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Dissertation Information for Elizabeth Futas

NAME:
- Elizabeth Futas

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- Rutgers University (USA) (1980)

ADVISORS:
- Susan Artandi

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Donald R. King
- Henry Voos
- Joseph I. Naus

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION PATTERNS IN THE EMERGING, INTERDISCIPLINARY AREA OF WOMEN'S STUDIES

Abstract: This study was undertaken to provide quantitative and qualitative data on the field of Women's Studies. The type of data examined concerned the literature of the field, the influences of people in the field and of other fields on Women's Studies. A reason for this close examination was to note what comprises the field of Women's Studies now and what it might be like in the future, as well as to speculate on reasons for the field developing as it has.

A sample was taken from the 1972 to 1977 Women Studies Abstracts, the main indexing and abstracting tool of the field. Altogether 8,375 references and 600 source documents were analyzed for form, data, subject, language, authors, journal of publication, number of authors and profile of authors, documents and journals. Information on the numer of citations per source document was also examined. Data were key punched onto cards, fed into a computer system and analyzed using SPSS as well as specifically written PL/1 programs.

There were three major areas of findings of the study. The descriptive analysis indicates a change in the six year period studies from monographic to journal form, both in source and cited documents. A trend toward multiple authorship can be detected from 1972 to 1977. The number of Women's Studies journals, individuals who teach Women's Studies and documents primarily about women and women-related issues which appear in the data base are minimal.

The five hypotheses tested confirmed that the research literature of Women's Studies is predominantly cited by the research literature of Women's Studies; authors and journals of the entire data base, whether from traditional journals doing research on women or from Women's Studies itself, do not cite individuals who teach in the field of Women's Studies or journals of the field. However, the field is not self-contained as was first expected; Women's Studies research literature does not predominantly cite Women's Studies research literature.

Comparing citation patterns found in this study with other disciplines' patterns, Women's Studies, in relation to its language, form, subject and time dispersion most closely resembles the social science disciplines of Economics, Political Science, Sociology and Education. It is least like Art, Music and Religion.

The literature of the field of Women's Studies is predominantly journal articles, in English and by single authors. Women's Studies journals carry only a fraction of the total literature and are cited infrequently. The contribution to the literature by people teaching Women's Studies courses is limited and they are seldom cited by other authors. Only half of the articles in Women's Studies deal primarily with women or women-related issues. The most predominant topic in the literature of Women's Studies is Psychology with Medicine second. There is a decline in the number of documents about Feminism.

The field of Women's Studies has had little impact on research in subject disciplines but those disciplines do have an impact on Women's Studies. The few highly cited individuals teaching in the field of Women's Studies are from Psychology (Matina Horner, Sandra Bem) and Education (Alice Rossi, Helen Astin). While Psychology is a predominant topic in the literature of Women's Studies, Education is not. The second most cited subject field is Medicine, and none of the heavily cited individuals are from this field. A major conclusion of this study is that Women's Studies belongs firmly among the social sciences.

MPACT Scores for Elizabeth Futas

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:09:32

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Students under Elizabeth Futas

ADVISEES:
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COMMITTEESHIPS:
- None