to obtain informed consent; and of the risks and potential benefits of the investigation. However, since the beginning of mandatory peer review, the credibility of review boards has been questioned.Less
This chapter presents a 1996 commentary on peer review of medical research. In the past quarter century, prospective peer review of research proposals involving human beings has been required in most developed countries. Review boards, usually individual institutions, must make independent determinations of the rights and welfare of research subjects; of the appropriateness of the methods used to obtain informed consent; and of the risks and potential benefits of the investigation. However, since the beginning of mandatory peer review, the credibility of review boards has been questioned.
George D. Lundberg
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195176360
- eISBN:
- 9780199865598
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195176360.003.10
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
Trustworthy information is a central requirement of a working healthcare system. This chapter describes how trust is important in medical communications, both in the published word and in medical ...
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Trustworthy information is a central requirement of a working healthcare system. This chapter describes how trust is important in medical communications, both in the published word and in medical information on the internet. It discusses the peer review system in the print journals and how the same is accomplished for the certain online sources through a code of ethics. It argues that the medical internet is fundamental to the evolving healthcare system of the future. It describes the central principles of such a system, called E-care. A list of action items for physicians to establish patient trust is included.Less
Trustworthy information is a central requirement of a working healthcare system. This chapter describes how trust is important in medical communications, both in the published word and in medical information on the internet. It discusses the peer review system in the print journals and how the same is accomplished for the certain online sources through a code of ethics. It argues that the medical internet is fundamental to the evolving healthcare system of the future. It describes the central principles of such a system, called E-care. A list of action items for physicians to establish patient trust is included.
Earle Holland
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780195174991
- eISBN:
- 9780197562239
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780195174991.003.0046
- Subject:
- Computer Science, History of Computer Science
Science writing at a university has to be one of the world's great jobs. If the institution is serious about its research, you're a kid in a candy store. ...
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Science writing at a university has to be one of the world's great jobs. If the institution is serious about its research, you're a kid in a candy store. In my case, at Ohio State University, with more than 3,500 faculty, the question is what to write about first—not where to look for stories. Big universities are that way, but the same rules apply for smaller places that are intent on doing great research. Let's begin with the basics. While public information officers at universities face a buffet of varying tasks—from covering boards of trustees' meetings to athletic scandals to student riots—the role of the science PIO is more focused: Concentrate on university research; explain what is new and why it is important to the public. Stated that way, the job seems simple, but science writers at a university may have to jump from astronomy to immunology to psychology to anthropology all in the same week. That represents a lot of intellectual gear shifting; but remember, the rules about reporting on research generally stay the same from field to field. What is the news? Why is it important? What is the context for the research? That is, what are the questions that drive it? Why should the readers care? And last, do the findings point us somewhere new? The only things that change from story to story are the researchers' language and the culture specific to their fields. Nearly every time I give a talk on university science writing—and there have been dozens—someone asks the classic question: How do you find your stories? The glib answer is “Everywhere;” but in truth, that's pretty accurate. Some people envision situations where top researchers have a “eureka” moment and then immediately get on the phone to the campus science writer to get the word out. Or perhaps the researcher's department chair or dean, ever attuned to their colleagues' work, is the one to pass along such news. I wish that were so; but sadly, it's more likely that researcher, department chair, or dean will never think about calling a writer until long after everything else is done.
Less
Science writing at a university has to be one of the world's great jobs. If the institution is serious about its research, you're a kid in a candy store. In my case, at Ohio State University, with more than 3,500 faculty, the question is what to write about first—not where to look for stories. Big universities are that way, but the same rules apply for smaller places that are intent on doing great research. Let's begin with the basics. While public information officers at universities face a buffet of varying tasks—from covering boards of trustees' meetings to athletic scandals to student riots—the role of the science PIO is more focused: Concentrate on university research; explain what is new and why it is important to the public. Stated that way, the job seems simple, but science writers at a university may have to jump from astronomy to immunology to psychology to anthropology all in the same week. That represents a lot of intellectual gear shifting; but remember, the rules about reporting on research generally stay the same from field to field. What is the news? Why is it important? What is the context for the research? That is, what are the questions that drive it? Why should the readers care? And last, do the findings point us somewhere new? The only things that change from story to story are the researchers' language and the culture specific to their fields. Nearly every time I give a talk on university science writing—and there have been dozens—someone asks the classic question: How do you find your stories? The glib answer is “Everywhere;” but in truth, that's pretty accurate. Some people envision situations where top researchers have a “eureka” moment and then immediately get on the phone to the campus science writer to get the word out. Or perhaps the researcher's department chair or dean, ever attuned to their colleagues' work, is the one to pass along such news. I wish that were so; but sadly, it's more likely that researcher, department chair, or dean will never think about calling a writer until long after everything else is done.
Joann Ellison Rodgers
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780195174991
- eISBN:
- 9780197562239
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780195174991.003.0047
- Subject:
- Computer Science, History of Computer Science
Shortly after I left daily newspapering in 1984 for a post in Johns Hopkins Medicine's public affairs office, I was called to a meeting of senior ...
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Shortly after I left daily newspapering in 1984 for a post in Johns Hopkins Medicine's public affairs office, I was called to a meeting of senior administrators at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The assignment was to decide what to say publicly—or whether to say anything at all—about an outbreak of deadly meningitis in the newborn nursery, and the need to close it until state and hospital epidemiologists had tracked down and eradicated the source of the infection. The right things were already being done to protect the public and the workforce, to take responsibility for the problem, and to investigate and fix what might have gone wrong. The issue was communications. My still-fresh reporter's instincts led me to propose that Hopkins call a press conference to tell the bad news quickly, before it leaked and the press suspected a coverup. We would publicly advise prospective mothers-to-be that Hopkins would arrange for their deliveries at other institutions. Despite worries that press coverage would hurt our reputation, scare patients and visitors, and invite lawsuits, I got the benefit of the doubt and personally broke the news on camera that same day. Hopkins was rewarded with a newspaper editorial praising us for putting patient safety first, a bolstered reputation for credibility, and a sure bet for increased referrals and revenue. Not a bad outcome, although not a great one, either. I might have asked that a physician or nurse deliver the news, putting a bona fide expert's face on the story. (The press corps wasn't exactly thrilled with my “credentials.”) I could have made sure insiders got a “heads-up” advance notice before they saw my face on the 6 p.m. news. (They grumbled—appropriately—about having been blind-sided and ill-equipped to answer follow-up questions from patients, families, and journalists.) And I should have alerted public information officers (PIOs) in the state health department that they would surely get calls from the press as well and should be prepared to respond quickly. Still, 20 years later, the option of whether to communicate or not communicate during a crisis remains widely recognized as no option at all.
Less
Shortly after I left daily newspapering in 1984 for a post in Johns Hopkins Medicine's public affairs office, I was called to a meeting of senior administrators at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The assignment was to decide what to say publicly—or whether to say anything at all—about an outbreak of deadly meningitis in the newborn nursery, and the need to close it until state and hospital epidemiologists had tracked down and eradicated the source of the infection. The right things were already being done to protect the public and the workforce, to take responsibility for the problem, and to investigate and fix what might have gone wrong. The issue was communications. My still-fresh reporter's instincts led me to propose that Hopkins call a press conference to tell the bad news quickly, before it leaked and the press suspected a coverup. We would publicly advise prospective mothers-to-be that Hopkins would arrange for their deliveries at other institutions. Despite worries that press coverage would hurt our reputation, scare patients and visitors, and invite lawsuits, I got the benefit of the doubt and personally broke the news on camera that same day. Hopkins was rewarded with a newspaper editorial praising us for putting patient safety first, a bolstered reputation for credibility, and a sure bet for increased referrals and revenue. Not a bad outcome, although not a great one, either. I might have asked that a physician or nurse deliver the news, putting a bona fide expert's face on the story. (The press corps wasn't exactly thrilled with my “credentials.”) I could have made sure insiders got a “heads-up” advance notice before they saw my face on the 6 p.m. news. (They grumbled—appropriately—about having been blind-sided and ill-equipped to answer follow-up questions from patients, families, and journalists.) And I should have alerted public information officers (PIOs) in the state health department that they would surely get calls from the press as well and should be prepared to respond quickly. Still, 20 years later, the option of whether to communicate or not communicate during a crisis remains widely recognized as no option at all.
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226465319
- eISBN:
- 9780226465333
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226465333.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
This chapter explores the role of ethical peer review at Cincinnati and shows that contemporary judgments of Eugene Saenger were highly contingent and affected by social and political forces. It ...
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This chapter explores the role of ethical peer review at Cincinnati and shows that contemporary judgments of Eugene Saenger were highly contingent and affected by social and political forces. It follows the changing strategies that the local peer review committee adopted to evaluate Saenger's research proposals. It also demonstrates that the concerns of the peer review committee, combined with the changing interests of Saenger's coinvestigators, moved the program in a direction that embraced more overtly clinical goals. The Faculty Committee on Research (FCR) viewed its compact with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) more broadly than simply as providing an ethical assessment. The focus of the FCR's ethical assessment on the content of the consent statement, no doubt, played some role in reducing internal debates over patient welfare. The FCR pressured him to modify his program and make it explicitly a therapeutic trial for treating patients with advanced cancers.Less
This chapter explores the role of ethical peer review at Cincinnati and shows that contemporary judgments of Eugene Saenger were highly contingent and affected by social and political forces. It follows the changing strategies that the local peer review committee adopted to evaluate Saenger's research proposals. It also demonstrates that the concerns of the peer review committee, combined with the changing interests of Saenger's coinvestigators, moved the program in a direction that embraced more overtly clinical goals. The Faculty Committee on Research (FCR) viewed its compact with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) more broadly than simply as providing an ethical assessment. The focus of the FCR's ethical assessment on the content of the consent statement, no doubt, played some role in reducing internal debates over patient welfare. The FCR pressured him to modify his program and make it explicitly a therapeutic trial for treating patients with advanced cancers.
