Obliteration by incorporation
Encyclopedia
In sociology of science, obliteration by incorporation (OBI) occurs when at some stage in the development of a science
, certain ideas become so accepted and common-use that their contributors are no longer cited. Eventually, its source and creator are forgotten ("obliterated") as the concept enters common knowledge
(is "incorporated").
in 1949 although some incorrectly attribute it to Eugene Garfield
, whose work contributed to the popularization of Merton's theory. Merton introduced the concept of "obliteration by incorporation" in his landmark work, Social Theory and Social Structure
in 1949 (although the revised edition of 1968 is usually cited (pp. 27-28, 35-37 in the enlarged edition)). Merton also introduced the less known counterpart to this concept, adumbrationism, meaning the attribution of insights, ideas or analogies absent from original works.
In the process of "obliteration by incorporation", both the original idea and the literal formulations of it are forgotten due to prolonged and widespread use, and enter into everyday language
(or at least the everyday language of a given academic discipline
), no longer being attributed to their creator. Thus they become similar to common knowledge
. Merton notes that this process is much more common in highly codified fields of natural science
s than in social sciences
. It can also lead to ignoring or hiding the early sources of recent ideas under the claims of novelty and originality. Allan Chapman notes that 'obliteration by incorporation' often affects famous individuals, to whom attribution becomes considered as obvious and unnecessary, thus leading to their exclusion from citations, even if they and their ideas have been mentioned in the text. Marianne Ferber
and Eugene Garfield concur with Chapman, noting that obliteration often occurs when the citation count and reputation of an affected scientist have already reached levels much higher than average.
The obliteration phenomenon is a concept in library and information science
, referring to the tendency for truly ground-breaking research papers to fail to be cited after the ideas they put forward are fully accepted into the orthodox world view. For example, Albert Einstein
's paper on the theory of relativity
is rarely cited in modern research papers on physical cosmology
, despite its direct relevance.
In mathematics:
History of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
, certain ideas become so accepted and common-use that their contributors are no longer cited. Eventually, its source and creator are forgotten ("obliterated") as the concept enters common knowledge
Knowledge
Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something unknown, which can include information, facts, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. It can refer to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject...
(is "incorporated").
Concept
The concept was introduced by Robert K. MertonRobert K. Merton
Robert King Merton was a distinguished American sociologist. He spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University, where he attained the rank of University Professor...
in 1949 although some incorrectly attribute it to Eugene Garfield
Eugene Garfield
Eugene "Gene" Garfield is an American scientist, one of the founders of bibliometrics and scientometrics. He received a PhD in Structural Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1961. Dr. Garfield was the founder of the Institute for Scientific Information , which was located in...
, whose work contributed to the popularization of Merton's theory. Merton introduced the concept of "obliteration by incorporation" in his landmark work, Social Theory and Social Structure
Social Theory and Social Structure
Social Theory and Social Structure was a landmark publication in sociology by Robert K. Merton. It has been translated into close to 20 languages and is one of the most frequently cited texts in social sciences...
in 1949 (although the revised edition of 1968 is usually cited (pp. 27-28, 35-37 in the enlarged edition)). Merton also introduced the less known counterpart to this concept, adumbrationism, meaning the attribution of insights, ideas or analogies absent from original works.
In the process of "obliteration by incorporation", both the original idea and the literal formulations of it are forgotten due to prolonged and widespread use, and enter into everyday language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
(or at least the everyday language of a given academic discipline
Academic discipline
An academic discipline, or field of study, is a branch of knowledge that is taught and researched at the college or university level. Disciplines are defined , and recognized by the academic journals in which research is published, and the learned societies and academic departments or faculties to...
), no longer being attributed to their creator. Thus they become similar to common knowledge
Common knowledge
Common knowledge is knowledge that is known by everyone or nearly everyone, usually with reference to the community in which the term is used. Common knowledge need not concern one specific subject, e.g., science or history. Rather, common knowledge can be about a broad range of subjects, including...
. Merton notes that this process is much more common in highly codified fields of natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
s than in social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
. It can also lead to ignoring or hiding the early sources of recent ideas under the claims of novelty and originality. Allan Chapman notes that 'obliteration by incorporation' often affects famous individuals, to whom attribution becomes considered as obvious and unnecessary, thus leading to their exclusion from citations, even if they and their ideas have been mentioned in the text. Marianne Ferber
Marianne Ferber
Marianne A. Ferber is an American feminist economist and the author of many books and articles on the subject of women’s work, the family, and the construction of gender. She holds a Ph.D...
and Eugene Garfield concur with Chapman, noting that obliteration often occurs when the citation count and reputation of an affected scientist have already reached levels much higher than average.
The obliteration phenomenon is a concept in library and information science
Library and information science
Library and information science is a merging of the two fields library science and information science...
, referring to the tendency for truly ground-breaking research papers to fail to be cited after the ideas they put forward are fully accepted into the orthodox world view. For example, Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
's paper on the theory of relativity
Theory of relativity
The theory of relativity, or simply relativity, encompasses two theories of Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity. However, the word relativity is sometimes used in reference to Galilean invariance....
is rarely cited in modern research papers on physical cosmology
Physical cosmology
Physical cosmology, as a branch of astronomy, is the study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation and evolution. For most of human history, it was a branch of metaphysics and religion...
, despite its direct relevance.
Examples
Many terms and phrases were so evocative that they quickly suffered the fate of 'obliteration by incorporation'. Examples include:- double helix structure of DNADNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, introduced by James D. WatsonJames D. WatsonJames Dewey Watson is an American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist, best known as one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA in 1953 with Francis Crick...
and Francis CrickFrancis CrickFrancis Harry Compton Crick OM FRS was an English molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist, and most noted for being one of two co-discoverers of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953, together with James D. Watson...
http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0198607857&id=M9rF6MTXtXYC&pg=PA200&lpg=PA200&dq=%22Obliteration+by+incorporation%22&sig=2FwovIr5NwYhT1qo7roUT6lMpII - periodic table of elements, introduced by Dmitri MendeleevDmitri MendeleevDmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev , was a Russian chemist and inventor. He is credited as being the creator of the first version of the periodic table of elements...
http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0198607857&id=M9rF6MTXtXYC&pg=PA200&lpg=PA200&dq=%22Obliteration+by+incorporation%22&sig=2FwovIr5NwYhT1qo7roUT6lMpII - premature discovery, introduced by Gunther StentGunther StentGunther S. Stent was Graduate Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He was born in Berlin as "Günter Siegmund Stensch"; the name was changed after the migration to the USA...
http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0520231066&id=wQhw1_p9VEIC&pg=PA262&lpg=PA262&dq=%22Obliteration+by+incorporation%22&sig=BKN3zcnHZ0APmkdrDwPt2Qjgnmc - self-fulfilling prophecySelf-fulfilling prophecyA self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior. Although examples of such prophecies can be found in literature as far back as ancient Greece and...
, introduced by Robert K. MertonRobert K. MertonRobert King Merton was a distinguished American sociologist. He spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University, where he attained the rank of University Professor... - role modelRole modelThe term role model generally means any "person who serves as an example, whose behaviour is emulated by others".The term first appeared in Robert K. Merton's socialization research of medical students...
, introduced by Robert K. MertonRobert K. MertonRobert King Merton was a distinguished American sociologist. He spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University, where he attained the rank of University Professor...
In mathematics:
- the structure theorem for finitely generated modules over a principal ideal domainStructure theorem for finitely generated modules over a principal ideal domainIn mathematics, in the field of abstract algebra, the structure theorem for finitely generated modules over a principal ideal domain is a generalization of the fundamental theorem of finitely generated abelian groups and roughly states that finitely generated modules can be uniquely decomposed in...
- the Weierstrass definition of continuous function, popularly called "the ε-δ definition".
Quotes
- "the sources of an idea, finding or concept, become obliterated by incorporation in canonical knowledge, so that only a few are still aware of their parentage" Robert K. Merton, quoted by Sztompka, 2003
See also
- Citation analysisCitation analysisCitation analysis is the examination of the frequency, patterns, and graphs of citations in articles and books. It uses citations in scholarly works to establish links to other works or other researchers. Citation analysis is one of the most widely used methods of bibliometrics...
- Law of eponymy: Chicago historian of statistics Stephen M. Stigler has written about a "law of eponymy" whereby "no scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." Example: the Gaussian distribution was not discovered by Gauss.
- Matthew effectMatthew effectThe Matthew effect may refer to:* Matthew effect , the phenomenon in sociology where "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer"* Matthew effect , the phenomenon in education that has been observed in research on how new readers acquire the skills to read...
- Genericized trademarkGenericized trademarkA genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
Further reading
- Garfield, E. 1975 The Obliteration Phenomenon. Current Contents No. 51/52: 5-7,(22 Dec. 1975)
- Messeri P., Obliteration by incorporation: Toward a Problematics, Theory and Metric of the Use of Scientific Literature. Unpublished manuscript. Columbia University, 1978.