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In this paper, I trace the development of statistical significance testing standards in sociology by analyzing data from articles published in two prestigious sociology journals between 1935 and 2000. I focus on the role of two key elements in the diffusion literature, contagion and rationality, as well as the role of institutional factors. I find that statistical significance testing flourished in the 20th century. Contagion processes and the suitability of significance testing given a study's data characteristics encourage the diffusion of significance testing, whereas institutional factors such as department prestige and particular editorships help explain growing popularity of the .05 alpha level and use of the "three-star system" of symbolic codes (i.e., *p < = .05, **p < = .01, ***p < = .001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This section introduces the articles featured in the June 2004 issue of Social Forces. In the June issue, the editor Richard L. Simpson retires from his position as co-editor. Judith Blau will become editor on July 1, 2004. 2004 was a year of many changes at Social Forces. The editors are extremely sad to lose Paul Mihas as the Managing Editor at the end of June 2004, when the Journal moves completely to the Department of Sociology. The journal is well on its way to implementing electronic management of manuscripts and reviews, anticipating the full transition to online-submission capability sometime in Summer 2004. The first article in the issue is Patricia Yancey Martin's presidential address that she delivered at the 2003 meetings of the Southern Sociological Society: Gender as Social Institution. Following the peer-reviewed articles is a section that includes a paper by Michael Burawoy, Public Sociologies: Contradictions, Dilemmas and Possibilities, along with rejoinders by Francois Nielsen, David Brady, and Charles Tittle. Catherine Zimmer, President of the North Carolina Sociological Association (NCSA), introduces these four papers that are based on a session at the NCSA. Judith will continue to devote a short, bracketed section of each issue of Social Forces devoted to Commentary and Debate.