# Cecil quoted in scholarly journals? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 29, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-quoted-in-scholarly-journals/358661 "2006-05-29T21:24:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Majikthise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Majikthise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Majikthise)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-quoted-in-scholarly-journals/358661/1 "2006-05-29T21:24:04Z")
While doing some research for [thread=372311]this thread[/thread], I came across the following paper, which has a preprint available online at [[physics/0512262] Hot water can freeze faster than cold?!?](http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0512262). Monwhea Jeng, 2006. “The Mpemba effect: When can hot water freeze faster than cold?” American Journal of Physics, volume 74, number 6. Cecil’s column is quoted on page 5 of the paper, and it is number 26 in the references section: “Straight Dope” archives, [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_098b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_098b.html). I was wondering whether Cecil has been previously referenced by any scholarly journals or other academic publications, or is this a first? ---
**Author:** ![carterba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85e7bf/32.png) [@carterba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carterba)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-quoted-in-scholarly-journals/358661/2 "2006-05-29T22:04:11Z")
I searched for “Cecil Adams” on [scholar.google.com](http://scholar.google.com), and it brought up five hits. The first is an article in “Mass Media” (evidently a journal) called “Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on the Views of Gender”. It cites [Who decided women should shave their legs and underarms?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_012.html), but only as “C. Adams, The Straight Dope, Triangle Comic Review.” 😕 The second is called “On the origins of :-)” and appeared in IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. The authors cites [Who invented the smiley face?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_031.html) for the statement “One commentator called the smiley face ‘a nickel-sized depiction of a guy who’s just had a prefrontal lobotomy.’” The 3rd, 4th, and 5th are all basically the same biased publication by a homophobic named Paul Cameron that cites Cecil Adams and The Straight Dope for the claim that homosexuals insert things like bottles, carrots, and gerbils into their rectums. I believe he’s referring to [Is it true what they say about gerbils?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_216b.html). ---
**Author:** ![carterba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85e7bf/32.png) [@carterba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carterba)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-quoted-in-scholarly-journals/358661/3 "2006-05-29T22:17:10Z")
[QUOTE=carterba] I searched for “Cecil Adams” on [scholar.google.com](http://scholar.google.com), and it brought up five hits. [/QUOTE] Let me amend that: “The Straight Dope” had five hits for citations. Some of the books were also cited: The paper “Missionary Positions” in the journal _Current Anthropology_ cites _Return of the Straight Dope_. A question-answer column in _Chemical Education Today_ cites _Triumph of the Straight Dope_ as “a popular syndicated question-answer column” on Lavoisier’s beheading. There are a few more, including the paper you mention in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Majikthise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Majikthise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Majikthise)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-quoted-in-scholarly-journals/358661/4 "2006-05-29T22:49:07Z")
[QUOTE=carterba] I searched for “Cecil Adams” on [scholar.google.com](http://scholar.google.com), and it brought up five hits. The first is an article in “Mass Media” (evidently a journal) called “Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on the Views of Gender”. It cites [Who decided women should shave their legs and underarms?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_012.html), but only as “C. Adams, The Straight Dope, Triangle Comic Review.” 😕 [/QUOTE] I googled the “Triangle Comic Review.” Evidently it is (or was) a free weekly newspaper from North Carolina that ran the Straight Dope column. By the way, thanks for finding all those references! I’ve never used [scholar.google.com](http://scholar.google.com) before, but I’ll have to try it out. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-quoted-in-scholarly-journals/358661/5 "2006-05-30T01:37:02Z")
[QUOTE=Majikthise] I googled the “Triangle Comic Review.” Evidently it is (or was) a free weekly newspaper from North Carolina that ran the Straight Dope column. [/QUOTE] Was. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Tyrrell\_McAllister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tyrrell_mcallister/32/16772_2.png) [@Tyrrell\_McAllister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyrrell_McAllister)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-quoted-in-scholarly-journals/358661/6 "2006-05-30T08:21:36Z")
Looking on JSTOR, Cecil’s column [On “Let’s Make a Deal,” you pick Door #1. Monty opens Door #2–no prize. Do you stay with Door #1 or switch to #3?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_189.html) is cited in Ed Barbeau, Fallacies, Flaws, and Flimflam, _The College Mathematics Journal_, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Mar., 1993), pp. 149-154