R. K. Merton — Life time of influence

Abstract:

In this article, “Life time of influence” refers to Robert K. Merton's impact broadly, and emblematically, to his influence upon my work. The article discusses 1) the scope and influence of Merton's ideas about social structure and explanations of social processes; 2) his vast scholarship establishing the study of science as a social institution, with implications for theory and research; and 3) his fostering of the social study of science through immense published work, and through impact upon an inter-generational network of scholars.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1023/B:SCIE.0000027307.67775.01

Affiliations: 1: Email: mary.fox@hts.gatech.edu