Research Article
Charting Science Fiction in Computer Science Literature
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-030-99188-3_7, author={Philipp Jordan and Paula Alexandra Silva}, title={Charting Science Fiction in Computer Science Literature}, proceedings={Intelligent Technologies for Interactive Entertainment. 13th EAI International Conference, INTETAIN 2021, Virtual Event, December 3-4, 2021, Proceedings}, proceedings_a={INTETAIN}, year={2022}, month={3}, keywords={Science fiction Human-computer interaction Computer science Science studies Content analysis}, doi={10.1007/978-3-030-99188-3_7} }- Philipp Jordan
Paula Alexandra Silva
Year: 2022
Charting Science Fiction in Computer Science Literature
INTETAIN
Springer
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-99188-3_7
Abstract
Studies concerning the usage of ‘science fiction’ in computer science research are scarce and rely mostly on anecdotal evidence and scattered oral accounts. For this reason, we present a content analysis of a random sample of 500 publications, retrieved from the IEEEXploreDigital Library via a faceted, full-text search for ‘science fiction’. We analyze the type of research paper and the contextual usage of the science fiction referral and show that science fiction, in the grand scheme of things, is a niche topic in computer science research. Furthermore, results demonstrate that science fiction referrals appear primarily in opinion-type contributions, largely with the purpose of drawing inspiration and innovation into the research paper. The implications of this study can guide computer scientists to consciously utilize science fiction in their research and scholarship and therefore, contribute to innovative HCI and computer science research and application.
