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This article critically examines biases in the peer review process, essential for maintaining academic scholarship's integrity. Despite its pivotal role, the peer review system is susceptible to various biases, including gender, institutional, confirmation, publication, and reviewer biases. These biases can undermine the objectivity and fairness of the academic publishing process, skewing the representation of research and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Through a comprehensive literature review, the study explores these biases' implications on the credibility of individual studies and the broader scientific discourse. The article proposes several solutions to address these issues, including adopting double-blind reviews, diversifying reviewer pools, enhancing transparency in editorial decisions, and promoting ethical standards in peer review. While recognizing the difficulty of completely eliminating biases, the paper emphasizes the importance of continued efforts to minimize their impact, striving for a more equitable, transparent, and rigorous scholarly ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an overview of the usefulness of bibliographic analysis and conducts a retrospective review of the Human Resource Management Journal (HRMJ). The first part of the paper explains that bibliographic methods are not fully democratized in management and have just started their modest ascent in HRM. In the second part, the paper provides a retrospective review (1990–2022) of HRMJ articles (n = 855), which constitutes one of the two general objectives of bibliometric analysis. The results revealed that bibliometrics analysis significantly contributes to the HRM body of knowledge, especially given that this methodology is barely used in HRM research. Conversely, the retrospective review has identified trends in performance analysis, such as co-authorship internationalization in HRMJ articles that were unclear until 2011. We also highlighted the existence of six major clusters: HRM and organizational behavior (cluster 1), HR practices and policies (cluster 2), HRM as a strategy (cluster 3), HRM and performance (cluster 4), international HRM (cluster 5), and HRM roles and contingencies (cluster 6). Insights into potential trajectories for HRMJ scope are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are ample national, transnational, and international geopolitical conflicts around the world, the two most prominent likely being the current ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, and the conflict between Taiwan (the Republic of China) and China (the People's Republic of China). To avoid criticism or the label of political bias, academics might refrain from using the term Taiwan or might not refer to it as a country. Similarly, they might not know whether they should refer to Crimea or the Donbas as being Ukrainian or Russian. Authors currently have little guidance and are somewhat left to their own devices when it comes to referring to these and other locations and territories, uncertain of the names that should be used to indicate them. They might also observe disclaimers on publishers' websites, in the footer of editorial board pages, or even as a small notice in their own manuscripts placed there by the publisher that distance the publisher from geopolitical conflicts and/or territorial claims, claiming neutrality, independent of whether those papers mention those conflicts, or not. Such disclaimers might be perceived as self-serving, placing the onus of responsibility of the choice of territorial term on authors' shoulders, so publishers should offer clearer advice to authors and editors on how to better handle this issue, that is, how to accurately name locations in geopolitically sensitive areas. There is a risk that papers that are insufficiently sensitive to such issues may be labelled as erroneous, and subjected to correction or retraction, or the authors may be subjected to public criticism or humiliation, so resolving this issue falls within the realm of academic publishing ethics. Currently, very little advice exists for geopolitical issues in the Committee on Publication Ethics and International Committee of Medical Journal Ethics ethics-related publishing guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delves into the concept of "platform intimacies" and how digital platforms shape modern life. It discusses the contested nature of the term "platform" and its various forms, such as videogame consoles and algorithmic decision-making. The authors argue that studying platform intimacies is crucial for understanding the social impact of digital platforms. They emphasize the importance of considering power dynamics and social and political formations within these contexts. The article also introduces papers in a special issue that cover topics like digital health tracking and online cancer communities. Additionally, the text explores the use of geofences for surveillance and control, examines the home as a platform for intimacy, and discusses the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality with digital platforms. The authors conclude by highlighting the importance of studying platform intimacies and introducing new lines of inquiry in this field. [Extracted from the article]

This paper reconstructs Tillichian grace, analyzing its existential and ethical dimensions beyond traditional supernatural interpretations. It explores the historical lineage of Tillich's work, drawing parallels between ancient and medieval discourses on grace and Tillich's existential theology, with a particular emphasis on the theme of existential estrangement and its implications for moral development. In section one, I analyze Augustine's critique of Greek and Roman ethics, noting how his interpretations of sin and grace sought to address ethical, and not merely narrowly Christian theological, concerns. The paper then examines Martin Luther's shift towards a more personal apprehension of grace, setting the stage for Tillich's complex and nuanced understanding of justification. The strengths and ambiguities of Tillich's approach, along with its practical implications, are then critically evaluated. In conclusion, I advocate for the relevance of Tillich's conception of grace in modern secular ethical discourse, arguing that its emphasis on ethical intersubjectivity and the courage to embrace existential uncertainties provides a compassionate framework for addressing moral questions in our own time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Public Policy is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The authors evaluate five popular dedicated journal recommendation tools (journal finders) and compare their performance to that of a general artificial intelligence tool, ChatGPT-4. They consider a sample of recently published papers in three disciplines representing humanities (history), social sciences (economics), and natural sciences (environmental sciences). A major innovation compared to related attempts is that the authors do not solely focus on the journal in which the paper was actually published but also ask the corresponding author about the journals to which the paper was previously sent and about the journals to which it could be sent (e.g., in case it was rejected in the journal in which it was actually accepted). These outlets are jointly considered 'relevant' (as judged by the authors themselves), and the authors check to what extent the recommendations overlap with the set of relevant journals. While journalguide.com is found to be the best in all three disciplines, the finders' overall performance is unsatisfactory. This seems to explain why six out of seven responders declare they never use such tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While guest or honourary authorship in academic papers is a broadly and widely discussed phenomenon in biomedical research, the issue of the use—or abuse—of article-processing charges (APCs) as a form of potential authorship exchange currency, that is, the 'APC ring,' is neither being considered nor discussed. The APC is central to the open-access (OA) movement, specifically the gold OA model. It is conceivable that, in a hyper-competitive academic publishing environment where the number of gold OA journals is growing, a segment of poorly funded researchers aiming to publish in ranked OA journals with out-of-reach APCs might turn to richer or well-funded researchers to cover the APC bill in exchange for authorship. Despite this, no published cases directly documenting APC-for-authorship schemes as a form of guest authorship appear to exist, which seems inconceivable. One possible explanation is that if such unethical behaviour were to be detected by APC-charging OA journals, it might not be reported as such. In this situation, APC-dependent OA journals would be conflicted between receiving a financial lifeline, the APC, and exposing authors that have abused the APC in their journals in exchange for authorship. How would publishers dependent on the APC-based OA model justify receiving APCs derived from an APC ring? Although this form of guest authorship is currently hypothetical, it seems highly likely, so this issue needs greater debate, and if actual case studies exist, these need to be openly and publicly debated to better appreciate how this phenomenon is taking place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Canadian Studies is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A recent article suggested that authors should avoid publishing with OMICS, as they have been producing fake articles. Moreover, other publishers often conceal their association with OMICS as the scholarly community is wary of OMICS after a US court fined them US$50.1 million for deceptive practices. In addition to the 15 publishers previously mentioned (which included OMICS), another five have been identified. Evidence is presented for these ninteen publishers to show their relationship with OMICS. This is the first time that such an evidence base has been presented in a peer-reviewed article. Several small case studies are also presented to demonstrate that some of the publishers are not operating in ways that we would expect of high-quality publishers, noting that further investigation would be useful. Supplementary files are provided, providing details of the web pages that have been archived, as well as other data collected as part of this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Review of American Studies is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper argues that Paul Tillich's theology of art is an effective approach to assessing images generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Tillich's theology of art and concept of participation demonstrate its limits and provide a helpful supplement to the dominant approach of focusing on AI creativity and consciousness, particularly through the framework of philosopher Margaret Boden. In Tillich's theology of art, there is an existential experience of being grasped into participation in the ground of being through the artwork that comes through participation in the art. In participating in the art, one also participates in that artist's contextual answer to the question of ultimate meaning. This article finds that AI-generated images, on their own, lack intentionality and desire to express participation in the spiritual presence and so do not provide this "religious style." Rather, the participation of a human artist crafting text prompts and curating the produced images is necessary along with the AI software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Les concepts d'identité raciale et de filiation ont joué un rôle important dans la couverture médiatique canadienne du cas d'Earle Nelson en 1927, une histoire de crime véritable très publicisée adaptée dans L'ombre d'un doute , le film d'Hitchcock de 1943. Nelson, connu sous le nom de l'étrangleur obscur, a été identifié comme le tueur de plus de 20 femmes américaines avant de traverser au Canada, où il a été capturé, jugé, puis pendu. Les preuves présentées à Winnipeg étaient axées sur le physique d'homme perçu comme métissé de l'étrangleur obscur. Le récit entourant Nelson, diffusé plusieurs fois dans des magazines de crime véritable après sa mort, a trouvé son débouché le plus célèbre dans le film d'Hitchcock inspiré du cas de l'étrangleur obscur, L'ombre d'un doute. Dans ce film, la question de l'identité raciale et familiale est exposée dans les relations alarmantes entre une mère et sa fille et leur parent tueur en série. Au moyen des paratextes du crime véritable, l'autrice explore comment L'ombre d'un doute a visibilisé les tabous entourant l'illégitimité et la race pour les auditoires des années 1940. Concepts of racial identity and parentage played an important role in Canadian media coverage of the 1927 case of Earle Nelson, a well-publicized true crime story that was adapted into Hitchcock's 1943 film Shadow of a Doubt. Nelson, known as the Dark Strangler, was identified as the killer of over twenty women in the United States before crossing the border into Canada, where he was captured, tried, and hanged. The evidence presented in Winnipeg in the Dark Strangler case centred on his physicality as a man perceived as mixed race. The narrative around Nelson, which was circulated several times in true crime magazines after his death, found its most famous outlet in the Hitchcock film based on the Dark Strangler case, Shadow of a Doubt. In Hitchcock's film, the question of racial and familial identity raises its head in disquieting relationships between a mother and daughter and their serial killer relative. By examining the film through true crime paratexts, in this paper I explore how Shadow of a Doubt made taboos around illegitimacy and race visible for audiences of the 1940s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of TOPIA: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies (University of Toronto Press) is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Historical Review is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Historical Review is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Hungary's Prime Minister since 2010 has long defended the transformation of Hungary into an "illiberal democracy," the first of its kind in the European Union. In September 2022, for the first time in the history of the EU, the European Parliament adopted a resolution which concluded that Hungary had ceased to be a democracy to become an electoral autocracy. This paper will show that "illiberal democracy" is merely a euphemism for authoritarian practices and as such, "illiberal democracy" is fundamentally incompatible with EU membership from an ontological, legal, and practical standpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Europe in 2024 faces major challenges in the areas of security, immigration, the economy, and the environment. The war in Ukraine and the uncertain direction of the foreign policy of the United States signal that the European Union is about to embark upon a new historical era. Meanwhile, nationalist feeling is increasing in most member states, as political party systems shift rightward in response to populist pressures. The paper analyzes these changes and inventories the range of policy responses across Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer review has always been known as the gatekeeper for the academic quality of papers. Traditional peer review is mostly carried out in a singular discipline, while peer review for interdisciplinary scientific research must go across the boundaries of multiple disciplines, and there is a real opposition between disciplines 'differentiation' and 'de-differentiation.' Due to this opposition, the practice of interdisciplinary peer review has more research value. Through an empirical study using Publons data, this article introduces the role theory from sociology as a theoretical support, studies role characteristic information of interdisciplinary peer reviewers, extracts their roles, measures the gaps between the roles according to their correlations, and proposes countermeasures to narrow the gaps through role construction to improve the quality of peer review in general. Specifically, this study adopts the empirical analysis method to obtain the behavioural characteristics data of the reviewers in the top 1 per cent in Cross-Field of the Global Peer Review Awards in 2018 and 2019 from the Publons platform and uses the exploratory factor analysis method to extract the roles of the reviewers. Using structural equation modelling to fit the role information association model, the authors compare and analyse the data models of 2018 and 2019 by using the comparative analysis method. The results found are as follows: The 'researcher' role, 'reviewer' role, and 'editor' role are all positively correlated, and the correlations are getting higher. It indicates that the correlations between the three are getting stronger, which will make transitioning between roles less difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Judges decide multiple types of disputes, including disputes involving the property or contractual rights of two private parties (their 'private rights'). The nature of these private rights has long been the focus of philosophical debates between conventionalists, non-conventionalists, and Kantians. In this paper, I offer an argument in favour of the adoption of a legalist concept of private rights by judges and lawyers involved in private law disputes. According to private law legalism, judges and lawyers should see these rights as purely legal rights that do not reflect any pre-existing moral entitlements but are simply the upshots of positive law. The reason for adopting this legalist view is that it contributes to the rationality, predictability, and stability of legal reasoning, as well as to an appropriate evaluative stance towards positive law. Thus understood, the argument for legalism is not an argument about the nature of private rights, but about the conception of such rights that participants in private law reasoning ought to adopt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the research output of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) researchers from 2010 to 2023 using scientometric tools and the Web of Science database. Initially identifying 2956 articles, subsequent application of exclusion criteria yielded 2950 relevant documents, encompassing journal articles, reviews, conference papers, and other scholarly contributions. The analysis reveals a robust scientific output characterized by recent publication dates, underscoring the timeliness of ICAR's research. Key journals such as "PLOS ONE," "Frontiers in Plant Science," and "Scientific Reports" emerge as significant platforms for disseminating ICAR's findings. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) stands out for its substantial research output and citation impact. Collaboration is a prominent feature, with many documents being co-authored, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of ICAR's research and facilitating knowledge exchange among researchers. The study employs Biblioshiny (Bibiliometrix) and VOSviewer software for bibliometric analysis, providing insights into growth trends, collaborative patterns, authorship trends, and institutional collaborations at both national and international levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than a decade has passed since researchers began discussing predatory publishing, one of the most unethical practices in academia. Nevertheless, few attempts have been made to provide a comprehensive overview of the research on predatory publishing. Therefore, this study conducted bibliometric and topic analysis on 812 papers collected from the Web of Science database. The results showed that, although the annual publication volume decreased slightly in the last two years, the annual citations continued to rise. The United States and its institutions are global leaders in predatory publishing research. The most active journal was Learned Publishing, whereas the most influential was Nature. Furthermore, eleven research topics regarding predatory publishing, academic publishing, or the research community were identified and interpreted. Based on these results, this study discusses agendas such as highlighting the global interest in the issue, the need for large-scale collaboration and a sustainable research environment, promoting the issue of predatory publishing, and the importance of education for stakeholders. The findings are expected to help researchers and policymakers understand global research trends in predatory publishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing women's decision-making autonomy in developing countries constitutes one of the recognised approaches to improving maternal healthcare service utilisation. The inability of women to make decisions about their health, the lack of universal health insurance, and inadequate health facilities are contributing factors to high maternal mortality rates in many countries in the developing world. This study explored women's decision-making autonomy over maternal healthcare in Ghana. The authors used a mixed method design, collecting quantitative data through a survey of 163 pregnant and lactating mothers from private and public health centres in Madina, a suburb of Accra in the Greater Accra Region. They also gathered qualitative data from four nurses/midwives and 40 women and their partners. The study identified a clear dominance of men over women in making maternal health decisions, explained mainly by cultural, financial and religious factors. It also identified two other decision-making processes influenced by economic factors: a balanced or democratic decision-making process and a women-dominated decision-making process. The paper concludes that there is a need for a change in cultural norms and stereotypes, particularly concerning the supply side of health services and the factors driving individuals to seek quality and appropriate maternal health care. Presently, these decisions are heavily influenced by cultural and economic patriarchal relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2011, an increasing incidence of sexually transmitted infections and risky sexual practices has been reported among young adults in Canada. However, research on sexual risk behaviours of international students in North America is limited, despite an increasing number of students from abroad attending higher education institutions on this continent. This article shares research findings comparing the sexual practices of international and domestic students in five postsecondary institutions in three Canadian provinces (Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec). Two hundred forty-two international students and 1220 domestic students took part in the bilingual online and paper-based survey. Female international students were less likely to be sexually active than international male, domestic male, and domestic female students. International students were significantly less likely to partake in many risky sexual behaviours, such as inconsistent condom use and unplanned sex after consuming alcohol or drugs. However, male international students were more likely to report having multiple sexual partners than male domestic students. These findings are relevant to those who counsel and advise postsecondary students on Canadian campuses and for healthcare practitioners to better understand postsecondary students' sexual practices. Strategies to enhance sexual health and knowledge include targeted promotion of safe sexual practices and sexual education in postsecondary institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

French-as-a-second-language (FSL) teacher candidates' French proficiency and confidence are key indicators of recruitment and retention of FSL teachers. This paper outlines a pilot project, the Conversation Club, that was used to address linguistic insecurity and proficiency in FSL teacher candidates at one university. The Conversation Club was a drop-in 1-hour session conducted over 5 weeks where participants conversed, played games, and participated in dramatic activities entirely in French. The findings from this pilot project demonstrate how linguistic confidence of FSL teacher candidates can be improved with only a few short sessions in French. Further, participants developed their pedagogical knowledge and skills through experiential learning by participating in activities that they could in turn implement in their FSL classrooms. Last, participants developed a social network of support. Findings support the benefit of implementing low-pressure, game-focused drop-in French-language support group within FSL teacher preparation programs to support FSL teachers' linguistic confidence and, potentially, FSL teacher retention. An outline of the club and suggestions for implementation are included in the appendices of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Physiotherapy Canada is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The development of research skills is a gradual process that assumedly should start at the undergraduate level. This article aims to explore what research-related skills professional bachelor (undergraduate) students are expected to acquire in Lithuanian colleges. Using a conventional approach of content analysis, the authors analysed twenty-nine descriptors of study fields applied to colleges and sixteen codes of ethics of Lithuanian colleges to identify research-related learning outcomes (learning skills) and ethics norms. Their findings suggest that undergraduate students are not recognized as a contributing part of the research community, although they are expected to be involved in research. Some study fields are more research-oriented than others; however, compliance with research ethics is implied only in eight study fields. Student research activity is even less addressed in the codes of ethics than in the descriptors of study fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses some of Karen Knop's insights throughout her career, including about the World War I-era women's peace movement, to resurface and reread the anti-nuclear activism of the international women's peace movement of the mid-to-late 1980s. It focuses specifically on the history and work of Women for a Meaningful Summit (WMS), an ad hoc group of women who came together to exert, through what some participants called 'private' diplomacy, a direct impact on the late Cold War summits between President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. Reading the WMS archives through a Knopian lens, the article considers the group's engagement with international law as part of an international civil society that intentionally crossed national boundaries and alliances, its deployment of a repertoire of strategies that combined relatively mainstream diplomatic approaches with grassroots activism, its faith in and sometimes creative use of international law, and its various articulations of the relation between peace and gender. Attending throughout to the erasure of Cold War anti-nuclear activism in contemporary feminist approaches to international law, the article concludes by demonstrating some of the ways in which international legal approaches to the war in Ukraine also rely on this active erasure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Internet scholars are uncovering and connecting histories of early internets across the globe, but the Canadian context remains underexplored. Drawing on unpublished and declassified documents of the Canadian Armed Forces at Ottawa's Directorate of History and Heritage, this article investigates the history and significance of SAMSON (Strategic Automatic Message Switching Operational Network), an early Canadian internet that experienced a series of setbacks beginning almost immediately at its advent in 1965, until the project was completed in 1984. Analysis: Canada's internet infrastructural techno-politics are examined through Brian Larkin's framework of examining technical ways through which the political is constituted. Conclusions and implications: This paper shows how this early internet was a techno-political system that shaped and was shaped by Canada's pursuit of its national identity amid fears of U.S. influence and rising demands for self-determination within the Québécois and Indigenous nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces the history of Caragana arborescens, a shrub which has flourished for a hundred years in the polluted industrial landscape of Mill Creek Ravine, Edmonton. While now considered an invasive plant, caragana was once viewed as a vitally important species in the colonial settlement and transformation of the Canadian prairies. Arguing against the view of caragana as simply an extension of settler colonialism, or as an embodiment of industrial abandonment, I posit that caragana can be better thought of as a monstrous disturbance: a dense node of bodies and historical relations which emerged out of an experimental colonial project and thrives in the degraded landscapes that industrial capitalism has wrought. As a monstrous disturbance, caragana's growth recollects, extends, and troubles the experimental colonial project that brought it to Mill Creek Ravine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Black Health: The Social, Political, and Cultural Determinants of Black People's Health" by Keisha Ray is a book that explores the impact of racism on the health of Black individuals. The author argues that Black people's poor health is not due to biological deficiencies but rather stems from their experience of racism at various levels. The book examines specific racial disparities in health, such as birthing mortality, clinical pain management, cardiovascular diseases, and sleep, and demonstrates how racism limits Black people's access to social determinants of health. Ray uses narratives and accessible language to highlight the human impact of racial disparities and emphasizes the need for everyone to address racism in healthcare and society. [Extracted from the article]

An introduction to a special issue honoring the memories and extraordinary scholarship of University of Toronto Faculty of Law professor Karen Knop is presented.