ASI Diary

Research, in a Nutshell

Academic research drives much of our work at the Animals and Society Institute. It is, as our motto goes, the "knowledge and science" that combines with ethics and compassion to promote policies that improve how animals are treated. We publish studies in our two academic journals, support research in our fellowships, and believe firmly that hard science is an important foundation for lasting policy change.

But we also know that many people don't have the time or opportunity to peruse academic publications, or can always make heads or tails of detailed scientific findings. Therefore, the ASI is launching a new feature on our Web site homepage called Research Nutshells. As the title implies, it will be something small to chew on. Every other week (and perhaps more frequently), we will bring you a summary of a recent research study whose findings can be directly applied to the types of policy changes we seek. That way you can keep abreast of these issues and better understand how research of this type is used in the real world.

Some of the studies we will cite will come from Society & Animals and the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science; others will come from journals such as Anthrozoos or other publications from the United States and around the world. Some of the authors are already affiliated with ASI-related projects, while others are not. We will strive to provide diversity in the subject matter, to reflect animal concerns of many types. There is much exciting and worthwhile work being done in academia, and by putting it into bite-sized summaries, we hope you will find it both informative and useful. It will also be another medium for disseminating the hard work of scholars committed to animal studies.

Our first Nutshell, which we just posted, describes a study focusing on the personality traits that make men and women more likely to commit violence against their partners and against animals. Other Nutshells coming in July will talk about humane education, the use of DNA testing for dogs in animal shelters, and more. Much to look forward to!

We welcome your feedback in the Nutshell comments section, and hope you will visit this feature regularly. Please let us know how you like it.

Posted on July 03, 2009 at 11:17 am -- Author's Site

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