Knowledge Networks

Abstract

Abstract Network approaches can be used to study how disciplinary knowledge is created, and how knowledge production draws on aspects of academic writings such as citations and co-authorship. In this chapter we introduce common concepts and techniques for the study of knowledge networks, how they can be applied more creatively than they currently are, and why their study matters. We first introduce bibliometrics and the formal network techniques frequently used for the formal study of knowledge flows in academic communities. In the second section, we illustrate the importance of appropriate data selection strategies in light of custom bibliometric research questions, and critically assess the way in which bibliometrics is used to speak to often-invisible power structures in knowledge production. Finally, we offer our wish list for the future of knowledge network study in archaeology. What do these techniques have to offer archaeologists, and what can the alignment of network science and archaeology tell us about the creation of knowledge across academia?