Society, the university, faculty, and student are four key players in the doctoral dissertation process, which is analyzed by examining institutional practices, dissertation obstacles, and management systems. A five-step dissertation system helps students negotiate the complex process: (1) preparation for research; (2) a research course sequence;…

Medical school surveys in 1994-95 and 1995-96 (n=104 schools) found that PhDs accounted for 25-30% of medical school enrollments; in some institutions, it was about half. Trend is toward interdisciplinary rather than departmental degrees. Number of student supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants was nearly twice that for…

Faculty at two small Canadian universities were surveyed concerning their research activities and preferences, views of themselves as researchers, and factors they felt constrained or facilitated research activities. Respondents were highly committed to research. Teaching and nonteaching commitments, availability of graduate students, limitations…

Reports on the procedures, standards, and topics involved in the 1997 National History Day. National History Day is a year-long contest where students research primary sources and prepare papers, projects, performances, and media based on a historical theme. The 1997 theme is "Triumph and Tragedy in History." (MJP)

A survey of 1,579 faculty members in 201 academic departments at Norway's 4 universities found no significant relationship between department size and research productivity, as measured by scientific publishing. Faculty in smaller departments were more content with their research environment than their colleagues in larger departments. However,…

A study investigated the factor(s) predicting success in receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) First Independent Research Support and Transition (FIRST) funding. Two analytical models were used with a variety of researcher, methodology, project design, and institutional characteristics as variables. No significant predictor variables were…

Ten observational studies indicate that condoms help prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, but research on barriers and spermicides is lacking. Given the effectiveness of female-controlled methods in preventing other sexually transmitted diseases, more research into protection from HIV infection by use of diaphragms and spermicides…

A 3-institution study investigated the effectiveness of transfer of 1,786 Los Rios Community College students to the University of California at Davis and California State University at Sacramento, measured by student preparation, persistence, and performance before and after transfer. Need for remediation. before transfer was also examined.…

The reasons for increased collaboration between Australian universities and industry are examined, focusing on competitive research grant programs developed by the government in the last decade. University and industry response to these opportunities and to issues such as intellectual property rights and publication rights are discussed. (MSE)

Describes a collaborative honors project in psychology that allowed two students and two advisors to pursue a broad range of research issues. Discusses advantages and disadvantages of conducting such projects with undergraduates. Includes issues for student and faculty development such as stimulation of other joint research efforts, role models,…

Two articles discuss information professions in Africa. Highlights include the training of personnel at the middle level; library schools at the University of Ibadan and the University of Botswana; curriculum recommendations; and a review of 87 articles published between 1985 and 1989 that investigate areas of research in the information…

Contains 1,073 entries from 91 institutions, giving author, institution, year, degree, emphasis, discipline, and title, arranged by topic: allied health, biocommunication arts, child development/care, clinical psychology, dentistry, environmental health, exercise science, food service, health education, health services, medical laboratories, nurse…

Describes the roles and relationships that developed among librarians, faculty, and higher education institutions in the Integrated Academic Information Management Systems environment, funded by the National Library of Medicine. Organizational and management issues that emerged as librarians became integral to teaching and administration are…

This article describes the federal grant funding process for initial special education career researchers, including discussions of research priority development, the application review process, review criteria, characteristics of projects funded in recent competitions, and recommendations to improve researchers' ability to write competitive…

Articles in this special issue deal with the assessment of the impact of research and are divided into segments concerning semiquantitative approaches; qualitative approaches; and quantitative and fiscal approaches. These articles illustrate the importance of the role of motivation and associated incentives. (SLD)