Knowledge through Acknowledgements: A Network Analysis of Social Capital and Resource Sharing in Criminology

• In Event: Expanding Criminological Applications of Social Network Analysis

Abstract

Previous research has examined prestige and impact in the field of criminology and criminal justice using productivity measures such as citation counts. Though these measures are helpful in determining the most influential scholar(s), they do little in clarifying the structure of knowledge creation. This study attempts to measure the social capital of scholars in criminology by examining acknowledgements given to peers in research papers. Social capital may be defined as the investment of scholars in resource creating behaviors by sharing concepts and ideas. Using social network analysis, this paper examines data on co-authors and acknowledgement sections from articles published in Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Theoretical Criminology, and Journal of Quantitative Criminology from 2010-2014. Results and implications will be discussed.

Authors

• Chantal Fahmy, Arizona State University

• Jacob Young, Arizona State University