The American Psychological Association (APA) has recently published the fifth edition of its "Publication Manual." This paper provides a brief overview of how this edition differs from previous editions and summarizes features of the new edition that will be likely to have an impact on social science research over the next several years.…

Large-scale surveys of educational attainment gather data about the proficiencies of a sample of students to support inferences about the distribution in the populations. Several approaches to gathering data have been used, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Several scales have also been used to bring results together from different…

Reporting and interpretation of effect sizes and structure coefficients in multiple regression results are important for good practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use and interpretation of effect sizes (ES) and structure coefficients in multiple regression analyses in two mathematics and science education journals. Published…

This paper describes the design and function of Louisiana's statewide student-level database, the Student Information System (SIS). In Louisiana the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted the dropout definition of the National Center for Education Statistics for use by all Louisiana public schools in the 1989-1990 school year.…

The Office of Education presents herewith the sixth annual compilation of research studies in education, comprising masters' and doctors' theses and other investigations completed from 1931 to 1932. The last study was quite large (more than 450 pages). Consequently ways were sought of reducing this one. The result is that several mimeographed…

The purpose of this paper is to promote local norms as a new way of reporting Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) results for Miami-Dade County district. The norms would: (1) show a student's relative standing in the district, and (2) show the student's growth compared to similar students. This paper presents questions about local norms,…

The Methods Standardization Branch of the Environmental Protection Agency, National Environmental Research Center, has undertaken a program to standardize methods used in measuring air pollutants covered by the national primary and secondary air quality standards. This paper presents the results of a collective test of the method specified for…

A relatively simple Gaussian-type diffusion simulation model for calculating urban carbon (CO) concentrations as a function of local meteorology and the distribution of traffic is described. The model can be used in two ways: in the synoptic mode and in the climatological mode. (Author/BL)

This study examined characteristics of and variables associated with the acceptance of abstracts submitted to the Adult Education Research Conference in 1978, 1979, and 1980. By reliably measuring the characteristics of abstracts, it has generated data that will allow future researchers to make relevant comparisons. (JOW)

Wolf contends that Lerner's article (based on Wolf's "Achievement in America") contains erroneous facts and interpretations and creates an incorrect impression of poor performance by American schools. Lerner replies that Wolf distorts data and ignores the issue of poor achievement by attributing decline in academic standards to…

Focuses on the development of citation analysis as a research method, critiques of citation analysis, applications (both as tools for librarians and tools to analyze research activity), and prospects for the future. One hundred references are provided. (EJS)

Analyzes reviewers' assessments of all publications on Latin American education included in the "Handbook of Latin American Studies" since 1969. Compares publications on education in South America with those relating to Central America and the Caribbean. Concludes that although the quality of research has been uneven, progress is being…

The citation frequencies found in the journal literature for 51 Carnegie Commission sponsored research reports were compared with 51 Jossey-Bass publications. Little or no difference was found in the quality of the journals that cite either type of publication. (Author/MLW)

The investigator analyzed all research papers and classified them according to predetermined criteria. Findings indicate that 355 papers of nine different types of research were presented by 347 different individuals including faculty from 83 postsecondary institutions in the U.S. Over half, 55 percent, of the papers were based on descriptive…

The social scientist has certain responsibilities in reporting the results and implications of research. S/he must consider: 1) the importance of the audience and the decisions they might make; 2) the complexity of the social findings; 3) the likelihood of practical impact of research findings; and 4) the possibility of harm to a distinct group in…