A study surveying researchers about the attributes, function, and form of research study problem statements shows disagreement regarding purpose, content, and form. It is suggested that problem statements are essential for well-focused, manageable studies and must present a study's significance and contribution to knowledge. (21 references) (EA)

The current state of knowledge, primarily anecdotal, concerning ritualism in child sexual abuse is reviewed. The terminology is defined, and the issues of credibility and responses among parents, professionals, and the community are discussed. Implications for interviewing in clinical practice and for policy development are described, as are areas…

This commentary notes that solid empirical evidence on the effectiveness of classroom-based child sexual abuse prevention programs is lacking. Prevention efforts need to target potential victims, potential perpetrators, and those aspects of the social fabric that nurture abusive behaviors; and the merits of prevention efforts must be discussed…

The ways in which in which collaborative learning was used in a recent study, "Changing and Learning in the Lives of Physicians," are reviewed, and some advantages and disadvantages of collaborative research in continuing medical education and physician performance are discussed. Cross-disciplinary sharing is seen as effective in increasing…

Describes research that was conducted to determine and then compare which Anglo American Cataloging 2 (AACR2) rules were used to assign access points for random samples of monographs in chemistry and in economics. Implications for automatic cataloging using expert systems are explored, and suggestions for further studies are given. (10 references)…

The developing field of institutional advancement is introduced and defined, the role of the administrator is discussed, and research needs and obstacles are examined. Focus is on the role and projects of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. (MSE)

Describes a theoretical model based on binary vectors that was developed to improve relevance in information retrieval systems. Earlier probabilistic models are examined, quadratic and linear discriminant functions are discussed, relationships between queries and documents are considered, and further research is suggested. (15 references) (LRW)

Surveys the current relationship between speech communication education and peace education at the college level. Addresses attitudes toward peace education, actual teaching related to peace and peacemaking, and peace research priorities. Focuses on the diverse and often contradictory attitudes held by respondents. (KEH)

A study was conducted at Texas A&M University that compared the intactness (i.e., the presence or absence of a bibliographic record) and the accuracy of the bibliographic data in the public card catalog and in the online catalog (ALIS II). Results indicate the online catalog was less intact, but more accurate. (two references) (LRW)

Examines the benefits and the limitations of educational reform literature as applied to implementing collaborative services. A practical, research-based strategy for developing collaborative relationships includes getting started, developing a community collaborative council, identifying a shared vision and goals, conducting a needs assessment,…

Discusses distributed information retrieval systems that take into account the weights of descriptors from thesauri. Topics addressed include a mathematical model for information retrieval subsystems; organization of inverted files; models for the distributed homogeneous information systems; a distributed information retrieval system based on…

This collection of nine chapters covers a wide range of topics such as knowledge acquisition, learning strategies and metacognition, intelligence, and large-scale testing regarding cognitive theory and assessment. In-depth reviews of relevant research are provided, with directions for further research. (SLD)

Describes some well-known theories and concepts of student motivation and how they relate to library and information skills instruction. Illustrations of the integration and application of motivation models to library and information skills instruction are given, and some relevant areas for future research on motivation in this context are…

Systematizes the fragmented approaches to framing in political communication and integrates them into a comprehensive model. Classifies previous approaches to framing research along two dimensions: media frames versus audience frames; and the way frames are operationalized (independent variable or dependent variable). Identifies four key processes…

A review of some alumni research conducted at Stanford University (California) and the ways the findings have been used indicates the range of development and alumni-relations issues for which market research can be valuable. It also demonstrates the value of ongoing, rather than occasional, research. (Author/MSE)