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Elsevier

Books in Social sciences

The Social Sciences collection forms a definitive resource for those entering, researching, or teaching in any of the many disciplines making up this interdisciplinary area of study. Written by experts and researchers from both Academic and Commercial domains, titles offer global scope and perspectives.

Key subject areas include: Library and Information Science; Transportation; Urban Studies; Geography, Planning, and Development; Security; Emergency Management.

  • The Critical Assessment of Research

    Traditional and New Methods of Evaluation
    • 1st Edition
    • Alan Bailin + 1 more
    • English
    This book examines the following factors: sponsorship of research, control of the dissemination of research, effects of dominant research paradigms, financial interests of authors, publishers, and editors, role of new technologies (for example, Web 2.0).It is widely accepted among researchers and educators that the peer review process, the reputation of the publisher and examination of the author's credentials are the gold standards for assessing the quality of research and information. However, the traditional gold standards are not sufficient, and the effective evaluation of information requires the consideration of additional factors. Controversies about positive evaluations of new medications that appear in peer-reviewed journals, the financial reports on Enron prior to the revelations that led to its collapse, and obstacles to the publication of research that does not conform to dominant paradigms are just a few examples that indicate the need for a more sophisticated and nuanced approach to evaluating information.Each of the factors is discussed in a factual manner, supported by many examples that illustrate not only the nature of the issues but also their complexity. Practical suggestions for the evaluation of information are an integral part of the text.

  • Aging, Ageism and Abuse

    Moving from Awareness to Action
    • 1st Edition
    • Gloria Gutman + 1 more
    • English
    Population aging is occurring worldwide. Reports of abuse and neglect of older men and women are also evident on a global basis. While much of the work on identification, treatment and prevention of abuse of older persons has been within the family setting, it cannot be separated from the broader experience of growing old in contemporary society. Time and time again, issues around legislation, policy and practice collide with human rights, societal attitudes and stereotypes. Raising awareness of the link among aging, ageism and abuse, is one goal of this book and a necessary first step in the battle to eliminate abuse and neglect of older persons. But awareness is not enough, action needs to be taken to develop, case finding procedures and remedial and preventive policies and programs that are elder-friendly both in intent and in the way that they are implemented. This book offers a thought-provoking examination of selected current policies and programs that have been developed within the health, social services and criminal justice systems. It highlights the special issues and vulnerabilities of older women, older men and persons from the LGTB community. It also features a unique approach to reaching young people through an educational program that shapes attitudes and behavior via graphic art.

  • Google and the Digital Divide

    The Bias of Online Knowledge
    • 1st Edition
    • Elad Segev
    • English
    Beneficial to scholars and students in the fields of media and communication, politics and technology, this book outlines the significant role of search engines in general and Google in particular in widening the digital divide between individuals, organisations and states. It uses innovative methods and research approaches to assess and illustrate the digital divide by comparing the popular search queries in Google and Yahoo in different countries as well as analysing the various biases in Google News and Google Earth. The different studies developed and presented in this book provide various indications of the increasing customisation and popularisation mechanisms employed by popular search engines, which together with “organising the world’s information” inevitably also intensify information inequalities and reinforce commercial and US-centric priorities and agendas.

  • The Evaluation of Research by Scientometric Indicators

    • 1st Edition
    • Peter Vinkler
    • English
    Aimed at academics, academic managers and administrators, professionals in scientometrics, information scientists and science policy makers at all levels. This book reviews the principles, methods and indicators of scientometric evaluation of information processes in science and assessment of the publication activity of individuals, teams, institutes and countries. It provides scientists, science officers, librarians and students with basic and advanced knowledge on evaluative scientometrics. Especially great stress is laid on the methods applicable in practice and on the clarification of quantitative aspects of impact of scientific publications measured by citation indicators.

  • Scientific Publishing

    From Vanity to Strategy
    • 1st Edition
    • Hans Roosendaal + 3 more
    • English
    Scientific Publishing addresses the issue of business models in scientific publishing and how these relate to the research process (e.g. support or inhibit this process). The researcher is taken as the starting point for the considerations to arrive at a comprehensive description of the publishing process as an integral part of the research process. The properties of different business models are tested against this description, allowing an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of these models in supporting the research process.

  • Cataloguing Outside the Box

    A Practical Guide to Cataloguing Special Collections Materials
    • 1st Edition
    • Patricia Falk + 1 more
    • English
    A practical guide to cataloguing and processing the unique special collections formats in the Browne Popular Culture Library (BPCL) and the Music Library and Sound Recordings Archives (MLSRA) at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) (e.g. fanzines, popular sound recordings, comic books, motion picture scripts and press kits, popular fiction). Cataloguing Outside the Box provides guidance to professionals in library and information science facing the same cataloguing challenges. Additionally, name authority work for these collections is addressed.

  • Networked Collaborative Learning

    Social interaction and Active Learning
    • 1st Edition
    • Guglielmo Trentin
    • English
    The sustainability of Networked Collaborative Learning (NCL) is a key topic of discussion amongst the institutions where it has been or may potentially be introduced. In order to determine the extent of NCL's sustainability, the added value university education may yield by adopting collaborative learning strategies must be quantified. In turn, an understanding of the implications NCL produces in terms of design and management is gained. After comparing NCL with other Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) approaches and discussing the possible reasons for adopting it, a multidimensional model for the sustainability of NCL is proposed. The model is characterized by four dimensions: pedagogical approaches, e-teacher professional development, instructional design models and valuation/assessment approaches. Each of these dimensions is examined on the basis of the author’s direct experience gained through applying NCL to his university teaching.

  • Practical and Effective Management of Libraries

    Integrating Case Studies, General Management Theory and Self-Understanding
    • 1st Edition
    • Richard Moniz Jr.
    • English
    Aimed at library science students and librarians with newly assigned administrative duties the book is about improving one’s thinking and decision making in a role as a library manager. Most librarians get very little exposure to management issues prior to finding themselves in a management role. Furthermore, most library science students do not expect that they will need to understand management yet they quickly find that there is a need to understand this perspective to be effective at almost any library job. Effective library management is about having some tools to make decisions (such as a basic understanding of management theory and how it applies in the library environment, understanding common traps we all fall into, etc.), knowing yourself, being able to motivate others, fostering a diversity (especially within workgroups), being able to communicate effectively, and having an understanding of one’s organizational culture. The book touches on all of these aspects of library management.

  • The Art of People Management in Libraries

    Tips for Managing your Most Vital Resource
    • 1st Edition
    • James McKinlay + 1 more
    • English
    This book explores recent trends in human resource management practices and presents options for their application within the special context of libraries, especially academic and research libraries. It lays out a set of the most pressing HR management issues facing senior library leaders in the context of continuous organisational change in the 21st century and offers library practitioners effective tips for people management.

  • Concise Encyclopedia of Brain and Language

    • 1st Edition
    • Harry A. Whitaker
    • English
    This volume descibes, in up-to-date terminology and authoritative interpretation, the field of neurolinguistics, the science concerned with the neural mechanisms underlying the comprehension, production and abstract knowledge of spoken, signed or written language. An edited anthology of 165 articles from the award-winning Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics 2nd edition, Encyclopedia of Neuroscience 4th Edition and Encyclopedia of the Neorological Sciences and Neurological Disorders, it provides the most comprehensive one-volume reference solution for scientists working with language and the brain ever published.

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