CALL FOR PAPERS

THE JOURNAL OF SPURIOUS CORRELATIONS

The Journal of Spurious Correlations (JSpurC) is a new publication
affiliated with the Standing Group on Political Methodology of the
European Consortium for Political Research. The Journal aims to further
the methodological debate in social sciences, in particular to discuss
problems of scientific inference at a practical level by reflecting on
empirical analysis in relation with its underlying theoretical
expectations. The first issue (2006) is dedicated to opening areas of
investigation into the definition and use of negative results in social
sciences.

Submissions to the first issue of JSpurC are invited in three forms:
full papers, reports of actual negative results and proposals for topics
and authors.

Papers are expected to address the meta-analysis of social science
methodology, touching on but not limited to the questions of 'what is a
negative result?', 'what are 'good' and publishable negative results?',
and issues such as the critique of specific methods and the
reconciliation of qualitative and quantitative approaches.

The 'negative results' are a form of publication particular to JSpurC
and will form its core content. JSpurC Negative Results are (previously)
unpublishable by-products of social science research that do not fit the
conventional constraints of their narrow research, but once published
will aid social scientists at large working from alternative
perspectives to refine theory or method. JSpurC will collect and publish
negative results accompanied by the author's and third party comments
moderated by the editorial board.

Papers and negative results will pass a blind referee process. Negative
Results will additionally acquire third party comments through a
moderated communication process between authors and commentators. The
proposals will be evaluated by the editorial board. As an experiment,
the Journal seeks to pioneer the use of 'triple blind publication' as an
option for the authors of negative results only. This allows authors to
register their negative results anonymously until such time as the
practice of publishing negative results became more widely accepted.
This exercise is intended to provide an opportunity to receive comments
and to further the discipline without placing undue burden on the
researcher who produced the results.

For further details, please refer to Submission Guidelines (online at
www.jspurc.org).

Completed papers and Negative Results should be submitted by January 30,
2006, but will be considered on rolling basis. Proposals for topics and
authors are welcome at any time.

Proposals for topics and authors should be submitted as e-mail
attachments to:

[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>

c/o. Ana Vasiliu and Janine Leschke

Completed papers and Negative Results should be submitted to the address
below.

[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>



______________________________________

Brigitte Weiffen M.A.
Institute of Political Science
Eberhard-Karls-University Tuebingen
_Mailing address:_
Melanchthonstr. 36
72074 Tuebingen
Germany
_Office:_
Keplerstr. 4
72074 Tuebingen
Phone:  +49  70 71 / 29 78 37 6
Fax:      +49  70 71 / 29 24 17
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

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