What is a Scholarly Public Opinion Article?
A scholarly public opinion article is an academic work that examines public attitudes, beliefs, and opinions on social, political, or cultural issues. These articles rely on rigorous research methodologies and often analyze data from public opinion surveys to identify trends, patterns, and factors shaping public perspectives. Crucially, public opinion data should represent the general public, not just specific subsets such as teachers, police officers, inmates, or residents of a single city. This ensures that the findings reflect broader societal attitudes. Combining the high academic standards of peer-reviewed research with empirical data on public opinion, these articles provide credible, data-driven insights into societal attitudes. They are invaluable resources for researchers, policymakers, and anyone aiming to understand or address key public issues effectively.
Key Features of Scholarly Public Opinion Articles
Peer-Reviewed and Scholarly:
- Authored by Experts: Written by researchers, scholars, or university professors to present r original research to an academic audience, including fellow researchers, students, and professionals in the field.
- Rigorous Review Process: Evaluated by field experts (peer reviewers) before publication to ensure the research meets high standards of quality, accuracy, and credibility.
- Published in Academic Journals: Appears in reputable peer-reviewed journals, such as Public Opinion Quarterly or Journal of Public Opinion Research.
Uses Public Opinion Data:
- Relies on Public Opinion Surveys: Utilizes systematically collected data from public opinion surveys, which may be primary (collected by the authors) or secondary (e.g., data from the General Social Survey, Pew Research Center, or National Crime Victimization Survey).
- General Population Representation: Focuses on the opinions of the general public, not just specific groups, ensuring findings are broadly applicable.
- Comprehensive Data Description: Provides detailed explanations of the data sources, collection methodologies, and statistical methods used in the research.
Academic Structure and Tone:
- Typically includes sections like:
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Literature Review
- Data and Methods
- Results
- Discussion and
- Conclusion
- References
- Written in formal, discipline-specific language.
Objective Analysis:
- Examines public opinion without bias.
- Often explores relationships between variables, such as age, race, political ideology, or education level, and attitudes on a specific issue.
Why Are These Articles Important?
- Credibility: They are rooted in rigorous academic standards and verified through peer review.
- Data-Driven Insights: Provide empirical evidence about how the public feels about key issues.
- Broad Application: Useful for understanding societal trends, shaping policy, and informing research.
How to Identify a Scholarly Public Opinion Article
To determine if an article qualifies as a scholarly public opinion article, consider the following criteria:
- Academic Authors: Are the authors affiliated with universities or reputable research institutions?
- Publication Source: Is the article published in a peer-reviewed journal?
- Use of Public Opinion Surveys: Does it analyze data representing the general public? Does it use primary data, where the authors collected the survey themselves, or secondary data, using pre-existing datasets from reputable institutions?
- Citations and References: Does the article include a bibliography and cite other peer-reviewed and scholarly works?
Example:
Aitalieva, N. R., & Harding, L. H. (2024). Race, Political Ideology, and Support for Defunding the Police in the United States. International Journal of Public Administration. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2024.2415131
Key Features:
- Authors:
- Nurgul R. Aitalieva: Professor at Purdue University Fort Wayne.
- Lauren H. Harding: Professor at Tennessee Technological University.
- Both authors are affiliated with respected academic institutions.
- Publication Source:
- Published in the International Journal of Public Administration, a peer-reviewed and research-driven international journal.
- Peer Review:
- All research articles in this journal undergo rigorous editorial screening and peer review.
- Use of Public Opinion Surveys:
- Analyzes data from the 2021 General Social Survey (GSS), a nationally representative dataset.
- The GSS data is secondary, as it was collected by National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.
- Citations and References:
- Includes a well-documented references to other scholarly works, meeting academic standards for citations.
