Björn Hammarfelt

My research is situated at the intersection of the sociology of science and library and information science (LIS), with a particular focus on how science is organised and communicated. Scholarly communication, bibliometrics, the organisation and evaluation of science and its effects, as well as the history of science, are all areas that I have engaged with.

My studies have examined local and national systems for allocating research funding, assessment processes in academic recruitment, and the use of various types of indicators and bibliometric measures. I have also studied the peer review system and the challenges it has faced in recent years. The transition toward a more open science system, particularly regarding how these developments relate to the shaping and evaluation of academic careers, has long been a personal interest of mine.

A project I will focus on in the coming years is a book on academic disciplines and their function in governing knowledge production. The monograph, tentatively titled How Disciplines Shape Knowledge: An Inquiry Into the Social and Intellectual Structures of Academia (Routledge), is planned for publication in the autumn of 2027. I am also involved in the ENSURE project (2024–2027), where my work focuses on peer review and scientific quality assessment.

Awards

Literati-award for outstanding paper in Journal of Documentation, ‘Time and temporality in Library and Information Science’ (together with Jutta Haider & Veronica Johansson), 2023. Literati-award as outstanding reviewer for Journal of Documentation, 2022.

Assignments

Research area representative for Library and Information Science at the University of Borås, 2023-

Leads the research group The Scholarly Communicaton Collective (SCALE)

On the editorial board of the journal Research Evaluation and Information Research.

Researcher's publications in DiVA (Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet)

Doctoral thesis title

Following the Footnotes: A Citation Analysis of Literary Studies