Abstract EN:

In spite of the theoretical importation of the model - stemed from the « hard » sciences - of the partition between the scientific production in the form of the artide in peer-reviewed journals on the one hand and the essayist or «mainstream » production in the form of the published book on the other hand, the latter medium holds a central but ambiguous place in social sciences, both as primary exposition scene for works of research and as a vehicle for popularization. The researchers in this field don't control the means of the spreading of their knowledge. The internal regulation and assessment devices of the disciplines depend therefore on an editorial process that contributes to detemine a legitimate definition of research in social sciences. Furthermore, this output is indexed to the selection criteria used by the publishers. Ultimately, the edited statements proceed from an arbitration between scientific norms and editorial requirements whose epistemological consequences need to be considered.