Communication between Science and Technology Studies Journals: A Case Study in Differentiation and Integration in Scientific Fields

Peter van den Besselaar
Additional contact information
Peter van den Besselaar: University of Amsterdam

Scientometrics, 2000, vol. 47, issue 2, No 1, 169-193

Abstract: Abstract This paper analyzes the communication between science and technology journals (STS), to illustrate patterns of differentiation and integration within scientific fields. First the STS field is delineated, using journal-journal citations as the empirical base. A strong and increasing differentiation is found, between 'qualitative STS', 'quantitative STS' (scientometrics), and 'S&T policy studies'. Given this process of differentiation, the relations between the three sub-fields of STS are analyzed, in terms of mutual flows of information, the joint information base, and research topics. Is differentiation and codification of sub-fields visible? The findings suggest that the relations between qualitative and quantitative STS are one-sided, and that integration between the sub-fields is almost completely lacking. However, the relations between scientometrics and S&T policy studies are much stronger and more substantial, and the same is the case for scientometrics and information science.

Date: 2000
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1023/A:1005686123917 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:scient:v:47:y:2000:i:2:d:10.1023_a:1005686123917

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11192

DOI: 10.1023/A:1005686123917

Access Statistics for this article

Scientometrics is currently edited by Wolfgang Glänzel

More articles in Scientometrics from Springer, Akadémiai Kiadó
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().