Methodology of promotional scientific works and the identity of the Polish socio-economic geography – selected issues of the problem

Abstract

The sense of geographers’ own identity is not only an important identification element of the discipline, but also it is one of the important components of the level of methodological development. Methodology does not merely determine formal correctness of the conducted scientific research, but through constant scientific development of researchers it allows to develop the methodological workshop and conceptualization of the current state of the knowledge. Therefore, methodological quality of promotional scientific works is so essential. The review of habilitation dissertations in the field of socio-economic geography of the last decade allows us to notice a number of shortcomings, imperfections resulting both from the authors’ faults and the changing external conditions of the nature of science. A significant decline of the interest in the methodology among geographers results from the decrease of the eldest group of the researchers who have had a broader view of the integrity of the geographical knowledge and who have also been aware of the consequences of too narrow specialization. However, referring to the key concepts that determine the relationship between physical and socio-economic geography is also notably insufficient. Many researchers indicate here the integrating concept of a geographical region and a geographical environment. There is also concern about the prevailing opinion about mass production of scientific works when emphasizing the number of published papers and the points obtained from them is more important than the quality of the research itself.