Understanding and Evaluating Academic Research Articles
924988
Well formatted with overviews and summaries, the content is delivered in the clearest terms possible for such a difficult subject that is daunting to students being introduced to research and evaluating research articles.
1221940
Scientific writing for students and young scientists by Prof. Orina  provides background information, which jump-starts the research exercise. The literature chapter is well elaborated as it provides a selective and critical survey of the written works of the subject to be studied. The book outlines how the problem must be clearly and conspicuously stated in just one paragraph. Overall the book provides background information, which can enable the reader to conclusively understand how to jump-starts the research exercise with a clear mental plan or contemplation on how to steer the research work.
421818
The academic and literary standards of this journal are very high.  The articles are well researched and contain many references.  I had fun reading the articles;
4953324
This book is primarily a collection of key papers on heuristics and biases published during the two decades between 1982 and 2002, generally in the tradition of the work initiated by Tversky and Kahneman.  The book essentially picks up where&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Judgment-under-Uncertainty-Heuristics-and-Biases/dp/0521284147/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases</a>&nbsp;left off.  An introductory chapter also provides an historical overview of the topic and outlines the scope of the book.

The paper-based format of the book means that the content is relatively detailed and technical, with specifics of many experimental studies, and thus the book is oriented towards an academic audience rather than the general reader (for whom&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Thinking-Fast-and-Slow/dp/0374275637/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Thinking, Fast and Slow</a>&nbsp;is a better choice).  Likewise, the book is NOT a systematic textbook on heuristics and biases, so look elsewhere if that's your interest - almost no one will read this book cover to cover, nor is that generally necessary.

I give the book 5 stars for achieving its goals for its intended audience, and I hope this review is helpful in clarifying who that audience is.
1382158
Has a business colleague ever sent you a rambling e-mail chock full of misspelled words, acronyms, text message abbreviations and even emoticon smiley faces? Or have you had to wade through an incomprehensible report filled with technical terms, industry jargon and run-on sentences? Both these experiences indicate a larger problem: bad writing. Many people need to write as part of their jobs, but few of them do it well. Communication expert Tom Sant identifies four problematic writing styles that obstruct clear, functional communication: "Fluff, Guff, Geek and Weasel." Sant attacks the problem, beginning with eight tips for composing better e-mails. He tells you how to tailor clear, succinct, accurate documents to your audience. His generous use of examples helps illustrate the rights and wrongs of business writing. Thankfully, this how-to-write book is well written and at times even humorous. getAbstract suggests keeping it next to your dictionary and thesaurus, and referring to it often.
4330226
I liked this volume very much.  The article that really stood out for me (because of my research interests) was the one on use of anonymous student evaluations.  I found that one article was almost worth the price of the book.  It was balanced and informative.  It is well-documented and very readable.  I thought it stopped short of discussing the inherent unreliability of such anonymous evaluations and could have done a better job of explaining the various ways in which faculty can sometimes "game" the system and the ways in which factors such as class size and the shape of the classroom, factors outside any faculty member's control, influence student evaluations.  As I write this, I tried to find my copy and discovered that it is out on loan to a junior faculty member who is facing having to use student evaluations for her tenure decision.  [Usually I do not loan my books - but I saw the need was there.]
3539765
It is always good to find academic papers put together under a commom research line. This book is well edited, bringing empirical and analitycal evidence of middlemen minorities activities from all parts of the globe.
It is  possible to learn from different methods and research hypothesis in a comprehensive way. That is important because this research field is a major community issue on most part of contemporary metropolis and literature on the subject, still restrict.
3409071
This is an impressive book. Its a kind of encyclopedia of human nature, with the earlier chapters focused on the functions of different parts of the human brain and the later chapters focused on this brains behavioral consequences.

Robert Sapolsky is nothing if not engaging in his writing style. He knows how to present complicated subject matter in easily digestible and logically coherent portions. And he has a sense of humor which, often enough, hits home. Heres his take on who reads academic research papers: The number of times your average science paper is cited can be counted on one hand, with most of the citations by the scientists mother.

As an academic, all I can say is ouch, but its an ouch of recognition, not objection.

This quote, by the way, is part of a thorough discussion of the work of three of the most cited social scientists in history - Solomon Asch, Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo - a discussion which, by itself, is almost worth the purchase price of "Behave."

So, if you're interested in the latest research on what people-and-the-things-they-do are all about, and would also appreciate having a valuable source for future reference on a wide array of topics in this area, Professor Sapolskys latest book is just the thing. Strongly recommend.
3306000
This fine academic work describes the method of Stylistics in Language Studies which Dr. Nassera Senhadji has used for many years at the University of Bejaia, Algeria. Her expertise is deep and fully detailed here. Many explanations and examples underlie this field. The writing here is clear and in places, the reader can see exactly what occurs for students reading texts. The work of understanding language structure and nuances is fascinating and Dr. Sendhadjis detailed descriptions provide ample evidence of the importance of this field in language and literature. There is a wealth of information here for professionals, academics, and students alike. Even writers can learn and be enlightened by this approach. A comprehensive bibliography provides additional sources of study. I studied with Dr. Nassera Senhadji many years ago at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and it is a pleasure to know that her fine work has continued for many years.
1619380
An understanding, even a rudimentary one, of statistics is desirable for interpreting most mass media articles on the economy, medicine and other topics with numbers compared to other numbers. This understanding also comes in handy when scrutinizing such mundane items as consumer advertisements. It's absolutely requisite for any branch of medical sciences. Yet, the topic is considered dry to the point of being soporific for many (most) readers, myself included and, judging from some of the outstanding bungles made by those endeavoring to understand medical articles, not well understood by the primary readership.  Thus, a new book that attempts to present this topic in a palatable fashion would be really nice: Biostatistics for Dummies does a very serviceable job in this regard.  I'll compare it to three other publications on the same topic: "Statistics at Square One", the more comprehensive, "Statistics for Medical Research" (both are older publications) and the "everyman's reference", Wikipedia. The former is a brief primer; the latter is a more comprehensive text. Wikipedia needs no introduction.

"Statistics at Square One" is much shorter in terms of page number than the "For Dummies" book but is cloaked in unnecessary jargon, rendering it difficult to digest on initial study and relatively uncomfortable for quick review purposes. The "Medical Research" text is unsuited for review and arcane terminology makes initial study challenging.  Many of the Wikipedia entries for routine statistical testing appear to have been written by professionals, for professionals. There is (as expected) some variation between quality of various entries, but the generalization is still valid. "For Dummies" does a satisfactory job as a quick reference, but It does not fair well as an introductory text. Too many concepts are rendered unnecessarily complex by over simplification and too many times the reader is referred to another text in the "For Dummies" series for an explanation. However,  the format renders it suited for rapid review and the references to various computer programs are current and are helpful.

In short, this is a useful book directed at initial learners who require a basic and brief review of certain specific topics. The depth is insufficient for reference purposes and advanced statistical testing is not covered, nor should it be in a book of this type. While I use simple statistics of this type frequently (and should understand the field better than I do), this book serves me well as a quick "check" and corrective.
3828964
Title: Harvard Business Review on Innovation
Author: Various
Rating: *** (out of five stars)

The "Harvard Business Review on Innovation" is a compilation series of some older articles on the innovation topic.  Each article summarizes a specific perspective on innovation.  Some of the articles later lead to books. Overall the articles are good introductions, (by it's very nature, this is not deep or detailed) to the topics.  This may lead the reader to pursue more detail in a subsequent book or same topic by another author.  Some of the material is a bit dated, this shouldn't be too big of an issue for the reader looking for high-level introduction material.  Also, many Harvard BR editions are critizied for being too academic.  I think that is the nature of the series and to be expected.  However this edition has a smattering of case-study material to make it real world enough for such a high-level introduction.  This review has eight articles, (5 start rating system):
* Creating New Market Space, (Introductory, ***)
* Creating Breakthroughs in 3M, (User-lead case-study, ****)
* Building an Innovation Factory, (Create, capture, re-use ideas, ****)
* Knowing a Winning Business Idea When you See One, (Buyer and Pricing strategy, **)
* Meeting The Challenge of Disruptive Change, (How to handle change in your corporation, *****, read also Innovators Solution)
* Discovering New Point of Differentiation, (retail consumer oriented, **)
* From Spare Change to Real Change, (change for social motivation, *, surface level)
* Enlightened Experimentation, (Sound Ideas for moving Innovation to trail, ****, leaves you wanting a whole book on the subject)

Get it if: You would like a fast read, high-level over view of Innovation elements to wet your appetite or steer you to your next Innovation topic.  Alternate: You need something you can finish on a plane ride.

Forget it if: You already know you want to go deeper into reading on Innovation concepts and methods.
4969381
Written in a scholarly fashion, this article is sometimes a little difficult to read and comprehend at first. Still, it is worth taking the time to read it and reflect on the author's arguments. I found them to be interesting, well reasoned, and well documented.
1532916
This explains and illustrates all aspects of research, from soup to nuts.  This author clarifies the differences between quantitative (numbers, statistics, analytical) and qualitative (descriptive, case studies, social interaction and theory generation). It is a reference that you will have to put in a high traffic area, because you will use it again and again.

The publisher also added value to this book with its website links. There is companion that has the whole book outlined in PowerPoint. Definitely download it and use it for the quick reference.

This is a text you will grow into, as you learn more and understnad reserach methodology better. You will use this again and again!
2027330
This has some interesting pictures/ articles.  The author obviously poured alot of time into his research.  I found this to be a delight to read and look through.  It, however, is not for in-depth research.  It provides enough information to commence the research, but that is it.  Makes an wonderful gift on this side of obscurity.
1822193
It's easy to decide whether this book is for you: if you're writing or considering writing a first or second scholarly book, you should read this. It will educate you and probably save a lot of time and heartache. But if you're not writing a scholarly book -- if you're hoping instead to publish fiction, or a popular book, or a scholarly article, or a conference paper, or are writing (as opposed to publishing) a dissertation -- then it's not for you. It's only about academic and technical works from scholarly and specialized presses.

The book was recommended to me by a colleague who is completing his second academic book and who has been encouraging me to write a book in my area. I'm glad I listened and purchased it. Germano knows his stuff: he's worked for a long time in the industry and knows all the important questions, which he answers in a clear, no-nonsense way. He wants the potential author to understand what makes a book attractive, publishable, potentially profitable, and what it takes to succeed.

Of course it has all the expected content, such as how to submit an inquiry and what the various steps are in the process, but what I didn't expect and was delighted to find was how much insight he delivers into the process. How do regional university presses work? How does publishing a book relate to an academic career? And he answers all of the most likely questions along the way: what makes a book scholarly versus general interest? What do editors do? What makes a good title? Can one propose a work to multiple publishers? And so forth.

Its own style is straightforward and easy to read, with dashes of mild humor and jokes that are suitable to academic audiences. Importantly, you should know that it is not a style book. It has general pointers to things like layout but is not a reference. It's all about understanding how the scholarly publishing industry works and how you, as a potential author, fit in. It's in a well-deserved second edition. Thank you to the author!
1180044
This book takes an in-depth look into sources of bias and confounding in research designs which many trialists and methodologists will undoubtedly find quite helpful. A more basic understanding of these concepts will be found in any standard textbook of epidemiology. For healthcare practitioners looking for guidance in designing sound studies, this book may be too deep an exploration of the general topics of bias and confounding. The models presented for considering these issues are interesting on an academic or intellectual level, but many will find that common sense and sound judgement are the most practical tools in solid study design once the concepts of bias and confounding are grasped. I would have liked more frequent examples throughout the text, and even those given were sometimes not entirely clear to me, and I have a PhD in epidemiology.
1018703
This is one of the volumes in a series of anthologies of articles that first appeared in Harvard Business Review. Having read all of them when they were published individually, I can personally attest to the high quality of their authors' (or co-authors') insights as well as the eloquence with which they are expressed. This collection has two substantial value-added benefits that should also be noted: If all of the articles were purchased separately as reprints, the total cost would be at least $60-75; also, they are now conveniently bound in a single volume for a fraction of that cost.

Those who aspire to make their customers both loyal and profitable will find the material in this HBR book invaluable. It is one of the volumes in a series of anthologies of articles that first appeared in Harvard Business Review. Authors of the nine articles focus on one or more components of a process by which to turn angry customers into loyal advocates, get more people to recommend them, increase customer satisfaction by satisfying them, focus on profitable customers (loyal or not), invest in the right CRM technology, mine customer data for more effective marketing, and increase each customer's lifetime value.

I now provide two brief excerpts that are representative of the high quality of all nine articles:

In "The One Number You Need to Know," Frederick F. Reichheld explains what he characterizes as "The Ultimate Question":  "On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely is it that you would recommend our company to a friend or colleague?" There are two other questions that are effective predictors in certain industries: "How strong do you agree that our company sets the standard for excellence in our industry?" and "How likely is it that you will continue to do business with our company?"

The number to which the article's title refers is what Reichheld calls the "The Net Promoter Score." Promoters are those who provide a rating of 9 or 10, Passives 7 or 8, and Detractors 6 or less. For purposes of illustration, let's say 100 customers respond as follows: 35 Promoters, 45 Passives, and 20 Detractors. The net score is determined by subtracting the total number of Detractors (i.e. 20) from the total number of Promoters (i.e. 35) and that is 15. That is a baseline against which subsequent efforts to increase Promoters and decrease Detractors are measured. Reichheld calls it the Net Promoter Score (NPS).

In "Diamonds in the Data Mine," Gary Loveman offers these suggestions when using a database to measure/predict customer loyalty:

1. Acquire a rich repository of customer information.
2. Slice and dice data finely to develop marketing strategies.
3. Identify core customers by predicting their lifetime value.
4. Gather increasingly specific information about customers' references - then appeal to those interests.
5. Generously reward employees who prioritize levels and degree of customer service

Other articles of specific interest to me include "Companies and the Customers Who Hate Them" (Gail McGovern and Youngme Moon), "Putting the Service-Profit Chain to Work" (James L. Heskett, Thomas O. Jones, Gary W. Loveman, W. Earl Sasser, Jr., and Leonard A. Schlesinger), and "The Mismanagement of Customer Loyalty" (Werner Reinartz and V. Kumar).

Suggested Resources:

The Ultimate Question
The Ultimate Question 2.0
Frederick H. Reichheld

Creating Customer Evangelists
Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba

On Great Service
Discovering the Soul of Service
Leonard Berry

The New Gold Standard
Joseph Michelli