CfA: Philosophy of Science Meets Quantitative Studies of Science

Philosophy of Science Meets Quantitative Studies of Science. International Workshop, University of Turin, 27-29 May 2024

Philosophy of science and quantitative studies of science (scientometrics and bibliometrics) are currently distinct fields with limited interactions. However, they share numerous objects of investigation and areas of potential common interest. Recent works on disruption indicators for individuating scientific breakthroughs (Leibel & Bornmann, 2024), for instance, address classic philosophy of science topics, such as scientific revolutions and scientific progress, from a quantitative perspective. But also research evaluation, an area in which scientometric indicators play a central role in many countries, would benefit from closer collaboration between philosophers of science and quantitative researchers, especially to better understand how and to what extent metrics can accelerate or hinder the production of good science (Gillies, 2008; Müller & de Rijcke, 2017).

While quantitative studies of science and philosophy of science are currently distant, this wasn't always the case. In the early days of scientometrics, quantitative researchers looked to philosophy of science for theories of scientific change and science structure (Small, 2003), and leading philosophers of science, such as Thomas Kuhn, were interested in the pioneering quantitative analyses of scientific networks. The Workshop “Philosophy of Science Meets Quantitative Studies of Science” aims to reignite the dialogue between philosophers of science and quantitative researchers by inviting leading experts in the two fields to discuss shared topics of interest.

Confirmed speakers include:
  • Giovanni Abramo (CNR, Italy, President of the International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics)
  • Alberto Baccini (University of Siena, Italy)
  • Pei-Shan Chi (KU Leuven, Belgium)
  • Chaomei Chen (Drexel University, USA)
  • Yves Gingras (Université de Montréal, Canada)
  • Wolfgang Glänzel (KU Leuven, Belgium, winner of the Price Medal)
  • Charles Pence (UC Louvain, Belgium)
  • Andrea Scharnhorst (KNAW, the Netherlands)
  • Henry Small (SciTech Strategies Inc., USA, winner of the Price Medal)
  • Cassidy Sugimoto (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)
  • Paul Wouters (CWTS, Leiden University, the Netherlands)
  • K. Brad Wray (Aarhus University, Denmark)
  • Alesia Zuccala (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

Call for Abstracts

Few slots are available for submitted papers. Submissions can cover but are not limited to:
  • Quantitative operationalizations of philosophical theories of scientific change
  • Indicators of scientific progress and scientific revolutions
  • Epistemological interpretations of scientometric phenomena (e.g., bibliometric laws, skewness of science)
  • Relationship between research quality, scientific progress, and science metrics
  • Quantitative research evaluation and its effects on science (e.g., on scientific pluralism)
  • Philosophy of science and science mapping
  • Modeling the epistemological aspects of science dynamics

Submission guidelines
  • Please submit an abstract (max. 500 words) suitable for blind review.
  • The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2024.
  • Please send your abstracts to Egenio Petrovich ( Dipartimento di Filosofia e Scienze dell'Educazione - Università degli Studi di Torino) with the subject “Submission to the Workshop Philosophy of Science Meets Quantitative Studies of Science”.
Dates and Deadlines
  • March 1: Submission deadline
  • March 15: Notifications
  • May 27-29: Workshop