In the time of Human genome project, collections of biological samples and related files are key issues for biomedical research. These collections are more and more organized within specific infrastructures such as « biobanks » or « Biological Resources Centers » and involve different...

This paper attempts to go beyond a definition of materiality, largely accepted in organization studies, that only focusses on consistency and stability. Drawing on the results of an ethnography of subway signs maintenance it highlights the importance to consider material fragility and...

Much ink has been spilt on the crucial role of users in innovation processes. Within STS, fascinating studies have shown how users played an important role in stabilizing technical objects, describing processes of co-configuration by which collectives of users and technologies mutually shaped...

From a perspective informed by science and technology studies, the authors propose to establish a general diagnosis on the regulation of publication practices and suggest methods of analysis by drawing on old and recent cases that have been questionning research integrity.

In a growing number of countries, governments and public agencies seek to systematically assess the scientific outputs of their universities and research institutions. Bibliometrics indicators and peer review are regularly used for this purpose, and their advantages and biases are discussed in a...

Drawing on an ethnographic study of the installation and maintenance of Paris subway wayfinding system, this article attempts to discuss and specify previous claims that highlight stability and immutability as crucial aspects of material ordering processes. Though subway signs have been...