Web-based Tools for Developing and Accessing Sociological Theory

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SES - 1123040Barry Markovsky (P.I.)Jose Vidal (co-P.I.)University of South CarolinaWeb-based Tools for Developing and Accessing Sociological TheoryAbstractThis project involves designing, implementing and testing a web-based system for developing, improving and disseminating sociological theories across all areas of the discipline. The proposed "Wikitheoria" will provide a range of services via a set of user-friendly tools, and a set of incentives to foster broad participation. At the heart of the system is the concept of "modular theorizing," i.e., small, explicit, inter-connectable theories that can be assembled in different ways for different purposes. On the management side, the system will receive and store original submissions, analyze logical and semantic structures of submitted materials, organize, index and hyperlink text to maximize ease of use, display and disseminate content, offer recommendations for improvements, and evaluate usage patterns. From the user's perspective the system will provide tools to help learn the interface, search intelligently for content in specific areas, identify relevant materials from other substantive areas, collectively evaluate and enhance submitted materials, cross-fertilize between sub-disciplines, identify researchable claims, evaluate relevant findings from prior research, theoretically inform empirical applications, promote use by non-sociologists, supplement teaching, and more. The system will facilitate the development of improved theories using proven incentives and knowledge aggregation methods. The web interface and underlying processes will capitalize on what has already been learned from the successes of other knowledge systems such as Wikipedia and StackOverflow, and the lack of success of others such as Google Knol and Yahoo! Answers. The modularized program will be developed on the Google App Engine, a free hosting platform that allows application development and deployment on the Google cloud of servers. The PIs use Google account services and other web functions with which users are likely to be familiar already or else can acquire with ease.By offering an infrastructure tool that encourages theoretically-driven research, Wikitheoria will simultaneously advance substantive knowledge and offer resources for those seeking to apply that knowledge. The system will be relatively easy to use, and will inform scholars and practitioners within and outside of sociology. The system's blind evaluation system and openness to contributors eliminates any possible impact of participants' demographic characteristics. Professional network, rank, status in the discipline, race, gender, and geographic location play no part in determining the relevance of any contribution. The project also offers some unique opportunities for students and instructors to participate in the system such as contributing theoretical material, using content in class, and posting to discussion groups.