Research Journals in Social Sciences

Author(s):  
A.V. Manjunatha ◽  
B.B. Chand

This chapter analyses the relevant aspects related to research journals and examines the growth and trends of social science research (SSR) journals; the status on access and delivery models of SSR journals; the role of institutions, associations, and commercial publishers in promoting SSR journals; and the quality and quantity of SSR journals in India. The study found that of the total 2131 journals analysed, about 84 per cent are published in English, only 9 per cent in English as well as in Hindi/regional languages together, and 7 per cent only in Hindi/regional languages. Analysis of 1992 journals published in English and English/Hindi/regional language(s) shows that over 40 per cent of these are in disciplines of economics and allied subjects. Education, law, and multidisciplinary themes take the majority of the remaining share.

Author(s):  
N. Lalitha ◽  
Amrita Ghatak

This chapter analyses the status of India’s social science research (SSR) publications in global context. The outputs chosen to assess India’s comparative performance is the articles written and published by Indians in the field of social sciences either individually or in collaboration with researchers outside India. The study analysed journal articles published during 2008–14 drawn from Scopus database to examine the publication status of India in social sciences in an international context. The study found that the six-year period, 2009–14, India consistently ranks among the top 15 countries in the world. Discipline-wise analysis shows that the share of pure social science articles was significant but is declining. Of the total 30938 articles, 28 per cent are published with international collaboration. The USA and the UK contribute 52 per cent of total international collaborations.


Author(s):  
Sukhadeo Thorat ◽  
Samar Verma

For social sciences to play their emancipatory as well as instrumental role in public policymaking, it is imperative that the social science research ecosystem is dynamic and vibrant, institutions governing the research ecosystem are robust and effective, and those producing good quality research and researchers are strong and well governed. Underlying these is a serious issue about funding and availability of data on social science research (SSR) to facilitate informed decision-making and enable design of program policies and strategies. In collaboration with the Think Tank Initiative (TTI) Program of IDRC, ICSSR led this work to examine the present status of social science in the country. This Volume examines the status of SSR with respect to its multiple dimensions and recommends the need for a comprehensive national social science policy in India that is adequately resourced and delivered through well-governed national institutions in order to create a credible research culture in social sciences.


2016 ◽  
Vol 03 (02) ◽  
pp. 1602002
Author(s):  
James M. Jeffers

Writing in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, James K. Mitchell challenged social science researchers of hazards and disasters to broaden their research agenda. He advocated a move beyond simply applying existing social science insights to contemporary events to reflection on the larger project of the production of knowledge through academic research, the application of that knowledge to public policy, and the role of the social sciences in these endeavors. In particular, he urged consideration of the context-dependent nature of scientific knowledge on hazards, the relationships between scientific and non-scientific ways of understanding and responding to disasters, and the complex and often contradictory ways in which hazards can be framed, interpreted and understood. Ten years on from this challenge, this paper reviews scholarship that has addressed some of these concerns and proposes questions for further research. It argues that while social science research has advanced in some of the directions proposed by Mitchell, the challenge of complex, dynamic and contradictory interpretations of hazards and the implications of the provisional nature of knowledge remain understudied. It also suggests that while recent innovations in the co-production of hazards knowledge are welcome, there may be significant challenges to utilizing these approaches on a wider basis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 2-2
Author(s):  
Tia Powell ◽  
David Reuben ◽  
Vincent Mor ◽  
Deborah Blacker ◽  
Molly Checksfield

Abstract The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) was charged with developing a ten-year agenda for research in the behavioral and social sciences that would substantially contribute to reducing the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). The report, expected to be publicly released in June 2021, has been developed by a committee of individuals with expertise across a range of disciplines and fields, including dementia research. The committee was charged with assessing the role of the social and behavioral sciences in reducing the impact of dementia. The committee held several evidence-gathering sessions, reviewed published literature, commissioned several papers, and engaged individuals living with dementia and caregivers as a part of an Advisory Panel to the committee. This presentation will engage attendees in a discussion about the ten-year behavioral and social science research agenda related to dementia produced by this NASEM committee.


Author(s):  
Gary Goertz ◽  
James Mahoney

Some in the social sciences argue that the same logic applies to both qualitative and quantitative research methods. This book demonstrates that these two paradigms constitute different cultures, each internally coherent yet marked by contrasting norms, practices, and toolkits. The book identifies and discusses major differences between these two traditions that touch nearly every aspect of social science research, including design, goals, causal effects and models, concepts and measurement, data analysis, and case selection. Although focused on the differences between qualitative and quantitative research, the book also seeks to promote toleration, exchange, and learning by enabling scholars to think beyond their own culture and see an alternative scientific worldview. The book is written in an easily accessible style and features a host of real-world examples to illustrate methodological points.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237802312110244
Author(s):  
Katrin Auspurg ◽  
Josef Brüderl

In 2018, Silberzahn, Uhlmann, Nosek, and colleagues published an article in which 29 teams analyzed the same research question with the same data: Are soccer referees more likely to give red cards to players with dark skin tone than light skin tone? The results obtained by the teams differed extensively. Many concluded from this widely noted exercise that the social sciences are not rigorous enough to provide definitive answers. In this article, we investigate why results diverged so much. We argue that the main reason was an unclear research question: Teams differed in their interpretation of the research question and therefore used diverse research designs and model specifications. We show by reanalyzing the data that with a clear research question, a precise definition of the parameter of interest, and theory-guided causal reasoning, results vary only within a narrow range. The broad conclusion of our reanalysis is that social science research needs to be more precise in its “estimands” to become credible.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kjell Asplund ◽  
Kerstin Hulter Åsberg

Abstract Background Previous studies have indicated that failure to report ethical approval is common in health science articles. In social sciences, the occurrence is unknown. The Swedish Ethics Review Act requests that sensitive personal data, in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), should undergo independent ethical review, irrespective of academic discipline. We have explored the adherence to this regulation. Methods Using the Web of Science databases, we reviewed 600 consecutive articles from three domains (health sciences with and without somatic focus and social sciences) based on identifiable personal data published in 2020. Results Information on ethical review was lacking in 12 of 200 health science articles with somatic focus (6%), 21 of 200 health science articles with non-somatic focus (11%), and in 54 of 200 social science articles (27%; p < 0.001 vs. both groups of health science articles). Failure to report on ethical approval was more common in (a) observational than in interventional studies (p < 0.01), (b) articles with only 1–2 authors (p < 0.001) and (c) health science articles from universities without a medical school (p < 0.001). There was no significant association between journal impact factor and failure to report ethical approval. Conclusions We conclude that reporting of research ethics approval is reasonably good, but not strict, in health science articles. Failure to report ethical approval is about three times more frequent in social sciences compared to health sciences. Improved adherence seems needed particularly in observational studies, in articles with few authors and in social science research.


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