Abstract
Although the diffusion of scientific innovations has been studied for a long time and in various disciplines, little work has been done to integrate findings into a larger framework. In this essay, we offer an integrated approach to studying how scientific innovations spread within and across preexisting and newly emerging research fields. Drawing on ‘sociology of science,’ ‘philosophy of science,’ and ‘history of science,’ we develop a framework that captures how scientific innovations are modified in the process of their adoption. This framework allows to specify conditions under which scientific innovations diffuse and to characterize the process of diffusion. We argue that the time is ripe for such an integrated view and suggest future lines of research for developing it further.
Herfeld, Catherine