e-Research and the Transformations of Knowledge

Ralph SchroederEric T. Meyer

Oxford Internet InstituteOxford 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, onlinedisciplines and knowledge across disciplinese-Research within knowledge and research generallyLimits: 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?

Popperevolution? No, breaksWorld 3? Yes, Online Communication

Kuhna paradigm shift? No, adding and complementing limits within an existing paradigm? Partly, ie. data

deluge

Scientometric measures Funding

Publications

Publications on e-Research

1 3 6 528

89

300

781

878847

289

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1996 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008(1st 6

months)

Year

N

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 InstituteUniversity of Oxford

Ralph SchroederJames Martin Research Fellowralph.schroeder@oii.ox.ac.uk

http://people.oii.ox.ac.uk/schroeder

Eric T. MeyerResearch Fellow

eric.meyer@oii.ox.ac.ukhttp://people.oii.ox.ac.uk/meyer

Oxford e-Social Science Project