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The IT Road Maps pilot project sought to provide bibliographic references to data sets, research papers and books, and web sites that can be used to build understanding of the social and economic implications of information, computation, and communication technologies (IT).

Subject Matter of the Road Maps

The Road Maps topics cover the implications of IT for education, community, government, home, science, employment and work, commerce (including electronic commerce), productivity, institutional structure, globalization, and policy/social issues. Other topics were excluded because of limited project resources. Among the major topics excluded were health, defense, space, and the developing world. Also excluded were references which dealt primarily with the process of change.

Sources of Road Maps References

The references in the Road Maps were located in databases of scholarly journal articles, magazine articles, online journal sites, various academic and other Web sites, online data repositories, online library catalogs, online bibliographies, commercial online book catalogs, and the personal bibliographies of experts in the field. The journals in which Road Maps references appeared include Communications of the ACM and other ACM specialized journals, The American Economic Review, Behavior and Information Technology, Business Week, Computerworld, Economist, European Journal of Economic Systems, Social Science Computer Review, and many others. Specialized journals, such as those covering education, were not specifically searched, but the Road Maps contain many Web sites that are jumping-off points to those types of journals. Likewise, material in languages other than English was not specifically searched.

The Search for Road Maps References

The references in the Road Maps were identified by using computerized bibliographic search algorithms to search a number of bibliographic databases and the World Wide Web, supplemented by consultations with experts to identify additional sources. This process resulted in over 10,000 "hits," including books, articles, data sets, government and international organization reports, Web sites, online texts, and others. These were then reviewed for relevance (see below); this review reduced the number to just over 4,000.

Screening of Road Maps References

References found in the Road Maps were screened for relevance to the topic (i.e., economic and social implications of IT) by both computer-based searching and a partial manual review. Although it was not possible to evaluate each reference for quality, every attempt was made to search for references from scholarly and other reputable sources of high-quality materials. Materials were not limited by date. However, given the rapidly growing interest in these topics, the majority of works tend to be recent.

Organization of Road Maps References

The references were sorted into a series of eleven searchable listings or domains called Road Maps (listed above under Subject Matter of the Road Maps), using predefined keywords and definitions. Items were included in all Road Maps to which they were relevant. Additionally, references were sorted by type (e.g., data or survey related items, items with links to Web sites, a listing of research centers). References are not organized or keyworded by field of science or study, such as "anthropology" or "sociology." Within topics or groups, references are sorted by date, then by author.

Types of Road Maps References

  • Books
  • Book Chapters
  • Conference Proceedings
  • Data Sources and Files
  • Journal Articles
  • Whole Journals (including electronic journals)
  • Manuscripts (including some dissertations)
  • NSF Awards
  • Reports (largely from public sector institutions)
  • Web sites(including research center home pages, online articles, specialized Web resources, pages of links, bibliographies, and more)

Road Maps Database

The results (including all the types of resources noted above) have been placed in a searchable database, which can be accessed by using a number of predefined or custom strategies. See How to Use the Road Maps Database for additional information, including a description of the Road Maps bibliographic records and indexing.