TY - JOUR AU - Edge, David AB - Copyright © 1979 by David Edge nt«. sa; xvii (1979) QUANTITATIVE MEASURES OF COMMUNICATION IN SCIENCE: A CRITICAL REVIEW David Edge University of Edinburgh In this paper, I will comment on the potential application of some of the quantitative methods which have been used (or proposed) to measure the extent and effectiveness of communication among scientists. In addressing myself to this task, I will deliberately limit myself in two ways. Firstly, I will consider only those methods which might be employed in historical studies: sociologists have, for instance, used questionnaires and interviews to conduct sociometric studies and construct quantitative models of contemporary scientists and their interactions; but such studies could not be used on scientists of the past, and I have therefore excluded them. Secondly, I will not attempt to commit to paper any comprehensive, even­ handed 'survey of the literature': several such surveys already exist in print.! Rather, my aim will be to expose some underlying issues and prob­ lems, selectively quoting from a relatively few sources, and developing my argument with the intention of 'focussing' discussion. I hope that this somewhat more polemical approach will attract readers unfamiliar with the literature, and will fruitfully clarify the issues TI - Quantitative Measures of Communication in Science: A Critical Review JF - History of Science DO - 10.1177/007327537901700202 DA - 1979-06-01 UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/sage/quantitative-measures-of-communication-in-science-a-critical-review-iqAa750ox3 SP - 102 EP - 134 VL - 17 IS - 2 DP - DeepDyve ER -