Methods of Measuring Knowledge: Analysis and Classification

How to measure knowledge has attracted the interest of scholars since more than two decades. Many techniques have been proposed but they are still far from becoming an established practice. They are very heterogeneous, are based on different foundations, and often derive from techniques formerly developed for other goals. A rationale to treat the problem still lacks, which is critical for both practice and research. The paper attempts to give some order to a critical issue in the KM and IC literature, where the theoretical and methodological soundness of the various measurement techniques is still debated. By examining the extant literature, it aims to illustrate the state-of-the-art of knowledge measurement and the related issues in KM research and practice. It proposes a classification of popular methods, and discusses their differences, point of strength and weakness. Also, it analyzes their soundness from the point of view of a theory of measurement. Implications for research and practice are summarized in the conclusion.