{"id":"https://openalex.org/W2162121633","doi":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951714534395","title":"What difference does quantity make? On the epistemology of Big Data in biology","display_name":"What difference does quantity make? On the epistemology of Big Data in biology","publication_year":2014,"publication_date":"2014-04-01","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W2162121633","doi":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951714534395","mag":"2162121633","pmid":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25729586"},"language":"en","primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.1177/2053951714534395","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951714534395","pdf_url":"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2053951714534395","source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S2736409588","display_name":"Big Data & Society","issn_l":"2053-9517","issn":["2053-9517"],"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":true,"is_core":true,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310320017","host_organization_name":"SAGE Publishing","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310320017"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["SAGE Publishing"],"type":"journal"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Big Data & Society","raw_type":"journal-article"},"type":"article","indexed_in":["crossref","doaj","pubmed"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"gold","oa_url":"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2053951714534395","any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5027303084","display_name":"Sabina Leonelli","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7815-6609"},"institutions":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/I23923803","display_name":"University of Exeter","ror":"https://ror.org/03yghzc09","country_code":"GB","type":"education","lineage":["https://openalex.org/I23923803"]}],"countries":["GB"],"is_corresponding":true,"raw_author_name":"S Leonelli","raw_affiliation_strings":["University of Exeter, UK"],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[{"raw_affiliation_string":"University of Exeter, UK","institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I23923803"]}]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":1,"institutions_distinct_count":1,"corresponding_author_ids":["https://openalex.org/A5027303084"],"corresponding_institution_ids":["https://openalex.org/I23923803"],"apc_list":{"value":800,"currency":"USD","value_usd":800},"apc_paid":{"value":800,"currency":"USD","value_usd":800},"fwci":34.734,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":287,"citation_normalized_percentile":{"value":0.99747116,"is_in_top_1_percent":true,"is_in_top_10_percent":true},"cited_by_percentile_year":{"min":89,"max":100},"biblio":{"volume":"1","issue":"1","first_page":null,"last_page":null},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T12859","display_name":"Cell Image Analysis Techniques","score":0.9975000023841858,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1304","display_name":"Biophysics"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/13","display_name":"Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/1","display_name":"Life Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T12859","display_name":"Cell Image Analysis Techniques","score":0.9975000023841858,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1304","display_name":"Biophysics"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/13","display_name":"Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/1","display_name":"Life Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10887","display_name":"Bioinformatics and Genomic Networks","score":0.9908999800682068,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1312","display_name":"Molecular Biology"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/13","display_name":"Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/1","display_name":"Life Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11710","display_name":"Biomedical Text Mining and Ontologies","score":0.9891999959945679,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1312","display_name":"Molecular Biology"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/13","display_name":"Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/1","display_name":"Life Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/big-data","display_name":"Big data","score":0.8288511037826538},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/data-science","display_name":"Data science","score":0.6558513045310974},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/novelty","display_name":"Novelty","score":0.6071515083312988},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/computer-science","display_name":"Computer science","score":0.5195894241333008},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/set","display_name":"Set (abstract data type)","score":0.5130683183670044},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/diversity","display_name":"Diversity (politics)","score":0.4437362551689148},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/sociology","display_name":"Sociology","score":0.37074410915374756},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/epistemology","display_name":"Epistemology","score":0.37040218710899353},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/psychology","display_name":"Psychology","score":0.15894857048988342}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C75684735","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q858810","display_name":"Big data","level":2,"score":0.8288511037826538},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2522767166","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2374463","display_name":"Data science","level":1,"score":0.6558513045310974},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2778738651","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16546687","display_name":"Novelty","level":2,"score":0.6071515083312988},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.5195894241333008},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C177264268","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1514741","display_name":"Set (abstract data type)","level":2,"score":0.5130683183670044},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2781316041","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1230584","display_name":"Diversity (politics)","level":2,"score":0.4437362551689148},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C144024400","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21201","display_name":"Sociology","level":0,"score":0.37074410915374756},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111472728","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9471","display_name":"Epistemology","level":1,"score":0.37040218710899353},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C15744967","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9418","display_name":"Psychology","level":0,"score":0.15894857048988342},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C199360897","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9143","display_name":"Programming language","level":1,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C77805123","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q161272","display_name":"Social psychology","level":1,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C138885662","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5891","display_name":"Philosophy","level":0,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111919701","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9135","display_name":"Operating system","level":1,"score":0.0},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C19165224","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23404","display_name":"Anthropology","level":1,"score":0.0}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":7,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.1177/2053951714534395","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951714534395","pdf_url":"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2053951714534395","source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S2736409588","display_name":"Big Data & Society","issn_l":"2053-9517","issn":["2053-9517"],"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":true,"is_core":true,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310320017","host_organization_name":"SAGE Publishing","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310320017"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["SAGE Publishing"],"type":"journal"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Big Data & Society","raw_type":"journal-article"},{"id":"pmid:25729586","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25729586","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306525036","display_name":"PubMed","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I1299303238","host_organization_name":"National Institutes of Health","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I1299303238"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Big data & society","raw_type":null},{"id":"pmh:oai:europepmc.org:3304299","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/4340542","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400806","display_name":"Europe PMC (PubMed Central)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I1303153112","host_organization_name":"European Bioinformatics Institute","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I1303153112"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Text"},{"id":"pmh:oai:doaj.org/article:b3573ebb95f649849674e0cdb9e59ac8","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doaj.org/article/b3573ebb95f649849674e0cdb9e59ac8","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306401280","display_name":"DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":null,"host_organization_name":null,"host_organization_lineage":[],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by-sa","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by-sa","version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":"Big Data & Society, Vol 1 (2014)","raw_type":"article"},{"id":"pmh:oai:figshare.com:article/29704208","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/What_difference_does_quantity_make_On_the_epistemology_of_Big_Data_in_biology/29704208","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4377196282","display_name":"Figshare","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I4210132348","host_organization_name":"Figshare (United Kingdom)","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I4210132348"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Text"},{"id":"pmh:oai:ore.exeter.ac.uk:10871/16163","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10871/16163","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306401998","display_name":"Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I23923803","host_organization_name":"University of Exeter","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I23923803"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Article"},{"id":"pmh:oai:pure.mpg.de:item_2280772","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-002A-BFE4-D","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400654","display_name":"MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I149899117","host_organization_name":"Max Planck Society","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I149899117"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"submittedVersion","is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":"Big Data & Society","raw_type":"info:eu-repo/semantics/article"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"doi:10.1177/2053951714534395","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951714534395","pdf_url":"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2053951714534395","source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S2736409588","display_name":"Big Data & Society","issn_l":"2053-9517","issn":["2053-9517"],"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":true,"is_core":true,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310320017","host_organization_name":"SAGE Publishing","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310320017"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["SAGE Publishing"],"type":"journal"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Big Data & Society","raw_type":"journal-article"},"sustainable_development_goals":[{"display_name":"Industry, innovation and infrastructure","score":0.6600000262260437,"id":"https://metadata.un.org/sdg/9"}],"awards":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/G1660314267","display_name":"ESRC Centre for Social and Economic Research on Innovation in Genomics (Innogen)","funder_award_id":"ES/F028180/1","funder_id":"https://openalex.org/F4320334630","funder_display_name":"Economic and Social Research Council"},{"id":"https://openalex.org/G1726331997","display_name":null,"funder_award_id":"ES/F024738/1","funder_id":"https://openalex.org/F4320334630","funder_display_name":"Economic and Social Research Council"},{"id":"https://openalex.org/G2216474362","display_name":"ESRC Centre for Genomics in Society (Egenis)","funder_award_id":"ES/F024738/1","funder_id":"https://openalex.org/F4320334630","funder_display_name":"Economic and Social Research Council"},{"id":"https://openalex.org/G6973449111","display_name":null,"funder_award_id":"ES/F028180/1","funder_id":"https://openalex.org/F4320334630","funder_display_name":"Economic and Social Research Council"}],"funders":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/F4320334630","display_name":"Economic and Social Research Council","ror":"https://ror.org/03n0ht308"}],"has_content":{"grobid_xml":false,"pdf":true},"content_urls":{"pdf":"https://content.openalex.org/works/W2162121633.pdf"},"referenced_works_count":52,"referenced_works":["https://openalex.org/W67907013","https://openalex.org/W253582415","https://openalex.org/W315829020","https://openalex.org/W608178546","https://openalex.org/W629599117","https://openalex.org/W1480551106","https://openalex.org/W1504287823","https://openalex.org/W1544346551","https://openalex.org/W1548849615","https://openalex.org/W1564876325","https://openalex.org/W1608112068","https://openalex.org/W1943895098","https://openalex.org/W1967920021","https://openalex.org/W1969432763","https://openalex.org/W1971167245","https://openalex.org/W1977176820","https://openalex.org/W1980994663","https://openalex.org/W1986592712","https://openalex.org/W1987304328","https://openalex.org/W1989938995","https://openalex.org/W1999735373","https://openalex.org/W2008830318","https://openalex.org/W2023202325","https://openalex.org/W2023325477","https://openalex.org/W2044714392","https://openalex.org/W2045613548","https://openalex.org/W2087383805","https://openalex.org/W2099787705","https://openalex.org/W2100137827","https://openalex.org/W2118146675","https://openalex.org/W2126676706","https://openalex.org/W2128136878","https://openalex.org/W2149773224","https://openalex.org/W2155354890","https://openalex.org/W2157647092","https://openalex.org/W2166445532","https://openalex.org/W2328640700","https://openalex.org/W2496075736","https://openalex.org/W2548380462","https://openalex.org/W2620485168","https://openalex.org/W2792974390","https://openalex.org/W3142661319","https://openalex.org/W4211244514","https://openalex.org/W4214827127","https://openalex.org/W4233670998","https://openalex.org/W4237639242","https://openalex.org/W4242644079","https://openalex.org/W4245207454","https://openalex.org/W4245693277","https://openalex.org/W4251279871","https://openalex.org/W4256165433","https://openalex.org/W4298286109"],"related_works":["https://openalex.org/W4322629366","https://openalex.org/W2808989540","https://openalex.org/W2397053934","https://openalex.org/W1039292361","https://openalex.org/W2731626691","https://openalex.org/W2551093110","https://openalex.org/W2148016376","https://openalex.org/W4237919137","https://openalex.org/W3184179822","https://openalex.org/W3095362084"],"abstract_inverted_index":{"Is":[0],"big":[1,31,193,265],"data":[2,15,32,42,54,114,137,194,225,238,254,266],"science":[3,33],"a":[4,90],"whole":[5],"new":[6,91],"way":[7],"of":[8,30,41,64,93,129,147,174,188,202,217,224,250],"doing":[9,94],"research?":[10],"And":[11],"what":[12],"difference":[13,236],"does":[14,34],"quantity":[16,40,239],"make":[17],"to":[18,78,108,120,132,162,196,199,242,264],"knowledge":[19,76],"production":[20],"strategies":[21],"and":[22,50,57,62,68,75,100,118,135,164,168,172,177,247,252,258,261,268],"their":[23],"outputs?":[24],"I":[25,152,232],"argue":[26],"that":[27,86,180,237],"the":[28,38,48,65,70,84,110,127,143,170,189,211,215,221,227,235,245,259],"novelty":[29],"not":[35],"lie":[36],"in":[37,46,112,149,208,226],"sheer":[39],"involved,":[43],"but":[44],"rather":[45],"(1)":[47],"prominence":[49],"status":[51],"acquired":[52,138],"by":[53,214],"as":[55,157],"commodity":[56],"recognised":[58],"output,":[59],"both":[60],"within":[61],"outside":[63],"scientific":[66],"community;":[67],"(2)":[69],"methods,":[71],"infrastructures,":[72],"technologies,":[73],"skills":[74],"developed":[77],"handle":[79],"data.":[80],"These":[81],"developments":[82],"generate":[83,121],"impression":[85],"data-intensive":[87],"research":[88],"is":[89,240],"mode":[92],"science,":[95],"with":[96],"its":[97],"own":[98],"epistemology":[99],"norms.":[101],"To":[102],"assess":[103],"this":[104,124],"claim,":[105],"one":[106],"needs":[107],"consider":[109],"ways":[111,131],"which":[113,192,207],"are":[115],"actually":[116],"disseminated":[117],"used":[119],"knowledge.":[122],"Accordingly,":[123],"paper":[125],"reviews":[126],"development":[128],"sophisticated":[130],"disseminate,":[133],"integrate":[134],"re-use":[136],"on":[139,154,234],"model":[140],"organisms":[141],"over":[142],"last":[144],"three":[145],"decades":[146],"work":[148],"experimental":[150],"biology.":[151],"focus":[153],"online":[155],"databases":[156,182],"prominent":[158],"infrastructures":[159],"set":[160],"up":[161],"organise":[163],"interpret":[165],"such":[166,181],"data;":[167],"examine":[169],"wealth":[171],"diversity":[173],"expertise,":[175],"resources":[176],"conceptual":[178],"scaffolding":[179],"draw":[183],"upon.":[184],"This":[185],"illuminates":[186],"some":[187],"conditions":[190],"under":[191],"need":[195],"be":[197],"curated":[198],"support":[200],"processes":[201],"discovery":[203],"across":[204],"biological":[205],"subfields,":[206],"turn":[209],"highlights":[210],"difficulties":[212],"caused":[213],"lack":[216],"adequate":[218],"curation":[219],"for":[220],"vast":[222],"majority":[223],"life":[228],"sciences.":[229],"In":[230],"closing,":[231],"reflect":[233],"making":[241],"contemporary":[243],"biology,":[244],"methodological":[246],"epistemic":[248],"challenges":[249],"identifying":[251],"analyzing":[253],"given":[255],"these":[256],"developments,":[257],"opportunities":[260],"worries":[262],"associated":[263],"discourse":[267],"methods.":[269]},"counts_by_year":[{"year":2026,"cited_by_count":4},{"year":2025,"cited_by_count":12},{"year":2024,"cited_by_count":11},{"year":2023,"cited_by_count":38},{"year":2022,"cited_by_count":30},{"year":2021,"cited_by_count":20},{"year":2020,"cited_by_count":32},{"year":2019,"cited_by_count":23},{"year":2018,"cited_by_count":19},{"year":2017,"cited_by_count":34},{"year":2016,"cited_by_count":43},{"year":2015,"cited_by_count":17},{"year":2014,"cited_by_count":3},{"year":2012,"cited_by_count":1}],"updated_date":"2026-08-14T07:06:38.338062","created_date":"2025-10-10T00:00:00"}