Evaluation, Internationalization, and Circulation of Themes and References
Analysis of Latin American STS Publications in Mainstream Journals
Keywords:
evaluation, internationalization, STS field, scientific centers and peripheries, theoryAbstract
Scientific evaluation and internationalization policies encourage the publication of articles in mainstream journals, which are considered of excellence. The literature has pointed out the effects of these policies on the shaping of research agendas and on the use and production of theory. This article analyzes the circulation of themes and theoretical references in publications in the field of science, technology, and society (STS), through a bibliometric study of nine mainstream journals between 2009 and 2024. Two thematic subfields are examined: social studies of science and technology (SSST) and science, technology and innovation policy studies (STIP) for the set of publications and for Latin American publications. The results show a strong centrality of authors from the United States and some European countries, who define the canon of the field and accumulate the highest number of citations. Latin American production is scarce and has little impact, concentrating in the SPIS subfield. With some variations between subfields, Latin American authors tend to partially adapt their publications to the dominant thematic agendas and theoretical frameworks, although there is room for hybridization between the central references and themes and the contributions made from peripheral areas of the field.
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