The ethics of ethical debates in peace and conflict research: Notes towards the development of a research covenant

This article outlines the case for peace and conflict researchers to formulate a research covenant to better shape their ethical obligations and responsibilities. This is an urgent necessity given that ethical debates have in some proponents become emotive and are not conducted in an ethical manner. In coming to this assessment, the article reviews trends in the research ethics literature and draws out some of the generic issues addressed in a review of the personal reflexivity that an assortment of individual peace and conflict researchers have engaged in when recounting their fieldwork experiences. These generic issues are reformulated in an attempt to codify appropriate ethical practice in peace and conflict research, and they go towards determining the contents of the research covenant. It is suggested that the research covenant is a more ethical way to debate the ethics of peace and conflict research.

[Taxation research notes, 1799]

Folded leaf containing handwritten notes and figures related to tax acts, including a section of notes related to the use of "Sevill, Pillar, or Mexico" foreign silver coins. A section of the text is written in very faded pencil.

[Taxation research notes, 1794]

One leaf containing a handwritten incomplete text arguing for the creation of tables containing financial data found in government records and account books, as a means of comparing the value of real estate, silver, and salaries, in part to "ascertain how much of the present expense of supporting a family is to be attributed to the present mode of living." The page has the remnants of a red wax seal.

Research Notes

Mode of access: Internet.

Sri Lanka in global medical research: a scientific analysis of the Sri Lankan research output during 2000-2009

Background Scientific research is an essential component in guiding improvements in health systems. There are no studies examining the Sri Lankan medical research output at international level. The present study evaluated the Sri Lankan research performance in medicine as reflected by the research publications output between years 2000-2009. Methods This study was based on Sri Lankan medical research publication data, retrieved from the SciVerse Scopus® from January 2000 to December 2009. The process of article selection was as follows: Affiliation - 'Sri Lanka' or 'Ceylon', Publication year - 'January 2000 to December 2009' and Subject area - 'Life and Health Sciences'. The articles identified were classified according to disease, medical speciality, institutions, major international collaborators, authors and journals. Results Sri Lanka's cumulative medical publications output between years 2000-2009 was 1,740 articles published in 160 different journals. The average annual publication growth rate was 9.1%. Majority of the articles were published in 'International' (n = 950, 54.6%) journals. Most articles were descriptive studies (n = 611, 35.1%), letters (n-345, 19.8%) and case reports (n = 311, 17.9%). The articles were authored by 148 different Sri Lankan authors from 146 different institutions. The three most prolific local institutions were Universities of; Colombo (n = 547), Kelaniya (n = 246) and Peradeniya (n = 222). Eighty four countries were found to have published collaborative papers with Sri Lankan authors during the last decade. UK was the largest collaborating partner (n = 263, 15.1%). Malaria (n = 75), Diabetes Mellitus (n = 55), Dengue (n = 53), Accidental injuries (n = 42) and Lymphatic filariasis (n = 40) were the major diseases studied. The 1,740 publications were cited 9,708 times, with an average citation of 5.6 per paper. The most cited paper had 203 citations, while there were 597 publications with no citations. The Sri Lankan authors' contribution to the global medical research output during the last decade was only 0.086%. Conclusion The Sri Lankan medical research output during the last decade is only a small fraction of the global research output. There it is a necessity to setup an enabling environment for research, with a proper vision, support, funds and training. In addition, collaborations across the region need to be strengthened to face common regional health challenges. Keywords: Sri Lanka, Medical research, Publication, Analysis

Paper Dinosaurs : field notes as finds in Robert Kroetsch's Badlands

Des dinosaures sur papier : des notes « sur le terrain » comme on en trouve dans le Badlands de Robert Kroetsch passe en revue cette œuvre postmoderne de 1975 portant sur une expédition paléontologique fictive près de la rivière Red Deer, en Alberta, conformément à la récente tendance à exiger la vérification systématique des données à la base des récits métafictifs historiographiques dans la littérature canadienne-anglaise. Inspirée de l’exploration canonique qu’a effectuée John Livingston-Lowes des plus grands poèmes de Samuel Taylor Coleridge par le biais de la mine d’or du Gutch Memorandum Book dans The Road to Xanadu, cette thèse entreprend un nouveau type de recherche qui se démarque des archives conventionnelles et de la tradition documentaire. S’appuyant sur des documents holographes non publiés provenant de dépôts d’archives situés au Québec, en Ontario et en Alberta et écrits par des collecteurs, des géologues et des paléontologues de la Commission géologique du Canada, ainsi que sur des notes « sur le terrain », des notes de recherche et des journaux personnels écrits par Robert Kroetsch pendant la rédaction de son roman Badlands, cet examen critique révèle les strates sous-jacentes inédites d’une œuvre de fiction particulière. Dans pratiquement toute fouille paléontologique, le retrait de ce qui enveloppe un spécimen révèle souvent des données supplémentaires qui peuvent, si elles sont soigneusement interprétées, offrir des indices essentiels sur les environnements paléontologiques. Ainsi, un squelette de dinosaure est rarement retiré d’une carrière stérile dans son intégralité. Il en va de même pour toute recherche sur un processus littéraire. Aucun texte ne s’autosuffit. Comme Kroetsch s’est efforcé de produire son récit sous forme d’interrogation sur la création et la transmission des données historiques, particulièrement grâce à des notes « sur le terrain », une vaste étude de ce « terrain » comprenant des intertextes de l’Antiquité, des sciences, de l’Histoire, de l’histoire populaire, de récits de voyages et de la littérature canadienne et internationale est ici menée. On y fait librement référence à des périodes et à des auteurs très diversifiés, allant de Thomas Jefferson et des tombelles à Bruce Chatwin et sa peau de « brontosaure ». Évidemment, aucune entreprise interdisciplinaire du genre ne peut être exhaustive. Ce projet se veut plutôt une vitrine littéraire réunissant des curiosités autour d’une œuvre principale, soit le Badlands de Robert Kroetsch. Réduites à leur plus simple expression, les notes « sur le terrain » constituent des messages destinés à la postérité. En explorant trois thèmes principaux, cette thèse explique comment ces messages pourraient être transmis. « Saxa Loquuntur ! », ainsi intitulé en référence à l’analogie de Freud avec l’archéologie, traite des métaphores associées aux témoignages de la pierre ; « Good Jones » porte sur les façons dont la taxinomie peut combler le désir d’un chercheur d’os de ne pas tomber dans l’oubli ; « Box 16 » suit une piste documentaire en parcourant les écrits de Kroetsch pour reconstituer tant l’élaboration d’un roman que les notions de temps, d’espace et d’origine d’une œuvre littéraire.

Na 1 Nachlass Max Horkheimer, 665 - "Research Project on Anti-Semitism" (p. IX 101-IX 112)

Institute of Social Research; "Research Project on Anti-Semitism. General Statement of Scope of Project, Fields to be investigated, First Assignements, Plan of Operation, Joint Conferences" (15.3.1943), a) Typoskript, 5 Blatt, b) Typoskript, 3 Blatt, c) Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Ergänzungen, 5 Blatt; Institute of Social Research: "Notes on Some Methodological Principles and Some Tentative Assumptions for the Work of the Anti-Semitism Project" (15.3.1943), Typoskript, 3 Blatt; "Project on Anti-Semitism. Excerpt from a letter of D.R. (American Jewish Committee), dated 3/31/43" (31.03.1943), Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Ergänzungen, 2 Blatt; Institute of Social Research: "Research Project on Anti-Semitism. General Statement of Scope of Project, Fields to be investigated, First Assignements etc. Supplement: Los Angeles Group" (26.4.1943), a) Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Ergänzungen, 13 Blatt, b) Typoskript, 13 Blatt, c) Typoskript, 8 Blatt; Heinz Langerhans: "Methods to Evaluate the Attitude of Different Sections of the German Population toward Institutionalized Antisemitism" (6.5.1943), Typoskript mit eigenhändiger Korrektur, 5 Blatt; "Discussion with Messrs. George Mintzer and Newman Levy on present day U.S.A. Antisemitism" (5.3.1943), a) Typoskript, 4 Blatt b) Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, 4 Blatt; Re.: Antisemitism Project. Statement of Expense 15.03.1943 - 15.06.1943, Preliminary Budget 15.06.1943 - 15.03.1944, Aufstellungen für das American Jewish Committee, 15.06.1943, 4 Blatt; Paul Massing: "Some Notes to Fineberg's 'Overcoming Antisemitism'" (16.06.1943), Typoskript, 4 Blatt; "Luncheon with Mr. Hexter. Present: Dr. Pollock, Weil, Gurland, Massing and Mr. Hexter. Purpose: Discussion of S.A. Fineberg's book 'Overcoming Antisemitism'" (17.06.1943), Typoskript, 2 Blatt; "Luncheon with Mr. R.C. Rothschild in the Yale Club", Über Antisemitismus in den USA, 28.6.1943, Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Korrekturen, 1 Blatt; Friedrich Pollock: Memoranden über Besprechungen mit R.C. Rothschild, betreffs Anti-Semitism-Project (September 1943): 1. "Remarks of Mr. Rothschild concerning our Psychological Study in a meeting between him, P. and L." (21.9.1943); 2. "Memorandum on work's progress of Anti-Semitism-Project" (15.09.1943), Typoskript, 1 Blatt; 3. "Meeting R.C. Rothschild and Pollock", (15.09.1943), Typoskript, 2 Blatt; 4. "Memorandum No. 1" (14.09.1943), Typoskript, 1 Blatt; "Memorandum re: Antisemitism Project" (29.10.1943), Typoskript mit handschriftlichen Ergänzungen, 2 Blatt;

Notes for a memorial (fragment), [ca. 1829]

Fragment of notes referencing the Harvard President's third plan for the library catalogue.

Notes on the Transactions of the Royal Society of London, undated

This folder contains four documents with undated notes about the College's holdings of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London.

Notes and drafts of astronomy texts and tables, undated

This folder contains handwritten astronomy tables, problems, diagrams and texts.

Notes about cases heard as Justice of the Peace, 1784-1795

This small paper-bound notebook contains notes Winthrop made concerning the cases he heard between 1784 and 1795 as a Justice of the Peace for Middlesex County. These notes provide insight into the nature of crimes being committed in Cambridge in the post-Revolutionary period, as well as the names and occupations of those accused and their victims. The cases involved the following individuals, among others: Samuel Bridge, Benjamin Estabrook, Joseph Jeffords, Cato Bordman, John Kidder, Spenser Goddin, Jacob Cromwell, Benjamin Stratton, Mary Flood, Bender Temple, John Willett, Joseph Hartwell, Nathaniel Stratton, Amos Washburn, Francis Moore, Thomas Malone, Thomas Cook, and Amboy Brown. The cases involved a range of offenses, and occasionally Winthrop decided that a case exceeded his jurisdiction and forwarded it to the General Court or the Supreme Judicial Court.