Knowledge Machines

Knowledge Machines draws upon a range of social theories of research and a set of key case studies in order to give a clear understanding of the ongoing transformations of research practices through Internet technologies. Its nuanced analysis of the differences between e-research projects and their overall commonalities is essential reading for those interested in e-research and big data.

Mike Thelwall, Professor of Information Science, University of Wolverhampton

Knowledge Machines gives a rich empirical account of the implications of the Internet for academic research in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Like its sister publication *Virtual Knowledge: Experimenting in the Humanities and the Social Sciences*, it documents current practices in e-research and points the way forward to fundamentally novel ways of creating knowledge. This book is a formidable performance of the Oxford Internet Institute.

Paul Wouters, Leiden University, coeditor of Virtual Knowledge

We are in the midst of a profound transformation in knowledge: not only its production, distribution, and use, but also its constitution and meaning. Knowledge Machines is an authoritative and insightful guide to this transformation, describing, analyzing, and speculating from a sound base of empirical work and social theory. Aware that they are writing in the midst of the maelstrom of change, the authors are careful to indicate alternative pathways, contingent possibilities, and tentative inferences. These give the reader a reasoned sense of where matters stand today, while providing ideas and evidence for thinking about the various courses events may take in the future. In all, Knowledge Machines is a smart and lucid book that lends insight into the defining transformation of our day.

Edward J. Hackett, Professor, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, and editor of Science, Technology & Human Values