Comparative Journal Ratings: A Survey Report

The expert survey and bibliometric methods of assessing the quality of work in political science are complementary. This project builds on previous surveys of academic political science journals conducted among US political scientists. The current wave extends the survey to political scientists in Canada and the UK. Preliminary results suggest both similarities and differences across the three countries. These results matter for policy debate in any country that is considering channelling flows of funds to universities in proportion to the quality of their research, and in helping to supply objective evidence about the research quality of work submitted by candidates for academic appointments and promotions.     

Motivating the uninvolved worker: some conceptual and empirical observations

This paper focuses on the issue of whether less involved workers are affected by conventional management practices such as group involvement, merit pay, and participative management. The findings suggest that while these management practices have some influence on the performance of uninvolved employees, that uninvolved employees are behaviorally distinct from more actively involved workers. As a consequence, it may be prudent for managers in the public sector to develop management practices and approaches specifically designed to stimulate low involvement employees.     

Propaganda,effect, and the cold war: Gauging the status of america's “war of words”

The article examines the interrelationship among propaganda, effect, and the Cold War during congressional debates over America's first peacetime propaganda program. Although the rise of the communication research paradigm affected the production of statistical evidence to measure the effectiveness of America's Cold War propaganda, this case study argues that the “war of words” metaphor further heightened the need for empirical proof of America's status in that conflict, Just as with any physical battle that relies on body counts and land measurements to determine the success of America's war efforts, the criteria for measuring the status of America's “war of words” were driven by a similar demand for “objective” proof. The longevity of the Cold War helped ensure the institutionalization of the communication research paradigm, which rejected the use of anecdotal evidence as support for the program's impact.     

Testing a Novel 3D Printed Radiographic Imaging Device for Use in Forensic Odontology

There are specific challenges related to forensic dental radiology and difficulties in aligning X‐ray equipment to teeth of interest. Researchers used 3D printing to create a new device, the combined holding and aiming device (CHAD), to address the positioning limitations of current dental X‐ray devices. Participants (N = 24) used the CHAD, soft dental wax, and a modified external aiming device (MEAD) to determine device preference, radiographer's efficiency, and technique errors. Each participant exposed six X‐rays per device for a total of 432 X‐rays scored. A significant difference was found at the 0.05 level between the three devices (p = 0.0015), with the MEAD having the least amount of total errors and soft dental wax taking the least amount of time. Total errors were highest when participants used soft dental wax—both the MEAD and the CHAD performed best overall. Further research in forensic dental radiology and use of holding devices is needed.     

Confidence intervals for estimates based on linear regression in forensic anthropology

Forensic anthropologists commonly use simple linear regression to estimate the value of a dependent variable, such as stature, for a single specimen where the value of the independent variable, such as humerus length, is known. Published studies providing regression equations for such use almost invariably include the standard error of estimate. Unfortunately, it is exceptional for forensic anthropologists to use the standard error to calculate correctly the confidence limits for their single predicted value. We attempt to show why this may be and provide explicit guidelines for the proper construction of confidence interval in such circumstances.     

Stature- and age-related bias in self-reported stature.

The use of reported stature, especially self-reported stature such as on a driver's license, as a proxy for measured stature is necessary when measured stature is unavailable, for example, in matching data calculated from skeletal remains with data for missing persons. The accuracy of self-reported stature for older persons and especially for tall and short people is not well ascertained. Examination of published reports provides evidence that beginning at age 45, people compound their stature overestimation by an additional amount related to age (women by twice the amount of men). Analysis of anthropometric data from 8000 U.S. Army personnel indicates that the amount of general overestimation of stature by men is 2 1/2 times greater than that by women. Neither tall men nor tall women underestimate their stature, but men in the upper third of the stature range, and women in the upper 10%, self-report their stature with greater accuracy. No trends in accuracy are apparent in the remainder of the stature spectrum for men or women.