Scientometrics
Volume/Issue:
Volume 60: Issue 1
On the shoulders of Robert Merton: Towards a normative theory of citation
Author:
Henry Small Thomson ISI 3501 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA

Search for other papers by Henry Small in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Pages:
71–79
Online Publication Date:
15 Dec 2004
Publication Date:
01 May 2004
Article Category:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1023/b:scie.0000027310.68393.bc
Restricted access

In a series of seminal studies Robert K. Merton created a coherent theoretical view of the social system of science that includes the salient features of the formal publication system, thereby providing a theoretical basis for scientometrics and citationology. A fundamental precept of this system is the view of citations as symbolic payment of intellectual debts. When this concept is merged with a complementary theory of the conceptual symbolism of citations, the possibility for a rapprochement of the normative and constructivist theories is achieved, where the dual function of citations as vehicles of peer recognition and constructed symbols for specific original achievements in science is realized. This new synthesis is embodied in a citation classification system, the citation cube, with dimensions of normative compliance, symbolic consensus, and disinterestedness (self-citation).

  • BALDI, S. (1998), Normative versus social constructivist processes in the allocation of citations: a networkanalytic model. American Sociological Review, 63 (6): 829–846.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • BIAGIOLI, M., GALISON, P. (Eds) (2003), Scientific Authorship: Credit and Intellectual Property in Science. New York: Routledge.

  • COLE, J. R., COLE, S. (1973), Social Stratification in Science. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

  • COZZENS, S. E. (1988), Life-history of a knowledge claim: the opiate receptor case. Knowledge-Creation Diffusion Utilization, 9 (4): 511–529.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • CRANE, D. (1976), Reward systems in art, science and religion. American Behavioral Scientist, 19 (6): 719–734.

  • CRONIN, B. (2000), Semiotics and evaluative bibliometrics. Journal of Documentation, 56 (4): 440–453.

  • GARFIELD, E. (1998), Random thoughts on citationology, its theory and practice. Scientometrics, 43 (1): 69–76.

  • GRIFFITH, B. C. (1997), Discussion of nature of science provokes hit or miss debate. Physics Today, 50 (1): 11.

  • KAPLAN, N. (1965), The norms of citation behavior: prolegomena to the footnote. American Documentation, 16 (3): 179–184.

  • LATOUR, B. (1987), Science in Action. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

  • MERTON, R. K. (1942), Science and technology in a democratic order. Journal of Legal and Political Sociology, 1: 115–126. Reprinted in: The Sociology of Science: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973, pp. 267–278.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • MERTON, R. K. (1957), Priorities in scientific discovery. American Sociological Review, 22 (6): 635–659. Reprinted in: The Sociology of Science: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973, pp. 286–324.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • MERTON, R. K. (1961), Singletons and multiples in scientific discovery. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 105 (5): 470–486. Reprinted in: The Sociology of Science: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973, pp. 343–370.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • MERTON, R. K. (1963a), Resistance to the systematic study of multiple discoveries in science. European Journal of Sociology, 4: 237–249. Reprinted in: The Sociology of Science: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973, pp. 371–382.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • MERTON, R. K. (1963b), Resistance to the systematic study of multiple discoveries in science. European Journal of Sociology, 4: 250–282. Reprinted in: The Sociology of Science: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973, pp. 383–412. H. SMALL: On the shoulders of Robert Merton Scientometrics 60 (2004) 79.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • MERTON, R. K. (1965), On the Shoulders of Giants: A Shandean Postscript. New York: The Free Press.

  • MERTON, R. K. (1968), The Matthew effect in science. Science, 159 (3810): 56–63. Reprinted in: The Sociology of Science: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973, pp. 438–459.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • MERTON, R. K. (1969), Behavior patterns of scientists. American Scientist, 58: 1–23. Reprinted in: The Sociology of Science: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973, pp. 325–342.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • MERTON, R. K. (1977), The Sociology of Science: An Episodic Memoir. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.

  • MERTON, R. K. (1979), Foreword to GARFIELD, E., Citation Indexing - Its Theory and Application in Science, Technology and Humanities. New York: John Wiley.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • MERTON, R. K. (1988), The Matthew effect in science, 2: cumulative advantage and the symbolism of intellectual property. ISIS, 79 (299): 606–623.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • MORAVCSIK, M. J., MURUGESAN, P. (1975), Some results on the function and quality of citations. Social Studies of Science, 5: 86–92.

  • PALEVITZ, B. A. (1997), The ethics of citation: a matter of science's family values. The Scientist, 11 (12): 8.

  • PRICE, D. J. D., (1965), Networks of scientific papers. Science, 149 (3683): 510.

  • SMALL, H., GRIFFITH, B. C. (1974), The structure of scientific literatures. 1: identifying and graphing specialties. Science Studies, 4 (1): 17–40.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • SMALL, H. (1978), Cited documents as concept symbols. Social Studies of Science, 8 (3): 327–340.

  • SMALL, H. (1984), Lives of a scientific paper. In: Selectivity in Information Systems. K. WARREN (Ed.), New York: Praeger, pp. 83–97.

  • SMALL, H. (2003), Paradigms, citations, and maps of science: a personal history. American Society for Information Science and Technology, 54 (5): 394–399.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • STENT, G. S. (1972), Prematurity and uniqueness in scientific discovery. Scientific American, 227 (6): 84–93.

  • Collapse
  • Expand
Cover Scientometrics
Scientometrics
Print ISSN:
0138-9130
Online ISSN:
1588-2861

To see the editorial board, please visit the website of Springer Nature.

Manuscript submission: http://www.editorialmanager.com/scim/

For subscription options, please visit the website of Springer Nature.

Scientometrics
Language English
Size B5
Year of
Foundation		 1978
Volumes
per Year		 1
Issues
per Year		 12
Founder Akadémiai Kiadó
Founder's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Publisher's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
CH-6330 Cham, Switzerland Gewerbestrasse 11.
Responsible
Publisher		 Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 0138-9130 (Print)
ISSN 1588-2861 (Online)

Monthly Content Usage

Abstract Views Full Text Views PDF Downloads
Mar 2024 47 0 0
Apr 2024 8 1 2
May 2024 16 0 0
Jun 2024 32 0 0
Jul 2024 42 0 0
Aug 2024 33 1 1
Sep 2024 12 1 1