Page 27 - Becoming Metric Wise

16 Becoming Metric-Wise

sciences, proposed by Van der Veer Martens and Goodrum (2006). This
model has three types of factors: empirical factors, socio-cognitive factors
and theoretical factors. The first and the last type have two aspects each
so that there are in total five factors. These are:

applicability constructivity accessibility connectivity 2 generativity
Concretely, these factors are related to the following questions:
• Applicability (the first empirical factor)
Does this theory apply to a wide variety of phenomena?
How salient are the phenomena? Or stated otherwise: How
important are these phenomena?
• Constructivity (the second empirical factor)
Is this theory constructed so as to facilitate its testing or
replication?
• Accessibility (the only socio-cognitive factor)
How easy is this theory to understand and utilize?
How important is it to the discipline as a whole?
What types of publication channel have carried it?
How else has this theory been communicated?
• Connectivity (the first theoretical factor)
How does this theory fit into existing theoretical frameworks?
How closely is it tied to previous theories?
• Generativity (the second theoretical factor)
Can this theory generate a new theoretical framework or new uses
of earlier theories?
Although presented as a model for theories in the social sciences, we
think that its applicability goes beyond the social sciences and hence can
be applied to many other fields of investigation.
We note that the term science is also used to denote reliable and teach-
able knowledge about a topic, as in library and information science, computer
science or public health science.
Because of increasing pressures and increasing needs for funds, science
is, unfortunately, becoming more a race of all against all, instead of a joint
human endeavor for the benefit of humanity. Yet, or maybe because of
this, scientists form collaborating teams (often international groups) lead-
ing to an increase of multiauthored publications. Notwithstanding this
caveat, the basic purpose of scientific research is still to benefit the com-
munity at large by trying to know the unknown, explore the unexplored
and create awareness about new research findings.