Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Chris Stevenson (academic)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. Nomination withdrawn. —David Eppstein (talk) 20:04, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

Chris Stevenson (academic)

 * ( [ delete] ) – (View AfD) (View log)

non-notable academic, appears to fail WP:BIO and WP:PROF. No evidence of any substantial independent coverage as required by WP:BIO Brown HairedGirl (talk) • (contribs) 22:52, 19 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Note: this article is one of a series of similar stubs on staff at Dublin City University which I PRODed. This PROD was contested with the comment that "head of department should pass WP:PROF". However, being head of department is not part of the notability criteria. -- Brown HairedGirl (talk) • (contribs)

I have a subscription to the Irish Times website, so I have read the article in full. The research referred to is actually a bid for funding rather than a report of completed research, but the article is a substantial (945-word) account of Stevenson's analysis of the state of suicide-prevention work in Ireland North and South. It's the only ref I could find for Stevenson on the Irish Times website, but so far as I am concerned, that one piece of very substantial coverage clearly meets the notability requirements, so I will withdraw this nomination and expand the article using that source. -- Brown HairedGirl (talk) • (contribs) 15:27, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Nomination withdrawn per discussion below. Since there are no delete !votes, I suggest that the AfD should now be speedily closed.-- Brown HairedGirl (talk) • (contribs) 15:28, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Ireland-related deletion discussions.  -- Brown HairedGirl (talk) • (contribs) 22:57, 19 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Keep. Four books published by reputable publishers and being a Professor in Ireland, looks good enough notability for me. --Bduke (talk) 00:12, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Academics and educators-related deletion discussions.   —Eastmain (talk) 00:51, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Medicine-related deletion discussions.   —Espresso Addict (talk) 00:54, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Comment. According to her vita here, of the four books listed in the article the first two were coauthored by her, and the last two were coedited by her. As to whether these, along with her journal articles, establish notability, I'm reserving judgment for the moment. Deor (talk) 01:03, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Weak keep. The Dublin City University bio claims that she is the first chair of mental health nursing in Ireland, which seems a significant claim to notability. She has also co-authored or edited five books, several with highly reputable publishers. On the other hand, the highest citations found for her work in Google Scholar  are 41 & 23 (the other C Stephensons appear to be different people), which seems to me rather low. Not my subject so willing to change my mind if new evidence is brought. Espresso Addict (talk) 01:11, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Keep Sufficient publications. One doesnt expect high citations in this subject. DGG (talk) 01:23, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Keep. As well as the points made above, her research into suicide has received press coverage as shown by the first shown by the first snippet displayed by a Google News search. Phil Bridger (talk) 09:12, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Many thanks to Phil for finding that piece.
 * Many thanks to Phil for finding that piece.
 * comment Head of department in the UK, and universities elsewhere patterned on their system, is not just an administrative post, butthe senior academic position, corresponding approximately to a Distinguished Professorship in the US. 16:54, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I know, but some heads of department remain deeply obscure. Although the job is actually largely administrative, most people get a professorship only after making a substantial contribution to their academic discipline; but we still need evidence of that contribution. The professorship is no more than a good indi8cation that it's likely to be worth looking for that evidence. - Brown HairedGirl (talk) • (contribs) 17:29, 20 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Even in US universities, the chair always goes to one of the most important senior professors present. The main distinction is that in the US it usually rotates among them, rather than one person having it as a career position. (Reasonable, since the key part of the job is to attract new faculty & administer the promotions of the present ones) At all places I've known, its done by an election of the faculty, approved by the Dean or provost, who almost always accepts their recommendation. I think in the UK, being permanent, it implies even more than that. Now, the question is whether this particular university is of such as standard that  the senior academics in a department there are likely to be really notable, and whether their election of someone is a guarantee of importance in the profesion.  In a major university like, say, Berkeley or Oxford, there would really be no question about notability of a professor & chair. At others, yes, it can well happen that none of the full professors in a college are in any way academically distinguished. The rank only means something in terms of the rank of  the school and the department. I do not really know this university, and I definitely don't trust the spam-ridden WP article on it. But from  it might be. Or might not. At a really major university all the senior people would have even higher publication records than some of them here do. But I think she qualifies as notable individually on the basis of her record.  DGG (talk) 13:34, 21 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Comment Appears to have notability and the article has been cleaned up greatly. -- Shark face  217  02:49, 21 March 2008 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.