Knowledge Production Research Articles

A Conceptual Framework for the Operationalisation of Cooperation Analytics in Citizen Science Projects

While “cooperation” has been widely understood as a notion that allows us to better understand the dynamics of scientific research within citizen science practices in the field of social sciences and humanities (SSH), the concept of cooperation has not been precisely defined in the citizen science literature, nor measured quantitatively for digital platforms. This article adopts a conceptual approach to define cooperation and its key features, based on a systematic literature review. This approach allowed us to design 21 features of cooperation and build indicators that enable us to measure these features between citizen scientists. These 21 features of cooperation allow us to account for the plurality of citizen scientists’ meanings and practices in SSH. The indicators, which we refer to as “cooperation analytics,” can be deployed in a digital platform to provide direct and constant feedback to the actors themselves while their project is still under development. These analytics can serve as a tool for reflexivity, that is, to reflect on the assumptions that we make when producing knowledge, where cooperation is considered as a learning process under continuous revision and not as a criterion for conformity. Ultimately, cooperation analytics contribute to establishing new conventions for an enhanced citizen science, and to providing accountability and robustness in knowledge production and policymaking.

Standardization in the context of transdisciplinarity

Transdisciplinarity is an integrative approach that includes different scientific disciplines as well as stakeholders and researchers to tackle both societal and scientific challenges. Since standards are jointly developed by science, business, and other stakeholders, standardization can be perceived as a specific mode of transdisciplinarity. In the discussion on knowledge transfer as a further performance dimension for researchers, participation in standardization procedures is now also being considered as a further channel, albeit without a sound conceptual and empirical basis. The paper thus aims to provide a conceptual base of standardization as a transdisciplinary knowledge production mode and transfer channel but also gives an outlook on its empirical implementation. The literature review on transdisciplinarity helps us to put standardization into the context of transdisciplinary research and to present a conceptual model of standardization as transdisciplinary knowledge production and transfer. Further, we present the first methodological approaches for the empirical analysis of the transdisciplinary character of standardization. Finally, we conclude with a summary, a number of recommendations derived from transdisciplinary research for standardization, and an outlook toward future research to be tackled with the proposed methodologies.

“Going beyond the call of duty”: academic agency and promoting transformation for sustainability in higher education

Purpose In the past decade, against increasing global inequality, higher education has grappled with increased demands for social justice, transformation and decolonisation. While a lot of research in South Africa has focused on the (im)possibilities of fostering racial, gendered, socio-economic and cultural change, the connection of such change to questions of sustainability has been less explored. The purpose of this paper is to specifically explore the agency of academics to foster transformative initiatives for sustainability within the context of institutions historically serving under-represented populations. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative methodology, this paper highlights the importance of considering sustainability in processes of transformation. This paper is specifically interested in how academic faculty and those in assigned leadership positions view their agency in relation to promoting transformation for sustainability at the institutional level. Drawing on data generated from semi-structured interviews with 13 participants at an historically Black university in South Africa, this paper details academics' and leaders’ experiences and perceptions of their agency. Findings This study reveals the adverse interactional dynamics within higher education institutions, which negatively impact academics’ participation as key agents in change processes. Positional and identity challenges faced reveal the persistence of colonial and apartheid legacies of racism, sexism, Afrophobia and xenophobia – which casts a shadow on possible trajectories of transformation and sustainability. This has serious implications for the common good, given South Africa's regional import for knowledge production and decolonisation within universities; its key role in the African 2063 Agenda; and the wider global Sustainable Development agenda. Originality/value This study highlights insufficient engagement with the sustainability of transformation efforts within the context of South Africa. This study also emphasises the relation between transformation imperatives and racial, socio-economic, gender and epistemic justice imperatives of sustainable development.

Stuffing the refugee education pipeline: the integration process and the exclusion of refugees from knowledge production in a Western destination country

The number of forcibly displaced people, including refugees, has been increasing exponentially over the last few decades. Refugees settled in Western destination countries face several challenges in successfully accessing and participating in higher education and in becoming knowledge producers. This is in sharp contrast to uncritical assumptions that refugees settled in these countries are better off in terms of pursing higher education. To shed more light on this issue, I aim to address the research question ‘How does the integration process in a Western destination country contribute to the exclusion of refugees from knowledge production?’ The article uses an education pipeline analogy and human agency theory as the theoretical framework. I conduct narrative interviews with six refugees who planned to pursue higher education but could not realize their plans in Norway. The findings indicate that the refugee education pipeline is broken and stuffed with various restrictive factors that weaken the refugees’ agency to make informed decisions. These factors included a long waiting time for settlement, withholding relevant information about higher education, demotivating and misplaced advice about higher education and language training programmes for non-academic purposes. The article ends with a conclusion and several implications.

Posibilidades y desafíos para una Universidad Nueva

This is a reflection on the possibilities of building a new university—not changing the current model of the university but renewing it. The extended implantation of imported, acritical, and decontextualized pedagogies has led to the challenge of finding alternatives based on the acquisition, analysis, and production of knowledge in situ, that is, bridging the knowledge of the global epistemological community and meaningful pedagogies for local contexts. To that aim, the role of the university in the era of information is discussed along with the effect of the irruption in Latin America of the Bologna Process.

A conversation on academic freedom and freedom of expression at the university

In this academic interview, Yale law professor Robert C. Post elucidates the distinction between freedom of expression and academic freedom, emphasizing that universities are communities guided by the twin missions of education and knowledge production. At their best, universities function as ‘disciplinary communities’ who must act in professionally competent ways. Post characterizes academic freedom as a ‘two-faced coin’. On the one hand, academic freedom embodies the values and principles essential for the governance of a healthy university community; on the other hand, it shields universities from external regulations that might hinder their mission of advancing education and research. Post also addresses the significant challenges to freedom of expression posed by the cosmopolitan public sphere, particularly in the age of social media and AI. As a trustee of Meta’s Oversight Board, Post highlights the complex issue of harmful speech online, noting that it is not only a matter of scale but also of scale, producing harms that are stochastic in nature.

Between ‘info-killers’ and ‘spies’: three strategies for interviewing government officials across Central Asia

ABSTRACT Researchers conducting politically sensitive studies in the authoritarian region of Central Asia face significant obstacles beyond government control over knowledge production. These challenges include suspicion of espionage, journalism or being an ‘info-killer’. While some scholarly accounts address the difficulties of accessing government officials in Central Asia, reflections by local scholars on effective interviewing strategies remain scarce. This research note explores these challenges and presents practical strategies for fieldwork based on my PhD dissertation, which involved conducting 25 in-depth interviews with government officials across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan from 2019 to 2021. I propose three key strategies to enhance the effectiveness of interviews with officials: leveraging insider positionality, ‘de-ceremonializing’ the interview process and depoliticizing sensitive research topics. Critically, the strategies not only facilitated access to respondents but also ensured ethical integrity and meaningful data collection. This work generates valuable insights for scholars navigating similar environments in Central Asia and beyond.

To be upper caste/to be a victim

ABSTRACT By treating the upper caste as an ethnographic category, this article shows what an endeavour of flipping the ethnographic gaze away from Dalits and onto the upper caste looks like. In studying upper caste victimhood, this article sees how being a victim acts as an important tool of mobilization and collectivization among upper castes. In interweaving cultural analysis and ethnography, I engage the complex relationship between regimes of affect, power, and caste as they implicate the production of a twisted, weaponized form of vulnerability. When contemporary Indian politics is saturated with narratives of upper caste pain, which thereby stand as a testimony to what it means to be a human, I understand upper caste affect via their wound to highlight the simultaneity of upper caste's humanity and their inhumanity. I argue that we should take seriously and examine upper caste ‘woundedness' as it helps us better understand the embodied nature of caste and its relationship with violence. In doing so, I re-create modes of citation and knowledge production using a language which doesn’t imagine the marginalized body to hold the burden of doing the work of pain, trauma, and violence.

Educational ethnographies on memory and territory with children in rural contexts in Colombia

ABSTRACT This paper examines children's perspectives on rural territories in two Colombian areas affected by armed conflict, exploring intersections of knowledge production, territory, and memory. Using Decolonial Perspectives and Escobar's territory concept, an educational collaborative ethnography was conducted. Territory is conceptualised as a biophysical and epistemic space shaped by community worldview. This paper reflects on how collaboration with children contributes to decolonising representations of conflict-affected rural territories, allowing the recognition of its values and the reconstruction of negative dominant representations. Data collection involved five months of participant observation, engaging children, teachers, parents, grandparents, community leaders, and researchers. Activities included walks, reading circles, workshops, map-making, and family garden visits to construct narratives about the past and present. Analysis revealed situated knowledge production, with territory acquiring semantic and experiential meaning. Peasant children's perspectives challenge homogenising discourses about childhood, war, peace, and rurality, emphasising agency and exploring multiple forms of knowledge.

Early Warning Systems and the Recruitment and Use of Children in Armed Violence

ABSTRACT Current wars are devastating for children, from mass deaths in bombardment in urban areas to their recruitment as soldiers by armed groups. While progress has been made on reducing the recruitment and use of children by state armed forces, with advances in international law, understanding of the phenomenon, and measures for demobilisation and reintegration, many non-state armed groups persist in the practice. This Special Issue argues that an increased focus on understanding, predicting, and preventing child recruitment, not just responding to it after it starts, is needed. There are significant bodies of literature on both early warning and child soldiering, but little work has considered them together, or how early warning and prevention perspectives can improve children’s wellbeing and sustainable peace. The issue’s articles bring together these interdisciplinary bodies of literature, speaking to recent debates on intervention, knowledge production, and methodological development in conflict research. This collection draws on multiple perspectives to address definitions, data collection, gender, norms around children and violence, existing early warning systems, and how to translate early warning into preventative action. Together, they inform scholars working on children and armed conflict, quantitative research on conflict and early warning systems, and provide insights for policymakers and practitioners.

The Intricacies and Prevalence of Gender-Based Violence in South Africa: Forms, Causes and Mitigation Measures

Gender-based violence (GBV) is prevalent in South Africa, primarily attributed to historical systems of social inequality, patriarchy and racism that dominated during the apartheid regimes, with lasting impacts persisting today. Thus, this study explored the intricate dynamics and prevalence of GBV in the context of South Africa. To realize this objective, the study employed a qualitative research methodology. To collect data, the study employed a secondary data technique such as a literature review of existing sources. Different datasets were used such as Google Scholar, National Institutes of Health, Google, and Scopus. The criterion employed to source information was the use of keywords which are shedding light on the social, cultural, and economic factors contributing to GBV. The study explored the root causes and manifestations of violence against women and girls. It is found that South Africa is grappling with high rates of GBV due to poverty, unemployment, cultural beliefs, and legal factors. To mitigate the prevalence and causes of GBV, efforts to combat GBV should encompass legal reforms and protection, prevention education, awareness, and NGO programmes that address the profoundness and complexity of violence against women and girls. The study has a vast potential to contribute to the production of new knowledge on forms, causes and mitigation measures for GBV. It will also contribute by addressing gaps or limitations in the existing literature on the phenomenon being studied. Keywords: Grievous Bodily Harm; Gender-Based Violence; Poverty and Unemployment, Patriarchal Systems, Legal Factors, Women, Men.

Influence of spirituality on quality of life in community-dwelling elderly: integrative literature review

Aging brings with it some limitations that become more pronounced with advancing age, and psychological, physical, behavioral, and social changes can reduce the quality of life of the elderly, who seek spirituality. Spirituality is a tool for coping with difficulties and attributing meaning to life, providing hope, faith, and motivation. This study analyzed the health aspects associated with spirituality in community-dwelling elderly people. This is an integrative review that synthesized the scientific production with the guiding question: What scientific knowledge production on health-related aspects are associated with better levels of spirituality in community-dwelling elderly people in Brazil? Articles with the descriptors in Portuguese and English were selected: spirituality, aged , and quality of life with the following inclusion criteria: published in full, available electronically, in Portuguese, English, and/or Spanish, published between 2015 and 2020, in the SciELO, LILACS, PubMed, and Capes Periodical Portal databases. A total of 130 articles were identified, and 15 were selected that presented evidence on the influence of spirituality on the quality of life of the elderly. After reading the articles, two categories of analysis emerged: I – The experience of spirituality in situations of chronic diseases, and II – The relationship of spirituality with the well-being/quality of life of the elderly. Most of the studies showed positive effects of spirituality on health outcomes, with better physical health conditions, quality of life, longer survival, lower rates of depression and lower prevalence of chronic diseases. In addition, it demonstrated the ability to withstand limitations and protect against stress in the face of changes in aging. Finally, the results indicate a positive influence of spirituality on the quality of life of the elderly. The importance of spirituality for health practices and the need to value it and include it in professional health training are highlighted.

Conceptual Evolution and Paradigm Reconstruction: An Integrated Framework for International Communication

The tracing of historical origins and disciplinary trajectories enables us to reveal that international communication, as a specific manifestation of global information flow and media evolution, is primarily influenced by the interplay of three societal factors: the roots of political conflicts, the catalytic role of economic and technological developments, and the reshaping of values into distinct blocs. These factors intertwine with the awareness of external exploration across different historical periods. Traditional knowledge production in international communication has evolved along two main lines: political economy and cultural studies. These paths have given rise to three major paradigms—propaganda, global communication, and intercultural communication—each stemming from differing core units of analysis. Together, they have constructed a multifaceted interpretive framework for understanding self-identity and the relationship between self and the external world in the information age since the beginning of the 20th century. This paper argues that on the new journey in the new era, efforts should be made to weaken the attributes of hierarchical control and power conflict derived from the practices of Western industrial societies and the Cold War. In the context of an era marked by the fusion of “new subjects, new networks, new media, and new values,” there is a need to return to the original purpose of communication: the sharing of information and the collective responsibility it entails. This will enable the construction of a new paradigm driven by Chinese modernization for the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations. Such a paradigm aims to unify humanity around shared values, foster the building of a human community with a shared future, and create new forms of human advancement.

Unlocking the power of diversity for supply chain knowledge: Is pluralism in theorizing styles the key?

AbstractThe authors reflect on the opportunities for diversity in supply chain research by examining the prevalent modes of theorizing in the field. This examination focuses on identifying common styles of theorizing in supply chain management research, which are defined as specific modes of reasoning to make inferences about supply chain phenomena. Armed with this definition, the authors elaborate how research in the field has for the most part hinged on a propositional style as a common base for theorizing and theoretical contributions. The analysis that is provided emphasizes the limits of this style, particularly when it is considered as the preferred form for all theoretical contributions. The authors, in turn, make the case for a pluralistic system of knowledge production that supports the use of multiple theorizing styles that, when used alongside one another in a coordinated or co‐oriented manner, will lead to a better understanding of supply chain management phenomena.

“The truth that no one wants to see.” Social work practice, human rights and aesthetic mediation in a group of people experiencing homelessness in Seville (Spain)

ABSTRACT This article presents the narratives of people experiencing homelessness, highlighting the daily violation of their human rights in the city of Seville (Spain). In a process characterised by a search for the meaning of homelessness and the role of Social Work in human rights, their experiences are part of a knowledge production that reclaims the dignity to these individuals using their words and bodies. Methodologically, this goal was achieved by Collective Theatre Creation, combining artistic research with Social Work, theatre pedagogy and aesthetic mediation. This methodology enabled a group of individuals experiencing homelessness to write and perform a play entitled ‘The truth that no one wants to see’ as a result of a research process applying aesthetic mediation in Social Work. Simultaneously, it leads us to the potentiality of artistic practices in the resizing of group practice in Social Work.

OCMS as Third Space

This article analyse the work of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (OCMS) through the lens of Bhabha's ‘third space’, highlighting its role in the global mission debate and its influence on the integration of non-Western theological perspectives within Western academia. The OCMS, founded with a vision to decolonise theology and create a space for voices from the majority world, has evolved as a hybrid institution bridging various divides–between evangelical and ecumenical missions, majority world and Western academia as well as mission theologians and practitioners. This ‘third space’ serves as a unique platform where global South scholars can engage in rigorous mission research while remaining contextually grounded. By facilitating this dynamic exchange, OCMS contributes to the decolonisation of theological education and the production of knowledge that resonates globally.

An investigation on immigration inflows, GDP productivity and knowledge production in selected OECD countries: A panel model analysis

An investigation on immigration inflows, GDP productivity and knowledge production in selected OECD countries: A panel model analysis

Fertility apps, datafication and knowledge production in reproductive health.

Despite being the target of much criticism, commercialised digital technologies have proliferated in reproductive health arenas. Fertility applications (apps) are now some of the most popular and ubiquitous digital health tracking technologies, with millions of downloads. Previous scholarship has already underlined the problematic nature of their design and surveillance features. However, less attention has been paid to the wider effects of datafied knowledge availability. This research specifically asks: How does the proliferation of fertility apps shape knowledge (and associated practices) in reproductive health? Drawing on an analysis of key document sources, I here argue that fertility apps act as mediators between stakeholders, data and datafied outputs, thus facilitating: (1) the datafication of fertility awareness knowledge and the production of new datafied knowledge, (2) legitimation discourses and practices and (3) the remaking of private/public expertise and knowledge production networks in reproductive health. To effectively analyse the effects of commercialised reproductive health apps, this work argues for an understanding of data technologies that is informed by critical data studies.

Preface

From 22nd to 24th December 2023, the 2023 3rd International Conference on Computational Modeling, Simulation and Data Analysis (CMSDA 2023) was held in Sanya, China via virtual form. The Conference attracted about 150 researchers, engineers, teachers and students worldwide working in or interested in the fields related to computational modeling, simulation and data analysis. The general objectives of the CMSDA 2023 were: To generate an adequate academic and scientific forum to present the work and experiences of researchers/teachers/students, contributing, in this way, to the production of new knowledge in the fields of computational modeling and data analysis. To create a path of establishing certain relationships for the speakers, authors and listeners, and providing opportunities for collaboration among the universities and institutions, in order to promote scientific research activities and develop relevant technologies. The subject areas in which the accepted papers were presented cover but are but not limited to: Perceptual Issues in Visualization and Modeling; Mathematical and Numerical Methods in Simulation and Modeling; Parallel and Distributed Computing Simulation; Big Data Visual Analysis; Data Analysis Algorithms and Systems, etc. We have invited renowned professors at home and abroad in these academic fields who shared with the attendees the latest innovations and research results in the domains of computational modeling, data mining and analysis. The Conference mainly featured keynote speeches by renowned experts and presentations of peer-reviewed papers by the authors. Among them, Prof. Daowen Qiu (Sun Yat-Sen University, China) shared his research on Distributed Quantum Algorithm for Simon’s Problem. Limited by today’s physical devices, quantum circuits are usually noisy and difficult to be designed deeply. The novel computing architecture of distributed quantum computing is expected to reduce the noise and depth of quantum circuits. And in his study, he presented the Simon’s problem in distributed scenarios and designed a distributed quantum algorithm to solve the problem. The algorithm proposed by him has the advantage of not only exponential acceleration compared with the classical distributed computing, but also square acceleration compared with the best distributed quantum algorithm proposed before. The Conference Proceedings was made so fruitful with all the excellent contributions collected from both domestic and international channels including the wonderful presentations in the Conference. It is a pleasure to thank the organizers, sponsors and all the participants and contributors for making the Conference possible and interesting. And our appreciation also to the members of Journal of Physics: Conference Series for providing us help in publishing this paper volume. The Committee of CMSDA 2023 List of Committee Member is available in this pdf.

Knowledge translation in Indigenous health research: voices from the field.

To better understand what knowledge translation activities are effective and meaningful to Indigenous communities and what is required to advance knowledge translation in health research with, for, and by Indigenous communities. Workshop and collaborative yarning. Lowitja Institute International Indigenous Health Conference, Cairns, June 2023. About 70 conference delegates, predominantly Indigenous people involved in research and Indigenous health researchers who shared their knowledge, experiences, and recommendations for knowledge translation through yarning and knowledge sharing. Four key themes were developed using thematic analysis: knowledge translation is fundamental to research and upholding community rights; knowledge translation approaches must be relevant to local community needs and ways of mobilising knowledge; researchers and research institutions must be accountable for ensuring knowledge translation is embedded, respected and implemented in ways that address community priorities; and knowledge translation must be planned and evaluated in ways that reflect Indigenous community measures of success. Knowledge translation is fundamental to making research matter, and critical to ethical research. It must be embedded in all stages of research practice. Effective knowledge translation approaches are Indigenous-led and move beyond Euro-Western academic metrics. Institutions, funding bodies, and academics should embed structures required to uphold Indigenous knowledge translation. We join calls for reimaging health and medical research to embed Indigenous knowledge translation as a prerequisite for generative knowledge production that makes research matter.