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Tropical marine sciences: Knowledge production in a web of path dependencies
Stefan Partelow1, Anna-Katharina Hornidge1,2, Paula Senff1,2
1Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany.
Plos One
|February 7, 2020
Summary
North American, European, and Australian research programs heavily influence global tropical marine science knowledge production. This study reveals how these path dependencies shape current and future scientific agendas.
Area of Science:
- Tropical marine science
- Global environmental research
Background:
- Scientific agenda setting is crucial but influenced by systemic path dependencies.
- Understanding these dependencies is key to equitable knowledge production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how interconnected path dependencies shape knowledge production in tropical marine sciences.
- To analyze the influence of major research programs on global scientific output.
Main Methods:
- Scientometric analysis of 1328 peer-reviewed publications.
- Co-authorship network analysis, author origin and research location linkage.
- Quantitative analysis of terminology use across regions and time.
Main Results:
- North American, European, and Australian programs predominantly shape knowledge production in tropical marine science.
- Identified significant path dependencies influencing research trends and agendas.
- Demonstrated how these dominant programs impact global scientific output.
Conclusions:
- Tropical marine science exemplifies how dominant research programs create path dependencies affecting global knowledge production.
- These findings have broad relevance for other scientific fields facing similar dependencies.
- A transcultural Science and Technology Studies lens is valuable for analyzing these complex webs of influence.
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