The Influence of Disciplinary Origins on Peer Review Normativities in a New Discipline

Publication Date

1-1-2022

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Social Epistemology

DOI

10.1080/02691728.2022.2111669

Abstract

STS scholarship has produced important insights about relationships between the roles of peer review and the social construction of knowledge. Yet, barriers related to access have been a continual challenge for such work. This article overcomes some past access challenges and explores peer review normativities operating in the new discipline of Engineering Education. In doing so, it contributes new insights about disciplinary development, interdisciplinarity, and peer review as a site of knowledge construction. In particular, it draws attention to an aspect of peer review not previously discussed–how peer review normativities are shaped by disciplinary origins. A content analysis of peer review documentation revealed that a hyperfocus on methods, which can be traced back to disciplinary origins, continues to be a guiding normativity. However, interviews with editors revealed that they do not acknowledge that normativity. Implications of those findings and their misalignment are discussed, as are contrasts with the history of other disciplines.

Funding Number

1762436

Funding Sponsor

National Science Foundation

Keywords

discourse, engineering education, interdisciplinary, methods, Peer review

Department

General Engineering

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