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- Although considerable effort has been devoted to understanding
the dynamics and significance of informal information flows within
the scientific and scholarly communication system over the last
few decades, it is surprising how little attention has been brought
to bear on the process of acknowledgement. Blaise Cronin, already
noted for his authoritative and incisive assessments of the role
of citations in scientific communication, here offers the first
extensive analysis of the function and significance of scholarly
acknowledgements.
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- His stimulating essay raises a host of interesting issues
relating to acknowledgement behaviour. How widespread is the
practice of acknowledging those whose actions, resources and
inspiration make possible the effective conduct of research?
To what extent is the practice institutionalised? Is acknowledgement
governed by formally stated or tacitly held rules? What do composite
acknowledgements reveal about the dynamics of interdependence
within and between communities of scholars and researchers? Is
there a hidden population of influential teachers and researchers
whose contributions are not adequately revealed through traditional
publication and citation counts? What are the arguments for and
against treating acknowledgements as explicit records of intellectual
debts akin to citations? Could the process of acknowledgement
be standardised so that the analysis of acknowledgements, like
citations, would be amenable to mechanization?
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- These and many other questions form the basis of this illuminating
study; Blaise Cronin's book will be the starting point for all
future discussion on the process of scholarly attribution.
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- ISBN 0 947568 66 2
- 1995
- £25.00/US$46.00
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- 'Cronin once again delivers the goods.... the arguments
presented in this volume make compelling reading.... '
- Library Review
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- 'The value of this book goes well beyond the bibliometric
and library and information science fields in which it had its
genesis there has been considerable discussion of the value and
limitations of citation analysis; all that involved will find
this contribution of particular importance. In fact, it should
be of interest to a much wider academic audience, including perhaps
many who have not been ackknowledged when they thought they deserved
to be, or who may themselves have inadvertently failed to acknowledge
another's contribution.'
- Australian Academic and Research Libraries
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- 'this well written book suggests that investigation of
acknowledgements can offer insights into the sociology of science
beyond those revealed by patterns of authorising and citation.
The list of outstanding questions.... offers a research agenda
that, with the exception of work by Cronin and his collaborators,
is largely unexplored.'
- Journal of Documentation
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- 'For those of us who await the latest Blaise Cronin for
more eagerly than the latest John Grisham, 'The Scholar's Courtesy'
is another provocative venture into the domain of scholarly communication
processes that Cronin has made peculiarly his own.'
- Journal of the American Society for Information Science
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- 'The Scholar's Courtesy' is recommended reading, it will
stimulate thought and offers useful directions for further research.'
- Journal of Academic Librarianship
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- 'a stimulating, engaging scholarly work venturing into
a barely explored field.... a valuable and original addition
to the research literature.'
- New Library World
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- 'a good read written in Cronin's fine style, tackling
the subject in an engaging fashion.... for only one interested
in the scholarly communication process it is a worthy addition
to any academic library.'
- Managing Information
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- '...written in a style which is at once scholarly and
readable....'
- Library and Information Research News
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