Usefulness of a Bookmark for Distinguishing Scientific from Non-Scientific Psychology Books
Kreiner, David S.
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The purpose of this project is to gather information about the usefulness of a bookmark that is designed to help the lay reader make informed decisions about selecting books. Science-based mass market books about psychological topics are typically shelved in the same sections of bookstores as books that are not science-based. This may result in many readers being misled about the basis for claims in many popular books. The bookmark lists three criteria that may help readers distinguish between science-based and non-science-based books. The three criteria are: (1) the citation of references, (2) the author’s affiliation; and (3) description of research methodology in the book. These criteria were developed in previous research. A survey sent to members of two divisions of the American Psychological Association indicated that these three criteria were important for distinguishing science-based books from books that are not science-based. The goals of the present study are to distribute the bookmark as widely as possible and to gather information about how the bookmark is used. To that end, the bookmark will feature a website address. Readers who visit the website will be asked to respond to a survey about the bookmark. The results will provide valuable information about the usefulness of the bookmark, situations in which the bookmark is more useful, and whether use of the bookmark is related to demographic characteristics such as educational background.