It is widely accepted among researchers and educators that the peer review process (the reputatio... more It is widely accepted among researchers and educators that the peer review process (the reputation of the publisher and examination of the author’s credentials) are the gold standards for assessing the quality of research and information. However, in the contemporary research environment, the traditional gold standards are no longer sufficient, and the effective evaluation of information requires the consideration of additional factors, including: who has sponsored the research; who controls the dissemination of the research; what are the effects of dominant research paradigms; and what are the financial interests of authors, publishers and editors. The role of new technologies, including Web 2.0, is also addressed. Relevant examples such as controversies about positive evaluations of new medications that appear in peer-reviewed journals, the literature on Enron prior to the revelations that led to its collapse, and the suppression of research that does not conform to dominant paradigms offered to indicate the need for a more sophisticated and nuanced approach to evaluating information. Practical suggestions for the evaluation of information are an integral part of the text.
What makes a text readable? Although there are many studies concerned with readability from vario... more What makes a text readable? Although there are many studies concerned with readability from various perspectives, there have been no recent attempts to consider the field more generally, as an area of scholarly research as well as one that has practical significance. This book brings together the relevant literature and theories, and situates them within a unified account. Beginning with an historical treatment of the concept of readability and readability formulas, it goes on to discuss recent research on the subject from the perspectives of many fields, including psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and text linguistics. The book will be invaluable to both scholars and practitioners who seek a single resource offering a comprehensive, principled discussion of the issues.
"Anyone concerned about readability formulas will love this book, for it begins by providing a concise summary of the history of this elusive concept and points out the many past accepted fallacies in the efforts to produce grade and age level correlations of materials for children to read and understand, and then points to a more effective way to discover readability. The authors take this quest in an excitingly new direction. Instead of searching for correlations of material written by adults (an odd thought for studying material for children), they search for the answer in the language properties of texts that can impede fluent reading and, equally important, what kinds of knowledge different readers (including children) need in order to unpack the meaning of the text. The book takes the search beyond the purported complexity of words and sentences to a linguistic analysis of the effects of self-embedded structures, branching of relative clauses, ambiguities of various types, the repetition of coherence, and the important but largely overlooked background knowledge of readers, all of which suggest the need for different definitions of fluency and comprehension than have been hitherto advanced." --Roger W. Shuy, Distinguished Research Professor of Linguistics, Emeritus, Georgetown University, USA
It is widely accepted among researchers and educators that the peer review process (the reputatio... more It is widely accepted among researchers and educators that the peer review process (the reputation of the publisher and examination of the author's credentials) are the gold standards for assessing the quality of research and information. However, in the contemporary research environment, the traditional gold standards are no longer sufficient, and the effective evaluation of information requires the consideration of additional factors, including: who has sponsored the research, who controls the dissemination of the research, what are the effects of dominant research paradigms, and what are the financial interests of authors, publishers and editors. The role of new technologies, including Web 2.0, is also addressed. Relevant examples such as controversies about positive evaluations of new medications that appear in peer-reviewed journals, the literature on Enron prior to the revelations that led to its collapse, and the suppression of research that does not conform to dominant paradigms offered to indicate the need for a more sophisticated and nuanced approach to evaluating information. Practical suggestions for the evaluation of information are an integral part of the text.
"This is an excellent introduction to assessing and evaluating research and unlike any book currently available. The traditional gold standards are clearly explained and critiqued, while the case studies are effective and accessible ways of concretely demonstrating why the contexts in which research is conducted, disseminated, and received matter" (Journal of Academic Librarianship).
"This has been one of the most enjoyable and thought provoking books I have read for a while. Not only is it well written in a style which is easy to read, the authors use of narrative in the case studies leaves you with a very strong message about how to assess research and how all researchers are influenced by their belief systems and previous experiences." (Library Management)
“This book arms its readers with the right questions for instances when they need to assess the value of the research of others, particularly when mediated by print and broadcast media. In this short text they learn how economic, political, or social self-interest may motivate the misreporting of findings into spin or, at the other end of the scale, fraudulent claims that can have devastating impacts on people's lives and their livelihoods.” (Library & Information Science Research)
The study of metaphor is as old as Aristotle, the philosopher who coined the term. And while th... more The study of metaphor is as old as Aristotle, the philosopher who coined the term. And while the amount of academic writing on this topic has reached mind-boggling proportions today, very few frameworks for understanding its interior functioning and its cognitive nature are currently being used by scholars in a consistent fashion. This in-depth study by Alan Bailin provides one framework that will, in my view, go a long way towards systematizing the study of this elusive phenomenon."--Marcel Danesi, Editor of Semiotica
"'Metaphorical interpretation results in primary shifts of extension' (p.64). This seems to reprise something that has been said many times before, but there is an important qualification--the shifts involve an expansion of the class of entities to which a predicate is applied i.e. the old extension is retained. Additionally, Bailin takes issue with another widespread assumption, that there is a sharp divide between issues affecting denotation and those affecting connotation, with metaphor being a phenomenon exclusively bound up with the latter. Bailin raises the question of what aspects of denotational meaning are preserved under metaphorical interpretation" (Journal of Literary Semantics 28 (2): 137-8.)
Published with the help of a grant from the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
We often consider semantic-pragmatic properties of language independently of each other. In actua... more We often consider semantic-pragmatic properties of language independently of each other. In actual texts, however, the properties frequently interact. For this reason a robust theory should allow us to account not only for semantic-pragmatic properties in isolation, but also for the ...
It is widely accepted among researchers and educators that the peer review process (the reputatio... more It is widely accepted among researchers and educators that the peer review process (the reputation of the publisher and examination of the author’s credentials) are the gold standards for assessing the quality of research and information. However, in the contemporary research environment, the traditional gold standards are no longer sufficient, and the effective evaluation of information requires the consideration of additional factors, including: who has sponsored the research; who controls the dissemination of the research; what are the effects of dominant research paradigms; and what are the financial interests of authors, publishers and editors. The role of new technologies, including Web 2.0, is also addressed. Relevant examples such as controversies about positive evaluations of new medications that appear in peer-reviewed journals, the literature on Enron prior to the revelations that led to its collapse, and the suppression of research that does not conform to dominant paradigms offered to indicate the need for a more sophisticated and nuanced approach to evaluating information. Practical suggestions for the evaluation of information are an integral part of the text.
What makes a text readable? Although there are many studies concerned with readability from vario... more What makes a text readable? Although there are many studies concerned with readability from various perspectives, there have been no recent attempts to consider the field more generally, as an area of scholarly research as well as one that has practical significance. This book brings together the relevant literature and theories, and situates them within a unified account. Beginning with an historical treatment of the concept of readability and readability formulas, it goes on to discuss recent research on the subject from the perspectives of many fields, including psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and text linguistics. The book will be invaluable to both scholars and practitioners who seek a single resource offering a comprehensive, principled discussion of the issues.
"Anyone concerned about readability formulas will love this book, for it begins by providing a concise summary of the history of this elusive concept and points out the many past accepted fallacies in the efforts to produce grade and age level correlations of materials for children to read and understand, and then points to a more effective way to discover readability. The authors take this quest in an excitingly new direction. Instead of searching for correlations of material written by adults (an odd thought for studying material for children), they search for the answer in the language properties of texts that can impede fluent reading and, equally important, what kinds of knowledge different readers (including children) need in order to unpack the meaning of the text. The book takes the search beyond the purported complexity of words and sentences to a linguistic analysis of the effects of self-embedded structures, branching of relative clauses, ambiguities of various types, the repetition of coherence, and the important but largely overlooked background knowledge of readers, all of which suggest the need for different definitions of fluency and comprehension than have been hitherto advanced." --Roger W. Shuy, Distinguished Research Professor of Linguistics, Emeritus, Georgetown University, USA
It is widely accepted among researchers and educators that the peer review process (the reputatio... more It is widely accepted among researchers and educators that the peer review process (the reputation of the publisher and examination of the author's credentials) are the gold standards for assessing the quality of research and information. However, in the contemporary research environment, the traditional gold standards are no longer sufficient, and the effective evaluation of information requires the consideration of additional factors, including: who has sponsored the research, who controls the dissemination of the research, what are the effects of dominant research paradigms, and what are the financial interests of authors, publishers and editors. The role of new technologies, including Web 2.0, is also addressed. Relevant examples such as controversies about positive evaluations of new medications that appear in peer-reviewed journals, the literature on Enron prior to the revelations that led to its collapse, and the suppression of research that does not conform to dominant paradigms offered to indicate the need for a more sophisticated and nuanced approach to evaluating information. Practical suggestions for the evaluation of information are an integral part of the text.
"This is an excellent introduction to assessing and evaluating research and unlike any book currently available. The traditional gold standards are clearly explained and critiqued, while the case studies are effective and accessible ways of concretely demonstrating why the contexts in which research is conducted, disseminated, and received matter" (Journal of Academic Librarianship).
"This has been one of the most enjoyable and thought provoking books I have read for a while. Not only is it well written in a style which is easy to read, the authors use of narrative in the case studies leaves you with a very strong message about how to assess research and how all researchers are influenced by their belief systems and previous experiences." (Library Management)
“This book arms its readers with the right questions for instances when they need to assess the value of the research of others, particularly when mediated by print and broadcast media. In this short text they learn how economic, political, or social self-interest may motivate the misreporting of findings into spin or, at the other end of the scale, fraudulent claims that can have devastating impacts on people's lives and their livelihoods.” (Library & Information Science Research)
The study of metaphor is as old as Aristotle, the philosopher who coined the term. And while th... more The study of metaphor is as old as Aristotle, the philosopher who coined the term. And while the amount of academic writing on this topic has reached mind-boggling proportions today, very few frameworks for understanding its interior functioning and its cognitive nature are currently being used by scholars in a consistent fashion. This in-depth study by Alan Bailin provides one framework that will, in my view, go a long way towards systematizing the study of this elusive phenomenon."--Marcel Danesi, Editor of Semiotica
"'Metaphorical interpretation results in primary shifts of extension' (p.64). This seems to reprise something that has been said many times before, but there is an important qualification--the shifts involve an expansion of the class of entities to which a predicate is applied i.e. the old extension is retained. Additionally, Bailin takes issue with another widespread assumption, that there is a sharp divide between issues affecting denotation and those affecting connotation, with metaphor being a phenomenon exclusively bound up with the latter. Bailin raises the question of what aspects of denotational meaning are preserved under metaphorical interpretation" (Journal of Literary Semantics 28 (2): 137-8.)
Published with the help of a grant from the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
We often consider semantic-pragmatic properties of language independently of each other. In actua... more We often consider semantic-pragmatic properties of language independently of each other. In actual texts, however, the properties frequently interact. For this reason a robust theory should allow us to account not only for semantic-pragmatic properties in isolation, but also for the ...
Information on what's in the library, where materials are located, how to borrow them, how to... more Information on what's in the library, where materials are located, how to borrow them, how to get help, and various library services for students.
Mario Bisiada's review of Readability: Text and Context in LINGUIST List (http://linguistlist.org... more Mario Bisiada's review of Readability: Text and Context in LINGUIST List (http://linguistlist.org/issues/27/27-4553.html) contains some significant misinterpretations of the book as well as spurious objections.
Powerpoint for presentation at International Journal of Arts & Sciences (IJAS) Conference at McGi... more Powerpoint for presentation at International Journal of Arts & Sciences (IJAS) Conference at McGill University in Montreal, June 2017.
The PowerPoint for a paper coauthored with A Grafstein. Presented at the 13th Annual Internationa... more The PowerPoint for a paper coauthored with A Grafstein. Presented at the 13th Annual International Conference on Education, sponsored by the Athens Institute for Education and Research, May 2011. See our book, The Critical Assessment of Research: Traditional and New Methods of Evaluation, for a more detailed discussion of the issues presented here.
This presentation examines briefly a few of the linguistic properties which can be shown to inter... more This presentation examines briefly a few of the linguistic properties which can be shown to interfere with the ability of readers to comprehend texts: (1) extraposition and self-embedding, (2) the semantic effects of “garden path” constructions, and (3) the difficulty in processing narratives containing embedded narratives. Our goal is to show that applying linguistic concepts and insights to the issue of text difficulty can help us to develop a better understanding of what makes a text easier or more difficult to read.
PowerPoint slides of talk presented at the Conference of the International Journal of Arts & Scie... more PowerPoint slides of talk presented at the Conference of the International Journal of Arts & Sciences, May 30, 2017 at McGill University, Montreal.
Goal: A digital library and repository dedicated to documenting the culture and history of North ... more Goal: A digital library and repository dedicated to documenting the culture and history of North American Jews. The project is incorporated in the United States as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It is intended to be both a teaching and research tool. The library and repository (very much an ongoing project) can be found at https://www.najculture.org/ .
Uploads
Books by Alan Bailin
"Anyone concerned about readability formulas will love this book, for it begins by providing a concise summary of the history of this elusive concept and points out the many past accepted fallacies in the efforts to produce grade and age level correlations of materials for children to read and understand, and then points to a more effective way to discover readability. The authors take this quest in an excitingly new direction. Instead of searching for correlations of material written by adults (an odd thought for studying material for children), they search for the answer in the language properties of texts that can impede fluent reading and, equally important, what kinds of knowledge different readers (including children) need in order to unpack the meaning of the text. The book takes the search beyond the purported complexity of words and sentences to a linguistic analysis of the effects of self-embedded structures, branching of relative clauses, ambiguities of various types, the repetition of coherence, and the important but largely overlooked background knowledge of readers, all of which suggest the need for different definitions of fluency and comprehension than have been hitherto advanced." --Roger W. Shuy, Distinguished Research Professor of Linguistics, Emeritus, Georgetown University, USA
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=FM5ZAgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=bailin+critical+assesment+of+research&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiR95eq05DKAhUDTCYKHe6fDxAQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=bailin%20critical%20assesment%20of%20research&f=false
http://store.elsevier.com/product.jsp?locale=en_US&isbn=9781843345435
"This is an excellent introduction to assessing and evaluating research and unlike any book currently available. The traditional gold standards are clearly explained and critiqued, while the case studies are effective and accessible ways of concretely demonstrating why the contexts in which research is conducted, disseminated, and received matter" (Journal of Academic Librarianship).
"This has been one of the most enjoyable and thought provoking books I have read for a while. Not only is it well written in a style which is easy to read, the authors use of narrative in the case studies leaves you with a very strong message about how to assess research and how all researchers are influenced by their belief systems and previous experiences." (Library Management)
“This book arms its readers with the right questions for instances when they need to assess the value of the research of others, particularly when mediated by print and broadcast media. In this short text they learn how economic, political, or social self-interest may motivate the misreporting of findings into spin or, at the other end of the scale, fraudulent claims that can have devastating impacts on people's lives and their livelihoods.” (Library & Information Science Research)
"'Metaphorical interpretation results in primary shifts of extension' (p.64). This seems to reprise something that has been said many times before, but there is an important qualification--the shifts involve an expansion of the class of entities to which a predicate is applied i.e. the old extension is retained. Additionally, Bailin takes issue with another widespread assumption, that there is a sharp divide between issues affecting denotation and those affecting connotation, with metaphor being a phenomenon exclusively bound up with the latter. Bailin raises the question of what aspects of denotational meaning are preserved under metaphorical interpretation" (Journal of Literary Semantics 28 (2): 137-8.)
Published with the help of a grant from the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Papers by Alan Bailin
"Anyone concerned about readability formulas will love this book, for it begins by providing a concise summary of the history of this elusive concept and points out the many past accepted fallacies in the efforts to produce grade and age level correlations of materials for children to read and understand, and then points to a more effective way to discover readability. The authors take this quest in an excitingly new direction. Instead of searching for correlations of material written by adults (an odd thought for studying material for children), they search for the answer in the language properties of texts that can impede fluent reading and, equally important, what kinds of knowledge different readers (including children) need in order to unpack the meaning of the text. The book takes the search beyond the purported complexity of words and sentences to a linguistic analysis of the effects of self-embedded structures, branching of relative clauses, ambiguities of various types, the repetition of coherence, and the important but largely overlooked background knowledge of readers, all of which suggest the need for different definitions of fluency and comprehension than have been hitherto advanced." --Roger W. Shuy, Distinguished Research Professor of Linguistics, Emeritus, Georgetown University, USA
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=FM5ZAgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=bailin+critical+assesment+of+research&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiR95eq05DKAhUDTCYKHe6fDxAQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=bailin%20critical%20assesment%20of%20research&f=false
http://store.elsevier.com/product.jsp?locale=en_US&isbn=9781843345435
"This is an excellent introduction to assessing and evaluating research and unlike any book currently available. The traditional gold standards are clearly explained and critiqued, while the case studies are effective and accessible ways of concretely demonstrating why the contexts in which research is conducted, disseminated, and received matter" (Journal of Academic Librarianship).
"This has been one of the most enjoyable and thought provoking books I have read for a while. Not only is it well written in a style which is easy to read, the authors use of narrative in the case studies leaves you with a very strong message about how to assess research and how all researchers are influenced by their belief systems and previous experiences." (Library Management)
“This book arms its readers with the right questions for instances when they need to assess the value of the research of others, particularly when mediated by print and broadcast media. In this short text they learn how economic, political, or social self-interest may motivate the misreporting of findings into spin or, at the other end of the scale, fraudulent claims that can have devastating impacts on people's lives and their livelihoods.” (Library & Information Science Research)
"'Metaphorical interpretation results in primary shifts of extension' (p.64). This seems to reprise something that has been said many times before, but there is an important qualification--the shifts involve an expansion of the class of entities to which a predicate is applied i.e. the old extension is retained. Additionally, Bailin takes issue with another widespread assumption, that there is a sharp divide between issues affecting denotation and those affecting connotation, with metaphor being a phenomenon exclusively bound up with the latter. Bailin raises the question of what aspects of denotational meaning are preserved under metaphorical interpretation" (Journal of Literary Semantics 28 (2): 137-8.)
Published with the help of a grant from the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.