Captives of Controversy: The Myth of the Neutral Social Researcher in Contemporary Scientific Controversies

Scott, Pam; Richards, Evelleen; Martin, Brian

doi:10.1177/016224399001500406

Cited by 109 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Yet many researchers contend that it is not possible to completely remove such bias, even though they would argue that we gain much by the open presentation of potential for bias. Scott et al (1990) argue that more often than not researchers become involved with the participants of a scientific debate. They believe that an "epistemologically symmetric analysis of controversy is almost always more useful to the side with less scientific credibility or cognitive authority."…”

Section: Important Components Of Qualitative Research Methods In Envimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some fieldworkers face the challenge of bias and wind up actually intervening in the process they are studying. Such scholars argue that this is justified, because not to intervene is a value choice, just as is the choice to intervene, as research cannot be value-neutral despite claims to be so (Martin 1996;Scott et al 1990). Opposing such an interventionist stance, Collins (1996) holds that rather than choosing one side in a debate, it is the role of researchers to demonstrate the asymmetric nature of scientific controversies.…”

Section: Important Components Of Qualitative Research Methods In Envimentioning

confidence: 99%

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Qualitative methods in environmental health research.

Brown

2003

Environ Health Perspect

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Public health researchers increasingly turn to qualitative methods either on their own or in combination with quantitative methods. Qualitative methods are especially important to community environmental health research, as they provide a way to produce community narratives that give voice to individuals and characterize the community in a full and complex fashion. This article first traces the legacy of qualitative research in environmental health, then uses a case study of the author's experiences studying the Woburn, Massachusetts, childhood leukemia cluster to provide personal and scholarly insights on qualitative approaches. That material then informs a discussion of important components of qualitative methods in environmental health research, including flexible study design, access, trust, empathy, and personal shifts in the researcher's worldview, bias, and the nature of the researcher's roles. A concluding discussion addresses issues in funding policy and research practices.

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Section: Important Components Of Qualitative Research Methods In Envimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Important Components Of Qualitative Research Methods In Envimentioning

confidence: 99%

Qualitative methods in environmental health research.

Brown

2003

Environ Health Perspect

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“…In this sense, our method is similar to the controversy studies of science and technology studies (Collins 1981;Fujimura and Chou 1994). Of course, science is not "made of controversies" alone (Scott, Richards and Martin 1990); rather, controversies are perspicuous sites of investigation in which assumptions, disagreements and complications are brought to light by actors themselves. Similarly, in our cases not all problems are described as tensions.…”

Section: Journal Of the Association For Information Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Long Now of Technology Infrastructure: Articulating Tensions in Development

Ribes¹,

Finholt²

2009

JAIS

227

239

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Designing e-infrastructure is work conducted today with an eye toward long-term sustainability. Participants in such development projects find themselves caught with one foot in the demands of the present and the other in a desired future. In this paper we seek to capture participants' formulation of problems as they go about developing long-term information infrastructure.Drawing from cross-case ethnographic studies of four US e-infrastructure projects for the earth and environmental sciences (cyberinfrastructure), we trace nine tensions as they are framed and articulated by participants. To assist in understanding participants' orientations we abstract three concerns -motivating contribution, aligning end goals, and designing for use -which manifest themselves uniquely at each of the 'scales of infrastructure': institutionalization, the organization of work, and enacting technology. The concept of "the long now" helps us understand that participants seek to simultaneously address all three concerns in long-term development endeavors.

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“…Att studera kontroverser, som jag benämner spänningar, inbegriper ofta ett antagande om att forskaren ska ha en neutral ställning i förhållande till det som studeras (Scott, Richards et al 1990). Jag har strävat efter balans, och att presentera "alla" röster från empirin på ett så "neutralt" sätt som möjligt.…”

Section: Metodologiska Ansatser Och öVervägandenunclassified

Omställning – Tillväxt – Effektivisering : Energifrågor vid renovering av flerbostadshus

Thoresson¹

2015

Linköping Studies in Arts and Sciences

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Captives of Controversy: The Myth of the Neutral Social Researcher in Contemporary Scientific Controversies

Abstract: According to both traditional positivist approaches and also to the sociology of scientific knowledge, social analysts should not themselves become involved in the controversies they are investigating. But

Cited by 109 publications

References 19 publications

Qualitative methods in environmental health research.

Qualitative methods in environmental health research.

The Long Now of Technology Infrastructure: Articulating Tensions in Development

Omställning – Tillväxt – Effektivisering : Energifrågor vid renovering av flerbostadshus

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