Epistemic Vigilance and Epistemic Responsibility in the Liquid World of Scientific Publications

Abstract

In this paper I try to challenge some received views about the role and the function of the traditional academic practice of publishing papers in peer‐reviewed journals. I argue that our publishing practices today are rather based on passively accepted social norms and humdrum work habits than on actual needs for communicating the advancements of our research. By analysing some examples of devices and practices that are based on tacitly accepted norms, such as the Citation Index and the new role of DOI attributions in digital publishing, I advocate an epistemically vigilant stance not only towards our ways of acquiring knowledge, but also towards the implicit norms we accept when we produce research.

Keywords:

• Epistemic Vigilance
• Epistemic Responsibility
• Scientific Publications

Notes

[1] In Version 2.0 of the www.interdisciplines.org platform for organizing online conference we have developed at CNRS within the EC‐FET program LiquidPublication, we have allowed this possibility of early reviewing. See http://www.collectivedevelopments.org/interdis/admin.php; INTERNET.

[2] See http://www.doi.org/handbook_2000/intro.html#1.2; INTERNET.

[3] See http://wikidashboard.parc.com/; INTERNET. See also Simon (2010).