e-Research and the Transformations of Knowledge Ralph Schroeder Eric T. Meyer Oxford Internet Institute Oxford e-Social Science node of NCeSS Presented at UK e-Science All Hands Conference, Edinburgh, UK, 8-11 September 2008
Overview Gauging Knowledge Transformation in e-Research Research Technologies e-Infrastructures Computerization Movements A Model Transformation? Publications Fields, Citations and Authors Publications and Interdisciplinarity Synthesis
Gauging Knowledge Transformation in e-Research Levels of analysis policy : infrastructures : projects : cross projects the science communication system, online disciplines and knowledge across disciplines e-Research within knowledge and research generally Limits: competition at the leading edge of knowledge Three concepts for synthesis: research technologies, infrastructures, computerization movements
Research Technologies Technological instruments critical to scientific advance ‘high-consensus, rapid-discovery’ science (Collins) research technologies as ‘passports’ between disciplines and ‘practice-based universality’ (Shinn and Joerges) Research technologies in different disciplines, but all enhance manipulation with tools and data
e-Infrastructures Infrastructures and large technological systems e-Infrastructures have limited scope (within research community) but face similar challenges (intertwining of technical and social) e-Research technologies only partly depend on large-scale e-Infrastructures (there are also independent and bottom-up systems) Need ‘communities’, but also have momentum
Computerization Movements Actants (blackboxing via standards and technical practices), technical and social A social movement Computerization Movements Mobilizing discourse, mobilizing resources
Transformation? Popper evolution? No, breaks World 3? Yes, Online Communication Kuhn a paradigm shift? No, adding and complementing limits within an existing paradigm? Partly, ie. data deluge Scientometric measures Funding
Publications
Publications and Interdisciplinarity Figure 3. Map showing number of articles by field, and article interdisciplinarity Source: Data retrieved from Scopus using sample search terms; image created with Microsoft Excel.NetMap plugin
Synthesis A diffuse (across fields) and heterogeneous (top-down and bottom-up) movement A variety of socio-technical networked systems of tools and data, within and between fields and with various degrees of complexity Differences of field needs (e-Humanities need digitized resources) versus e-Science (large- scale analysis) with e-Social Science in-between and computer science the interdisciplinary glue Momentum of systems and aggregation across fields versus limits of competition for funding resources and attention at the research edge
Oxford e-Social Science (OeSS) Node of NCeSS Oxford Internet Institute University of Oxford Ralph Schroeder James Martin Research Fellow Eric T. Meyer Research Fellow Oxford e-Social Science Project