Abstract
As our fields have become more sophisticated, complex, and specialized, we deal with ever larger masses of data, and our quantitative results have become more detailed and esoteric, and difficult to interpret. Because our methods are predominantly quantitative, we tend to overlook or underemphasize the qualitative judgments that enter at every stage of our work, and to forget that quantity is only one of the qualities. As in our world today, where we face a flood of factoids and quantitative data stripped of context, and struggle to evaluate it, to give it meaning, and make it into information, so ought we qualitatively to acknowledge and contextualize our research results, not only to make them more relevant, meaningful, and useful to the larger world, but to give our work greater impact and value.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beaver, D. deB., (2001). Reflections on scientific collaboration (and its study): Past, present, and future. Scientometrics, 52(3), 365–377 [web of science 79 citations; http://www.Ingentaconnect.com 169 citations].
Gabler, N. (2011, August 14). The elusive big idea. Sunday Review, The New York Times, 1, 6–7.
Holton, G. (1978). The Scientific Imagination, Chapter 6, “Can Science Be Measured?” (p. 201). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Kretschmer, H., & Kretschmer, T. (2007). Lotka’s distribution and distribution of co-author pairs’ frequencies. Journal of Informetrics, 1, 308–377.
Kretschmer, H., Kundra, R., Beaver, Donald deB., & Kretschmer, T. (2012). Gender bias in journals of gender studies. Scientometrics. doi:10.1007/s11192-012-0661-5.
Martin, B. R., Nightingale, P., & Yegros–Yegros, A. (2011). Science and technology studies: exploring the knowledge base. In DIME (dynamics of markets and institutions in Europe) final conference 6–8 April 2011 Maastricht, parallel session B7 pp 19–20.
Naldi, F., & Parenti, I. V. (2002). Scientific and technological performance by gender: a feasibility study on Patent and bibliometric indicators. (Vol. II) Methodological report European Commission Research, EUR 20309.
Postman, N. (1990, October 11) Informing ourselves to death. Stuttgart: German Informatics Society (Gesellschaft für Informatik).
van den Besselaar, P. (2001). Cognitive and social structure of STS. Scientometrics, 51(2), 441–460.
White, L, Jr. (1974). Technology assessment from the stance of a medieval historian. The American Historical Review, 9(1), 1–13.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Beaver, D.d. Quantity is only one of the qualities. Scientometrics 93, 33–39 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-012-0657-1
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-012-0657-1