A space to explore, share and shape the issues facing social scientists

Higher Education Reform

Should We Treat the Syllabus as a Scholarly Work?

By Jason Rhody | Published: December 11, 2018

A workshop conducted by the Humane Metrics Initiative earlier this year explored whether the humble syllabus should be treated as a scholarly work on its...

Metricization, the SSCI Syndrome and Devaluing Books in Academic Sociology

By Daniel Nehring | Published: November 18, 2018

Is scholarship that doesn't appear in the Social Science Citation Index -- a commercial index of ‘internationally leading’ journals in the social sciences, compiled by...

Also posted in Communication, Impact | Tagged East Asia, Publication Concerns, Sociology, SSCI | Leave a comment

Open Peer Review Not Always Welcomed With Open Arms

By Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva | Published: September 24, 2018

It's hoped open peer review could improve the speed and quality of reviews, but, not all academics are comfortable with open peer review and remain...

Also posted in International Debates | Tagged Open Peer Review, Peer Review | Leave a comment

Book Review: How to be a Happy Academic

By Eddy Li | Published: September 20, 2018

In 'How to be a Happy Academic: A Guide to Being Effective in Research, Writing and Teaching,' Alex Clark and Bailey Sousa aim to support fellow academic workers at all...

Also posted in Bookshelf, Career | Tagged Book Review, Happy Academic | Leave a comment

Collaboration Imbues SSRC’s ‘To Secure Knowledge’ Report

By Social Science Space | Published: September 19, 2018

In launching its first-ever task force report on Monday, the 95-year-old Social Science Research Council made clear it gets by with a little help from...

Also posted in Announcements, Bookshelf, Impact, International Debates, News, Research Ethics | Tagged SSRC, To Secure Knowledge | Leave a comment

Crowd-Sourcing As a Complement to Peer Review

By Social Science Space | Published: September 13, 2018

A new process developed by Princeton's Matthew Salganik for reviewing academic manuscripts allows the world at large to examine and weigh in on a book...

Also posted in International Debates | Tagged Matthew Salganik, Open Review, Peer Review, QASS | Leave a comment

How Will Universities Cope With Brexit Britain’s Resurgent Nationalism?

By Daniel Nehring | Published: September 6, 2018

As Brexit Britain appears headed straight for a chaotic exit from the European Union, its universities are raising questions about their future with growing alarm....

Also posted in Brexit, International Debates | Tagged Brexit, Nationalism | Leave a comment

Arbitrary Choices and the Politics of Sociological Enquiry

By Daniel Nehring | Published: June 29, 2018

Arbitrary choices --all those political considerations that twist and constrain scholarship without adding to it in intellectually meaningful ways -- are rife in contemporary academic...

Also posted in Academic Funding | Tagged Arbitrary Choices | Leave a comment

Who Might Address Research Candidates’ Off-the-Charts Stress?

By Karen Barry | Published: June 26, 2018

Graduate research candidates are the powerhouse of research in universities, yet many have reported feelings of isolation, burnout, and career uncertainty. Karen Barry reports on a study...

Also posted in International Debates, Research | Tagged Graduate Students, mental health, stress | Leave a comment

Literature Reviews Are Already Broken, So Let’s Kill Them

By Richard P. Phelps | Published: June 25, 2018

The literature review is a staple of the scholarly article. But when reviews misrepresent previous studies or suggest there's a paucity of information when there...

Also posted in Communication | Tagged Academic Publishing, Literature Review, Publication Concerns, scholarly articles | Leave a comment

How to Have the Best Possible Student-Supervisor Meeting

By Alex Clark and Bailey Sousa | Published: May 23, 2018

Drawing on their new SAGE book for students and academics “How to be a Happy Academic,” Alex Clark and Bailey Sousa share strategies for successful...

Also posted in News, Tips | Tagged Happy Academic, Tips | Leave a comment

Mariya Ivancheva: ‘At Stake is the Future of Public Higher Education’

By Daniel Nehring | Published: May 1, 2018

Anthropologist and sociologist Mariya Ivancheva has viewed modern higher education from a number of global perches, whether in Eastern Europe or South Africa, the strapped...

Posted in Higher Education Reform | Tagged Academic Capitalism | Leave a comment

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