Workshop on Structured Abstracts in Education Research The National Academies 500 Fifth Street, NW -- Room 100 Washington, DC January 7, 2005 NOTE: This is an unedited verbatim transcript of the Workshop on Peer Review of Education Research Grant Applications: Implications, Considerations, and Future Directions prepared by CASET Associates and is not an official report of National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, or National Research Council (collectively “National Academies”). Opinions and statements included in the transcript are solely those of the individual persons or participants at the conference, and are not necessarily adopted or endorsed or verified as accurate by The National Academies.
Framing the Day
8:30 a.m.	Welcome & Workshop Objectives	Transcript
	Robert Boruch, University of Pennsylvania Bio
8:45 a.m.	Why We Need Structured Abstracts in Education Research: Presentation of a Recent Proposal	Transcript
	Bill Nave, Consultant, Maine Department of Education Bio
9:15 a.m.	Response to Proposal: Questions & Issues to Consider	Transcript
	Felice Levine, American Educational Research Association Bio
9:45 a.m	Q&A	Transcript
Perspectives of Research Producers
10:30 a.m.	Roundtable Discussion, Part I	Transcript
	Moderator: Catherine Emihovich, University of Florida Bio
	Roundtable Participants: Bob Floden, editor, Review of Research in Education Bio Structured Abstracts for Review of Research in Education?	Transcript
	Teresa McCarty, editor, Anthropology in Education Quarterly Bio Structured Abstracts in Educational Research: A Perspective from the Field of Educational Anthropology	Transcript
	Pamela Walters, past editor, Sociology of Education Bio Structured Abstracts in Education Research: The View from Sociology of Education	Transcript
	Kenneth Wong, co-editor, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis Bio Remarks for Session 1 “Perspectives of Research Producers”	Transcript

	Framing Questions: • Do associations/journals in education research require structured or uniform abstracts? What is the role of abstracts in reporting standards, and the manuscript review, editorial, and publication processes, if any?
	• How does the journal strive for reporting quality? Could structured abstracts play a part, and if so, how?
	• How does the journal strive to maximize information retrieval, access, and utilization? Could structured abstracts play a part, and if so, how?
	• How and to what degree do different standards of evidence, and the nature of inquiry across subfields and methodologies in education research, influence these considerations?
	• What are the strengths and weaknesses of adopting a policy of structured abstracts? What are the specific strengths and weaknesses of the Mosteller et al proposal for structured abstracts? What are the relevant issues (e.g., cultural, technical, institutional, resource) for considering or implementing such a policy?
Noon	Q&A	Transcript
Perspectives of Research Users and Brokers
1:30 p.m.	Roundtable Discussion, Part II	Transcript
	Moderator: Adam Gamoran, University of Wisconsin-Madison Bio
	Roundtable Participants: Gina Burkhardt, Learning Point Associates Bio	Transcript
	Steve Olson, Writer Bio	Transcript
	Debra Viadero, Education Week Bio	Transcript
	Teresa Wilson, American Institutes for Research/What Works Clearinghouse Bio	Transcript
	Framing Questions: • For what purposes and audiences do different users of research search for relevant articles? What is the process?
	• Do different users have different (implicit or explicit) standards of evidence that would shape their search strategies?
	• How well do current systems serve the varying needs of these groups? Are abstracts used in search and retrieval processes? Why or why not?
	• What would the content and format of an ideal structured abstract contain for meeting different purposes? What are the strengths and weaknesses of adopting a policy of structured abstracts? What are the specific strengths and weaknesses of the Mosteller et al proposal for structured abstracts?
2:30 p.m.	Q&A	Transcript
Perspectives of Research Managers
3:15 p.m.	Roundtable Discussion, Part III	Transcript
	Moderator: Norman Bradburn, University of Chicago Bio
	Roundtable Participants: Susan Harris, American Psychological Association Bio	Transcript
	Doug Joubert, National Institutes of Health Library Bio	Transcript
	Luna Levinson, Institute of Education Sciences Bio	Transcript
	Framing Questions: • What role do or should abstracts serve in the broader knowledge management infrastructure of the social sciences? Do they or should they vary according to journal type, article type, or audience (e.g., researchers, policymakers, practitioners)?
	• What kinds of resources (financial and intellectual) are necessary to realize a database system that contains structured abstracts of research articles?
	• How do abstracts relate to other parts of the science infrastructure such as search engines, indexing, and keywording?
	• Do structured abstracts take up more (print or cyber) space than otherwise would be the case? If so, are they worth the marginal increase in space required in database storage?
	• What are the strengths and weaknesses of adopting a policy of structured abstracts? What are the specific strengths and weaknesses of the Mosteller et al proposal for structured abstracts?
4:00 p.m.	Q&A	Transcript
Wrap Up
4:30 p.m.	Themes & Future Prospects	Transcript
	Hannah Rothstein, Baruch College, CUNY Bio