Science and technology studies: Exploring the knowledge base

Abstract

One of a number of new research fields to emerge over the last four or five decades is Science and Technology Studies (STS). This paper attempts to identify the core contributions to this emerging field. Following the methodology developed by Fagerberg and Sapprasert (2010) in their parallel study of Innovation Studies, it adopts the perspective of the authors of individual chapters in a number of authoritative 'handbooks', analysing the references cited by these authors. The assumption is that these authors will collectively have been reasonably systematic and comprehensive in their efforts to identify the core contributions to the field of STS. The study analyses those publications that have been most highly cited by the handbook authors, examining the content of those core publications and what they reveal about the various phases in the development of STS, as well as identifying the most prominent authors and the institutions in which they are based. In the second part of the empirical study, we analyse the 'users' of the STS core contributions -in other words, the authors that have cited these contributions in their own work. This includes looking at the research fields of the users, the journals in which they publish, and their geographical location. The paper concludes with some comparisons between STS and the fields of Innovation Studies and Entrepreneurship, in particular with regard to the role of 'institution builders' in helping to develop a new research field.

Methods for Cost Management during Product Development: A Review and Comparison of Different Literatures

“…450À451). Martin et al (2012) 20 Journals with the most citations to a core set of STS publications All 9,579 non-identical references in 136 chapters in five handbooks of science and technology studies (STS) were listed. Citation analysis within these references identified a set of 155 core contributions.…”

Predicting the pattern of technology convergence using big-data technology on large-scale triadic patents

“…The current paper seeks to refer to the two phenomena as convergence and analyze them as a single phenomenon. Because technological convergence allows a variety of technologies to create a new domain and evolve themselves, today's many promising scientific and technological areas are a result of such process (Martin et al, 2012). In particular, a Neo-Schumpeterian approach insists that convergence across various fields creates new opportunities and understanding such opportunities can offer a new competitive edge to companies and governments (Allarakhia and Walsh, 2012).…”

To intervene or not to intervene; is that the question? On the role of scientometrics in research evaluation

“…Martin, Nightingale, & Yegros-Yegros, 2012). First, the community has grown in size and has become more professionalized through membership organizations, regular meetings, conferences, and the increasing specialization of journal contributions-all of which characterize the maturing of epistemic fields (cf.…”