Self‐Perceptions of communication effectiveness: An exploratory study

With increasing evidence of non‐maximal communication skills, an investigation of variables that could impact the inclination of students to continue development was undertaken. This study initiates exploration of student perceptions of communication effectiveness relative to self peers and people‐in‐general. Results indicate that most students perceive themselves to he very effective communicators and perceive others to be less effective. A reverse pattern was evidenced by high apprehensive students. The challenge for communication education is discussed. Potential action paths are elaborated.     

An exploratory study of word‐of‐mouth communication in a hierarchy of effects context

Word‐of‐mouth (WOM) communication is introduced within a hierarchy‐of‐effects context. The results of a laboratory experiment suggest that amount of WOM information about products is less important than valence of that information. Counter to previous research implying a disproportionate influence of negative information on product evaluation, negative WOM information in the experiment reported resulted in less familiarity with the mentioned brand. Further, a somewhat surprising finding indicated that brand‐specific negative WOM communication can have the effect of decreasing primary demand for an entire product category.     

An objective study of emphasis in oral reading of emotional and unemotional material∗

One shortcoming of previous research using panel data for media and political studies has been the practice of treating the data as if they were collected from different sets of individuals at different times rather than as if they were collected at different times from the same individuals. The present study attempted to apply newer methods of analysis to panel data. Both R factor and Q factor analyses were applied to the data. The person‐types thus determined were found to be meaningfully interpretable and useful in explaining the election results. It was found that the image types were nearly as useful as associative indexes with actual voting behavior as was political affiliation.     

Can Twitter improve your health? An analysis of alcohol consumption guidelines on Twitter

This article is the first in the feature to highlight the social network site Twitter as a tool for health information and it reports on a study by Emma Hughes, who completed an MSc in information and library studies at Aberystwyth University in 2014. Emma's research investigated the quality of health information available on Twitter, in particular the information available on UK alcohol consumption guidelines. Her research suggests that users searching for this information would need certain literacy skills to interpret it correctly. However, there is no doubt that Twitter is an increasingly popular resource for information dissemination and health professionals, and organisations should be encouraged to use it frequently as a tool for sharing information. AM     

Online scholarly publishing in China: Who? What? How?

This overview describes the general situation of online scholarly publishing in China from both the supply and demand points of view. Based on desk research, online survey, and face‐to‐face interviews, we identify scholars' perceptions as well as expectations of the current online publishing system. We offer some personal recommendations for change. We then provide a list of business models for stakeholders.     

How does collaboration affect researchers’ positions in co-authorship networks?

Collaboration usually has a positive effect on researchers’ productivity: researchers have become increasingly collaborative, according to recent studies. Numerous studies have focused on enhancing research collaboration by recommendation technology and measuring the influence of researchers. However, few studies have investigated the effect of collaboration on the position of a researcher in the research social network. In this paper, we explore the relationships between collaboration and influence by social analytical methods, which are pertinent to analyzing the network structure and individual traits. We evaluate three aspects of the researchers’ influence: friendship paradox validation, social circle, and structure of a researcher's ego network. Furthermore, the ”six degrees of Bacon number” theory, generalized friendship paradox, and triadic closure theory are introduced to support our analysis. Experimental results show that collaboration can help researchers increase their influence to some extent.     

What contributes to a qualified digital humanities librarian and ideal digital humanities pedagogy? An exploratory qualitative study

Various digital humanities (DH) methods are increasingly being incorporated into the curricula of higher education institutions and the research undertaken in these institutions. Through semi-structured interviews conducted with eight librarians from four universities, along with observation of their actual work and investigation of the library websites, this study explored these librarians' perceptions of DH pedagogy and their understandings about the role of “DH librarian.” The findings show that the role of a DH librarian can be seen as a liaison among different stakeholders, a group of specialists, or a collective title. The importance of humanities versus technical backgrounds and the practical skills a DH librarian needs to support DH pedagogy are discussed. The findings also indicate that an ideal practice of DH pedagogy requires balanced collaboration, a clear framework, a closer partnership, ample investment in human and technical resources, and high valuation of non-book scholarship.     

How far does scientific community look back?

How does the published scientific literature used by scientific community? Many previous studies make analysis on the static usage data. In this research, we propose the concept of dynamic usage data. Based on the platform of realtime.springer.com, we have been monitoring and recording the dynamic usage data of Scientometrics articles round the clock. Our analysis find that papers published in recent four years have many more downloads than papers published four years ago. According to our quantitative calculation, papers downloaded on one day have an average lifetime of 4.1 years approximately. Classic papers are still being downloaded frequently even long after their publication. Additionally, we find that social media may reboot the attention of old scientific literature in a short time.     

How is information shared across the boundaries of government agencies? An e-Government case study

This paper explores how information is shared across the vertical and horizontal boundaries of government agencies. Different types of information sharing are identified and discussed in terms of their strengths and encountered challenges. Centralized types of information sharing are found as a primary strategy adopted to facilitate interagency information sharing in the two dimensions. Particularly, influential determinants from type comparisons and government agencies are identified and discussed regarding what agencies may take into considerations when selecting certain types of information sharing. While there is no single type of information sharing that can satisfy all the needs and concerns of government agencies, most agencies still simultaneously employ several types of information sharing in different circumstances. A competition-and-cooperation relationship exists among the different types of information sharing in both dimensions. The paper suggests that a balance between centralized and decentralized types of information sharing should be achieved to obtain advantages and diminish disadvantages. The similarities and differences between the types in the two dimensions are also compared and discussed. Lastly, the conclusion outlines the contribution and limitation of the current research and suggests future studies of the current work.     

Research productivity in communication: An analysis, 1996‐2001

The study provides an analysis of those scholars who produced a substantial number of articles in 24 communication journals during the period, 1996‐2001. The purpose of the study was to update the information provided in previous studies. Using data similar to that previously found in the Index to Journals in Communication Studies, the authors found that during the period a number of new names has appeared. As a result, the authors develop a list of the top one percent (50) of those researchers, as well as providing data on the institutions which these scholars represent. The minimum number of articles necessary during the period to be included was nine.     

How online health discussions make people perceive benefits?

The online health discussion (OHD) has increasingly become an important component in the practice of health informatics service, and many health users have gained benefits through OHD. Few studies have tried to answer how people obtain benefits from OHD. As a new type of online health information, OHD is composed of multiple messages with a discourse structure. By referring to Peirce’ semiotics, a theoretical model of the relationship of OHD with multiply meanings (i.e., discourse structure and health knowledge) and health users' perceived benefits (PB) was developed. 1248 OHD units were collected, and the main findings were obtained. (1) The number of discussion chains has a crucial effect on PB. (2) Health knowledge related to OHD produces indirect effects on PB. This work enriches extant literature by empirically revealing multilevel meanings of OHD and their roles. Related findings can be used to explore improvements for designing of OHD.     

Examining six modes of relationships in a social-mediated crisis in China: an exploratory study of contingent organization–public relationships (COPR)

ABSTRACT

The relationship management theory and contingency theory of conflict management, as two dominant approaches in the field of public relations, bolstered by a tapestry of literature from cross-disciplinary fields, were brought together to conceptualize the concept of contingent organization–public relationships (COPR). To generate the theoretical robustness of COPR and test its practical applicability, we selected a social-mediated crisis occurring in China and collected data through mixed-methods, including both content analysis and in-depth interviews. Quantitatively, content analysis of 338 Red Cross’s press releases and 4003 media coverage and 136,754 public posts during a 3-year time range provided a natural history of the application of COPR in crises. Qualitative interviews also offered in-depth information on the perceptions of stances and relationships from each party in this incident. Findings concluded that COPR addressed the dynamic and contingent multi-party relationships in contemporary China.     

Which papers cited which tweets? An exploratory analysis based on Scopus data

Many altmetric studies have analyzed which papers were mentioned how often on Twitter (one of the most important altmetrics sources). In order to study the potential relevance of tweets from another perspective, we investigate which tweets were cited in papers. If many tweets were cited in publications, this might demonstrate that tweets have substantial and useful content. Overall, a rather low number of citations to tweets (n=13,149) by less than 7,000 papers was found. Most tweets do not seem to be cited because of any cognitive influence they might have had on studies; they rather were study objects. Thus, this study does not support a high relevance of tweets (for research). Most of the papers that cited tweets are from the subject areas Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, and Medicine. Most of the papers cited only one tweet. Up to 65 tweets cited in a single paper were found. An author keyword analysis revealed that the single largest topic seems to be the COVID-19/corona pandemic.     

How does central rock? The 2004 CSCA keynote address

Teachers and scholars from the Central region have been leaders in Communication Studies virtually since the beginnings of the modern era of the field, beginning with the organization of what is now the National Communication Association. Our predecessors in the Central States were imaginative risk‐takers. They saw ways for our discipline to make greater contributions to students and to knowledge and they moved the field in those ways. Such movement is more difficult today, but no less important. The authors encourage innovation and suggest ways to make innovations possible, despite the difficulties.     

How does web-based collaborative learning impact information literacy development?

This qualitative study documents evidence of first year undergraduate students' collaboration processes and information literacy learning while completing research assignments in groups during a semester-long course. Focus group interviews and artifacts collected in the web-based tool Evernote allowed us to conduct an in-depth analysis of students' collaborative behavior in terms of their actions, feelings, and thoughts during information seeking behavior (Kuhlthau, 2004), and of the potential of collaboration for fostering information literacy development.Our analysis revealed that certain conditions should be present to facilitate information literacy learning through collaboration: 1) Technology that enables real-time interaction and both active and passive sharing; 2) Meshing of students' interests through the assignment framing; and 3) Students' acceptance of the collaboration technology as a worthwhile tool.In addition, multiple factors determined the extent of the information literacy learning developed through the collaborative assignment tasks, including group dynamics, prompts for students to teach each other information skills, encouragement of students to share exemplars of notes or written assignments, exposure to different points of view, and time management.     

How to Measure Generalized Trust in News Media? An Adaptation and Test of Scales

In many countries, studies show declining levels of trust in news media at large. However, there still is no valid and accepted measure of generalized trust in news media. To establish and test a suitable measure, we chose two elaborate scales of related concepts: the scale on trust in media coverage of a specific topic by Kohring and Matthes and a credibility scale by Yale, Jensen, Carcioppolo, Sun, and Liu. We adapted both to measure generalized trust in news media and conducted a survey in Germany to (a) evaluate the dimensional structures of both adapted scales and (b) analyze their predictive validity by testing their explanative power on alternative media use. Both adapted scales yield well-fitting models but should be carefully treated with respect to discriminant validity. The adapted Kohring and Matthes scale successfully predicts alternative media use and can therefore be recommended for further research on generalized trust in news media.     

Can your public library improve your health and well‐being? An investigation of East Sussex Library and Information Service

This article is only the second in the Dissertations into Practice series to highlight the role of public libraries in health information. It is the result of an investigation into the provision of health information in East Sussex Library and Information Service, which formed the basis of Anneliese Ingham's dissertation for her MA in Information Studies at the University of Brighton. At the time Anneliese was doing her research, the service was experimenting with different ways of providing healthcare information at one of its main libraries, and they were interested in the impact of this. The provision of health information to the public is one of my own research interests, and I was Anneliese's dissertation supervisor. I thought she produced a very good piece of work, and the results she highlights in this article are applicable to all public library authorities. Anneliese graduated with an MA in 2012 and worked for East Sussex Library and Information Service, which she joined whilst she was still studying. AM     

The door opens to a thousand blossoms: A preliminary study of communication and rural development in China (1979–88)

The economic reform underway in China from 1979 has brought remarkable change to the country, particularly in rural areas. What role do communications play in the process? What kind of communications via different media occurred in the consequential rural change? Does it have something to offer about communication and development? What can be improved and what should be continued with regard to communications in rural China? The purpose of this paper is to try and find answers by looking at the communication activities in rural China, with data from newspapers, personal observations and other literature. The analysis is based on existing theories followed by conclusions and implications for policy and planning. It is pointed out that concerns about basic human needs are the fundamental guideline for communication for development. Communications would greatly enhance development when basic information needs are met, which leads to fulfilment of basic human needs.