PhilSci Archive

The Effects of Publishing Processes on Scientific Thought. Typography and Typology in Prehistoric Archaeology (1950s–1990s)

Plutniak, Sébastien (2020) The Effects of Publishing Processes on Scientific Thought. Typography and Typology in Prehistoric Archaeology (1950s–1990s). Science in Context, 33 (3). pp. 273-297. ISSN 1474-0664

[img]
Preview
Text
Plutniak_2020_typography_author.pdf - Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial.

Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

In the last decades, many changes have occurred in scientific publishing, including online publication, data repositories, file formats and standards. The role played by computers in this process rekindled the argument on forms of technical determinism. This paper addresses this old debate by exploring the case of publishing processes in prehistoric archaeology during the second part of the twentieth century, prior to the wide-scale adoption of computers. It investigates the case of a collective and international attempt to standardize the typological analysis of prehistoric lithic objects, coined typologie analytique by Georges Laplace and developed by a group of French, Italian, and Spanish researchers. The aim of this paper is to: 1) present a general bibliometric scenario of prehistoric archaeology publishing in continental Europe; 2) report on the little-known typologie analytique method in archaeology, using publications, archives, and interviews; 3) show how the publication of scientific production was shaped by social (editorial policies, support networks) and material (typography features and publication formats) constraints; and 4) highlight how actors founded resources to control and counterbalance these effects, namely by changing and improving publishing formats.


Export/Citation: EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL
Social Networking:
Share |

Item Type: Published Article or Volume
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Plutniak, Sébastiensebastien.plutniak@posteo.net0000-0002-6674-3806
Keywords: prehistoric archaeology; scientific publishing; print history; standardization; typography; typology
Subjects: General Issues > Data
Specific Sciences > Archaeology
General Issues > History of Science Case Studies
General Issues > Models and Idealization
Depositing User: Dr Sébastien Plutniak
Date Deposited: 27 Jun 2021 04:15
Last Modified: 27 Jun 2021 04:15
Item ID: 19225
Journal or Publication Title: Science in Context
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.1017/S0269889721000053
Subjects: General Issues > Data
Specific Sciences > Archaeology
General Issues > History of Science Case Studies
General Issues > Models and Idealization
Date: 2020
Page Range: pp. 273-297
Volume: 33
Number: 3
ISSN: 1474-0664
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/19225

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Altmetric.com

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item