HIGH POINT, N.C., Nov. 3, 2009 - Dr. Martin J. Kifer, assistant professor of political science and director of the Survey Research Center at High Point University, recently published an article with two of his colleagues, James N. Druckman of Northwestern University and Michael Parkin of Oberlin College, in the American Political Science Review (APSR).

The article, titled "Campaign Communications in U.S. Congressional Elections," appears in the August 2009 issue of the APSR.

"Campaigning on the Internet is now a crucial part of candidate strategy," Kifer says. "Our work examines how campaigns are using this increasingly important medium. We analyze the similarities as well as the differences in candidate behavior on- and offline."

The article explains how candidates in U.S. House and Senate elections use their campaign Web sites to promote their candidacies. They find that incumbent politicians and challengers differ in their behavior, reflecting varying attitudes toward risk. Incumbent strategies depend on how competitive the campaign is. And candidate decisions to "go negative" against their opponents are closely linked to other parts of their rhetorical strategies.

"The APSR is by far the most read and cited academic journal in our discipline," says Dr. Mark Setzler, chair of the Political Science Department. "This is a remarkable professional achievement toward which many political scientists work their entire career. We are very proud of Dr. Kifer."

The article is one of several Kifer and his colleagues have written using a unique data set they created from more than 700 different Web sites between 2002 and 2006. They are currently analyzing additional Web site data they collected during the 2008 congressional elections and are looking forward to continuing the project in 2010.

At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in a fun environment with caring people. HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with 3,700 undergraduate and graduate students from 50 countries and 44 states at campuses in High Point and Winston-Salem. It is ranked by US News and World Report No. 5 among comprehensive universities in the South and No. 1 in its category among up-and-coming schools. Forbes.com ranks HPU in the top 6 percent among "America's Best Colleges." HPU was included in The Chronicle of Higher Education's "Great Colleges to Work For" 2009 listings. The university offers 68 undergraduate majors, 40 undergraduate minors and seven graduate degree programs. It is accredited by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the Web at http://www.highpoint.edu/.