A study in international communication: Eurovision

Of all the efforts to improve international understanding, perhaps the most noteworthy is the expansion of television to the international sphere in the form of Eurovision.     

Some problems in interracial communication: An interracial group case study

An interracial group case study has revealed that sensitization, lack of shared experience, stereotyping, racial intragroup pressures, and variables in physical environment all contribute in varying degrees to the problems arising in interracial interaction.     

Library involvement in an autism support program: A case study

Abstract

The Students with Autism Transitional Education Program (STEP) at Eastern Illinois University is one of the few of its kind and is a leader in supporting college students with autism. Eastern Illinois University Library Services teamed up with the STEP in order to provide support to the students in the program. Students were interviewed about their experiences in the library in order to determine what their impressions of the library were and what potential needs they had. Students largely viewed the library as a safe haven and a great place for quiet study. Based on feedback, this case study also offers suggestions for improvement to make college and university libraries more welcoming to people with autism.     

Road to international publications: an empirical study of Chinese communication scholars

This paper examines factors motivating Chinese communication scholars to publish in international journals and how these factors shape their knowledge production. We also investigate these scholars’ treatment of particularity, which is central to debates on Asian approaches to communication scholarship. Based on in-depth interviews with 22 Chinese communication scholars, this study finds that Chinese scholars choose to publish overseas both as a result of institutional incentives and an attempt to relieve themselves from institutional and sociopolitical constraints in China. While promoting international publications, these institutional and sociopolitical factors also markedly influence the knowledge production process, leading to the segregation of international and local knowledge production; scholars’ active self-censorship; and their efforts to subject to perceived international biases. The study also demonstrates that while adopting an eclectic and pragmatic attitude toward particularity, Chinese communication scholars are generally cautious of advocating particularity. The attitudinal and behavioral eclecticism and institutional and sociopolitical constraints jointly result in a fragmented particularity in the international publication of Chinese communication scholars. The findings’ implications for Asian approaches to communication studies are discussed.     

Managed care and the paradox of patient confidentiality: A case study analysis from a communication boundary management perspective

Managed care organizations have become one of the dominant forms of health care delivery in the United States. Paradoxically, this system, designed to provide better, less expensive care for patients and increased efficiency for health care providers may be compromising patients’ privacy by making patients’ records available to a wider range of internal and external parties. By allowing many individuals access to patients’ health records, the confidentiality of patients’ private information in the managed care environment is at risk. Using an extension of the communication boundary management perspective (Petronio, 1991, 2000) within a case study approach, a breach of patient confidentiality in a managed care environment is examined. From this analysis, practical recommendations are offered to patients, health care providers, and managed care organizations for managing the paradox of patient confidentiality.     

Beyond the usual suspects: A case study in choosing an inventory control system

When the University of Oklahoma Libraries began planning a new high-density storage facility, we decided to look beyond the companies that had provided products specifically for libraries. We turned to records management companies, seeking out products used in the finance, insurance, healthcare, and legal industries. This column outlines our requirements and specifications, selection and implementation processes, and our current use of the software.     

Not all undecided voters are alike: Evidence from an Israeli election

The literature dealing with undecided voters – a growing group of citizens in many democracies that can determine who wins in election campaigns – suggests two very different profiles. The first approach describes undecided voters as being generally uninformed about politics, while the second sees undecideds as sophisticated citizens who follow a campaign closely before making their final voting decision. The current study tries to make sense of this contrast, while examining differences between sophisticated and less sophisticated undecideds (their level of sophistication was based on their political interest and knowledge). Using two panel surveys, conducted before and after the April 2019 elections in Israel (N = 1427; N = 912), we examine a number of hypotheses about differences in terms of the undecided citizens' demographic backgrounds, how they search for political information during the election campaign, how they come to make their final decisions, and whether they ended up voting. The findings indicate that the typical sophisticated undecided voter is a citizen from a more privileged social background, exhibits greater trust in traditional media, consumes more news to follow the campaign (from various traditional news outlets and social media), is more likely to carry out online discussions about the elections, is more likely to base his or her decision on policy issues, is more likely to debate between parties within the same ideological camp (internal floater), and more likely to vote than less sophisticated undecided voters. Our typology, which makes a distinction between sophisticated and less sophisticated undecided voters, as well as these findings (and the comparison to the committed voters), can help political scientists and practitioners widen their understanding regarding this important group of voters in todays' complex political reality.     

CD-ROM project management: A case study

This article describes a CD-ROM test disc project planned to gain firsthand knowledge of the production process, and to deliver a disc that will be used to analyze the potential market for full-text publications on CD-ROM. It describes getting started in the field, details the project planning process, and explains how to gather resources, schedule the project, and develop a work breakdown schedule. In this kind of project,task definition andcollaboration with other organizations are the crucial components for success. Virginia Meade led the team that produced Bellcore’s first CD-ROM disc. She has worked as a senior project manager in the Information Management Services division at Bellcore for the past three years, and chaired the Information Technology district’s electronic publishing services group. Address for correspondence     

Library virtual tours: A case study

Virtual tours delivered via the Web have become a common tool for both instruction and outreach. This article is a case study of the creation of a virtual tour for a university library and is intended to provide others interested in creating a virtual tour of their library the opportunity to learn from the mistakes and successes of fellow librarians. Virtual tours can enhance a library's Web presence as well as provide much needed information to remote or prospective users.     

A case study: planning a statewide information resource for health professionals: an evidence-based approach

Question:

What is the best approach for implementing a statewide electronic health library (eHL) to serve all health professionals in Minnesota?

Setting:

The research took place at the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Libraries.

Methods:

In January 2008, the authors began planning a statewide eHL for health professionals following the five-step process for evidence-based librarianship: formulating the question, finding the best evidence, appraising the evidence, assessing costs and benefits, and evaluating the effectiveness of resulting actions.

Main Results:

The authors identified best practices for developing a statewide eHL for health professionals relating to audience or population served, information resources, technology and access, funding model, and implementation and sustainability. They were compared to the mission of the eHL project to drive strategic directions by developing recommendations.

Conclusion:

EBL can guide the planning process for a statewide eHL, but findings must be tailored to the local environment to address information needs and ensure long-term sustainability.     

Practices of quality and trustworthiness in scholarly communication: A case from Pakistan

This paper aims to investigate the practices of Pakistani academic researchers with respect to using, citing, and publishing their scholarly work. The quantitative survey method adopted to collect data from local researchers was based on an instrument developed and used by CIBER. Their notions and practices involved in deciding trust and quality of scholarly journals were obtained. The findings revealed that national and institutional policies have significantly influenced their decisions regarding the publishing outlets. The credibility of indexing services was found to be an important factor in choosing the journal for publishing research. ISI Web of Science Impact Factor was not considered as the top source for determining quality and trustworthiness. This study is the first of its kind that targets the top two universities of the country. A comparison of the findings with another international study shows that some of the behavioural traits are compatible with scholars from less‐developed countries like India and China, while others are more similar to the ones from highly developed countries like USA and UK.     

Eliciting a thousand words: A case for photo-elicitation in interpersonal communication research

The current paper argues photo-elicitation is a valuable and worthwhile method of analysis that ought to be utilized in interpersonal communication research. First, three approaches to photo-elicitation are detailed and discussed. Next, arguments as to why photo-elicitation is a viable methodological tool for the interpersonal communication discipline, interpersonal communication researchers, and participants is presented. Lastly, how photo-elicitation may be incorporated into interpersonal communication research via photo-elicitation procedures, data analysis, and the presentation of results is articulated.     

Improving approval plan performance: A case study

An efficient approval plan should enable libraries to save on acquisitions costs while achieving higher use satisfaction by making new materials available sooner. Two internal systems for handling approval plans are compared to show that approval plan performance can be improved significantly by taking full advantage of automation capabilities.     

Quality reference service: A preliminary case study

A general reference department achieved a high score on the Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evaluation Program. Intensive use of electronic resources, a good reference collection, good architecture, administrative support, and, most importantly, adequate time provided by the consultation model contributed, in this case, to high-quality service.     

Change management in extremis: A case study

After 40 years under one manager, the Circulation Department at the Richard J. Daley Library was long past due for a change. The challenge of reorganizing included interesting and interrelated aspects: changes to workflows and assignments, moving staff and functions inside the department and across departments, and a deep dive into the culture to which staff had become habituated. Managers eliminated redundancies and increased services, effectiveness, productivity, and joy. This case study is a testament to how successful change happens with patience, respect, and a willingness to be flexible.     

主题科学传播的选题与渠道分析 ——以COVID-19疫情情境下我国医学论文传播为例

主题科学传播在选题策略和传播渠道均存在其特点。选取我国新型冠状病毒肺炎学术成果交流平台2020年1月27日至7月19日网络载文作为典型案例,收集单篇论文的阅读量、题目、期刊、作者信息及网页访问量构成,定性分析论文学科属性与传播主题的关联,定量分析全球访问量的国别特征、构成及趋势。高阅读量论文的选题呈现以下3个特点:与中心事件强相关、与关键问题有结合点、研究对象较受关注,单篇阅读量较高的论文类型为论著、指南共识、述评专论。网络传播中以直接访问与外部链接引流为主要渠道,引流来源以自建网络平台、文献数据库、主流搜索产品(如百度学术)为主。随着疫情形势变化及观察时间窗延长,访问量增幅较大的渠道以微信公众平台及社交媒体为主,新增渠道包括不同出版平台资源中心外链及大众新闻媒介。除我国外,访问量较高的国家为美国、巴西、印度、日本、意大利。主题科学传播中传播迅速且较受关注的论文选题兼顾学科关联性及公众关切,传播渠道以网络为主。随着时间推移,即时通讯及社交媒体传播增速较高,更多境外网络访问、出版机构互链及国际学术组织数据库涉入,科学传播的受众角色更加丰富。中文论文的国际推广应注重传统平台及新兴渠道的均衡发力,凭借国际化资源中心及社交媒体平台主动传播。