Big data, little data, no data : scholarship in the networked world / Christine L. Borgman.

By:

Borgman, Christine L, 1951- [author.]

Material type: Text

TextPublisher: Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, 2016Edition: First MIT Press paperback editionDescription: xxv, 383 pages ; 24 cmContent type:

Media type:

Carrier type:

ISBN:

9780262529914
0262529912

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

004 BOR 23

LOC classification:

AZ195 .B66 2016

Contents:

Preface Part 1.Data and scholarship 1.Provocations 2.What are data? 3.Data scholarship 4.Data diversity Part II: Case studies in data scholarship 5.Data scholarship in the sciences 6.Data scholarship in the social sciences 7.Data scholarship in the humanities Part III.Data policy and practice 8.Releasing, sharing, and reusing data 9.Credit, attribution, and discovery 10.What to keep and why.

Summary: "An examination of the uses of data within a changing knowledge infrastructure, offering analysis and case studies from the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.'Big data' is on the covers of Science, Nature, the Economist, and Wired magazines, on the front pages of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. But despite the media hyperbole, as [the author] points out in this examination of data and scholarly research, having the right data is usually better than having more data; little data can be just as valuable as big data. In many cases, there are no data―because relevant data don't exist, cannot be found, or are not available. Moreover, data sharing is difficult, incentives to do so are minimal, and data practices vary widely across disciplines. [The author] argues that data have no value or meaning in isolation; they exist within a knowledge infrastructure―an ecology of people, practices, technologies, institutions, material objects, and relationships. After laying out the premises of her investigation―six 'provocations' meant to inspire discussion about the uses of data in scholarship―[the author] offers case studies of data practices in the sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities, and then considers the implications of her findings for scholarly practice and research policy. To manage and exploit data over the long term, Borgman argues, requires massive investment in knowledge infrastructures; at stake is the future of scholarship."-- Back cover.

Holdings ( 1 )
Title notes ( 3 )

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Long Loan	TUS: Midlands, Main Library Athlone General Lending	004 BOR (Browse shelf(Opens below))	Available		224256

Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-360) and index.

"An examination of the uses of data within a changing knowledge infrastructure, offering analysis and case studies from the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.'Big data' is on the covers of Science, Nature, the Economist, and Wired magazines, on the front pages of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. But despite the media hyperbole, as [the author] points out in this examination of data and scholarly research, having the right data is usually better than having more data; little data can be just as valuable as big data. In many cases, there are no data―because relevant data don't exist, cannot be found, or are not available. Moreover, data sharing is difficult, incentives to do so are minimal, and data practices vary widely across disciplines. [The author] argues that data have no value or meaning in isolation; they exist within a knowledge infrastructure―an ecology of people, practices, technologies, institutions, material objects, and relationships. After laying out the premises of her investigation―six 'provocations' meant to inspire discussion about the uses of data in scholarship―[the author] offers case studies of data practices in the sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities, and then considers the implications of her findings for scholarly practice and research policy. To manage and exploit data over the long term, Borgman argues, requires massive investment in knowledge infrastructures; at stake is the future of scholarship."-- Back cover.