A comparative study of communal practice: Assessing the effects of taken-for-granted-ness on citation practice in scientific communities

Summary

Building on the findings of recent ethnographic studies of scientific practice, I develop and test theory about the impact of taken-for-granted-ness on citation practice in scientific communities. Using data gathered from special issues of scientific journals I find support for the hypothesized differences in the practices of natural and social science communities. Post hoc analysis uncovers evidence of a third pattern of citation practice associated in part with engineering and technology research, and evidence that organization studies and strategic management communities tend to employ extreme versions of social science citation practices. I discuss the implications of the study for our understanding of communities of practice, for our beliefs about differences between the branches of science, and about science as a productive enterprise.