Merton’s theoretical framework for sociology of science (SOS) originates from Marx-Mannheim’s tradition in sociology of knowledge, regarding science as a social system. Merton’s research on sociology of science is usually divided into three stages. The focus of his early research is on the science and society, which is the main social factor leading to the rise or systematization of modern science. In his medium-term study, he gradually turns to the ethos of science including universalism, communism, disinterestedness, and organized skepticism, etc. In the later period, he mainly focuses on scientific community including scientific guarding mechanism, exchanging mechanism, and the mechanism of reward and evaluation, and the layering system. In late 1970s, Merton’s sociology of science, owing to its own limitation, suffered criticism from the emerging school of scientific sociology of knowledge (SSK), which causes Merton’s sociology of science to fall into the bottom, but it tries to develop towards the new form of realism.% 默顿科学社会的理论框架来源于马克思—曼海姆知识社会学传统，其拒绝从认识论领域来探讨科学，而将科学作为一种社会建制进行研究。默顿的科学社会学研究工作通常可分为三个时期：早期的关注点是促使近代科学兴起或体制化的主要社会因素—科学与社会研究；中期研究重点逐渐转向科学规范，默顿科学规范包括普遍主义、公有性、无私利性、有组织的怀疑主义等；后期研究重点是科学共同体，包括科学防范机制、交流机制、奖励与评议机制及分层系统等。默顿科学社会学在20世纪70年代后期由于自身的局限，遭到新兴的科学知识社会学(SSK)的批判而陷入衰落并试图向新形式的实在论跨越。
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