Reviewer acknowledgment lists as data: Low-hanging fruit for analysis.

Many journals publish the names of reviewers in annual acknowledgement lists. For prestigious outlets, being named on such lists can constitute legitimation of expertise. Although designed to motivate service, this practice can be leveraged to address an important problem in the study of peer review-reliance on tightly held proprietary data. While certainly not without limitations, analysis of reviewer acknowledgement lists can help answer broad questions in the sociology of science concerning intra- and inter-disciplinary stratification. Results from a pilot study of publications in criminology and sociology are discussed.

Reliability Concerns in Measuring Respondent Skin Tone by Interviewer Observation.

The current study assesses the intercoder reliability of one of the most important skin tone measurement instruments-the Massey-Martin scale. This scale is used in several high-profile social surveys, but has not yet been psychometrically evaluated. The current evaluation is only possible because, for the first time, the General Social Survey's 2010-2014 panel used the instrument to guide interviewers' skin tone observation of the same respondents in two different years (2012 and 2014). Despite the widespread use of the Massey-Martin scale to investigate potential effects of skin tone on social attitudes and outcomes, the data suggest that the measure has low intercoder reliability. Implications for researchers and survey practitioners are discussed.

The changing relationship between unemployment and suicide.

The relationship between unemployment and suicide has changed over time and in particular during the Great Recession. Using state-level panel data covering the years 1979-2010, the study indicates that unemployment's impact was insignificant during the first half of the sample period, but was highly significant during the second half. In addition, while the impact has generally become stronger over recent decades, it fell during the Great Recession although remained significant. Evidence suggesting that increased economic insecurity helps explain the growing sensitivity over time is offered. The models fit the data well, explaining up to 90% of the variation in state suicide rates.

Neighborhood ecology and drug dependence mortality: an analysis of New York City census tracts.

Drug dependence mortality appears to be highly concentrated in certain disadvantaged populations and in certain disadvantaged areas. Using a relatively large sample of census tract data for New York City, 1991-1995 (N = 2,037), the present study examines the structural covariates of drug dependence mortality rates. Spatially lagged negative binomial regression analyses indicated considerable support for previous findings regarding the importance of poverty as a predictor of drug mortality. Furthermore, two variables especially relevant for the social disorganization and deviant opportunity perspectives in criminology exhibited significant independent effects: the neighborhood homeownership rate and the prevalence of boarded-up housing. The results support various policy initiatives concerned with the relationship between neighborhood environment and public health.