Post by Nikhar Gaikwad » Thu Jun 16, 2016 1:01 pm
I would like to expand a little bit more on Mala Htun's third point about journal word limits and supplementary appendices.
First of all, I agree that word/page limits in journals such as AJPS and JOP are simply too low to permit meaty footnotes and other forms of extensive citations that provide full contextual background to source documents within published versions of articles. Requiring qualitative scholars to provide such detailed forms of references within manuscripts, without correspondingly increasing journal word limits, is unfair; it will effectively shut many forms of qualitative research out of the top disciplinary journals in Political Science. But asking for different word limits for qualitative and quantitative scholarship is tricky. Who will decide whether a manuscript is qualitative or quantitative, and what about the many forms of research today that employ mixed-methods approaches? As Mala Htun points out, different word limits might not be fair to quantitative scholars, who also have to make tough decisions about the level of detail to include when describing data preparation and analysis. And from a practical perspective, due to pricing and printing constraints in the publishing industry, journals are already squeezed when it comes to page limits. Is it realistic to expect that journals will agree to substantially increase word limits for qualitative scholars? I think that we will need clear answers to these questions before being able to fully evaluate the costs and benefits of meaty footnotes and other forms of detailed citations within published versions of articles.
One way out of this quagmire is to have qualitative research rely more on supplementary/online appendices. Since these appendices do not have word limits, scholars will have a fair amount of latitude to explain their sources and provide detailed contextual background to each citation. If we go this route, we might not even have to decide between meaty footnotes and active citation methods---why not have both? That is, the standard could be to have brief citations in the published version of an article. This will allow qualitative scholars to meet journal word limits in a reasonable manner. Then, the supplementary appendix could include a "detailed citation" version of the same published article. Here, authors can include meaty footnotes that provide the necessary context to each source. But each footnote can also be linked to the page(s) from the source documents where specific quotes or references are drawn from. This way, other researchers who wish to replicate the findings of the paper can quickly find the immediate backup for each citation using the active citation approach. But if the abridged backup is insufficient, they will have access to all of the information in the meaty footnotes that will allow them to return to the archives (or other repositories where source materials are located) and verify the manuscript's claims. These supplementary appendices can be made available to reviewers (in an anonymous fashion) during the review process, if we want to ensure that appropriate vetting takes place prior to publication.
My point is that we might not necessarily have to make a choice between active citations and meaty footnotes. I think we can have both if we rely on supplementary appendices. (Of course, whether active citations place undue cost burdens on qualitative scholars is another matter worthy of its own debate.)
I would like to expand a little bit more on Mala Htun's third point about journal word limits and supplementary appendices.
First of all, I agree that word/page limits in journals such as AJPS and JOP are simply too low to permit meaty footnotes and other forms of extensive citations that provide full contextual background to source documents within published versions of articles. Requiring qualitative scholars to provide such detailed forms of references within manuscripts, without correspondingly increasing journal word limits, is unfair; it will effectively shut many forms of qualitative research out of the top disciplinary journals in Political Science. But asking for different word limits for qualitative and quantitative scholarship is tricky. Who will decide whether a manuscript is qualitative or quantitative, and what about the many forms of research today that employ mixed-methods approaches? As Mala Htun points out, different word limits might not be fair to quantitative scholars, who also have to make tough decisions about the level of detail to include when describing data preparation and analysis. And from a practical perspective, due to pricing and printing constraints in the publishing industry, journals are already squeezed when it comes to page limits. Is it realistic to expect that journals will agree to substantially increase word limits for qualitative scholars? I think that we will need clear answers to these questions before being able to fully evaluate the costs and benefits of meaty footnotes and other forms of detailed citations within published versions of articles.
One way out of this quagmire is to have qualitative research rely more on supplementary/online appendices. Since these appendices do not have word limits, scholars will have a fair amount of latitude to explain their sources and provide detailed contextual background to each citation. If we go this route, we might not even have to decide between meaty footnotes and active citation methods---why not have both? That is, the standard could be to have brief citations in the published version of an article. This will allow qualitative scholars to meet journal word limits in a reasonable manner. Then, the supplementary appendix could include a "detailed citation" version of the same published article. Here, authors can include meaty footnotes that provide the necessary context to each source. But each footnote can also be linked to the page(s) from the source documents where specific quotes or references are drawn from. This way, other researchers who wish to replicate the findings of the paper can quickly find the immediate backup for each citation using the active citation approach. But if the abridged backup is insufficient, they will have access to all of the information in the meaty footnotes that will allow them to return to the archives (or other repositories where source materials are located) and verify the manuscript's claims. These supplementary appendices can be made available to reviewers (in an anonymous fashion) during the review process, if we want to ensure that appropriate vetting takes place prior to publication.
My point is that we might not necessarily have to make a choice between active citations and meaty footnotes. I think we can have both if we rely on supplementary appendices. (Of course, whether active citations place undue cost burdens on qualitative scholars is another matter worthy of its own debate.)