Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[noodle0117]

From an academic writing point of view, what would "state of knowledge" and "knowledge deficit" be?

I haven't been able to find a clear definition on google, nor have I been able to make sense of how exactly they're used so just wondering if anyone knows what these two phrases mean.

[Meta]

If I'm not mistaken, the "state of knowledge" is the actual knowledge about a topic, what is known about a specified topic. Usually you can find short state of knowledge at the beginning of scientific articles, in the first paragraphs before the hypotheses.

A "knowledge deficit" may simply be what it implies: a lack of knowledge about a certain topic, e.g. if a topic has not been studied a lot previously.

[Loud Whispers]

Meta seems more or less right on this. State of knowledge implies being in a condition of learned things. Deficit implies too little knowledge learned.

[LordBucket]

I haven't been able to find a clear definition on google, nor have I been able to make
sense of how exactly they're used so just wondering if anyone knows what these two phrases mean.

You've found no clear definition because whomever you heard use these expressions clearly made them up. However, the intended meanings are fairly clear:

"state of knowledge" = excessively verbose way of saying "knows." For example "Bob is in a state of knowledge about excessive needlessly awkward phrasing" = "Bob knows how to phrase things awkwardly."

"knowledge deficit" = "doesn't know / is lacking knowledge of." For example, "Bob has a knowledge deficit on the topic of ridiculous phrasing " = "I'm a pompous asshole, and Bob doesn't know how to phrase things ridiculously as well as I'd like."

[Knight of Fools]

You've found no clear definition because whomever you heard use these expressions clearly made them up.

Isn't that how all expressions start out?

[Meta]

I haven't been able to find a clear definition on google, nor have I been able to make
sense of how exactly they're used so just wondering if anyone knows what these two phrases mean.

You've found no clear definition because whomever you heard use these expressions clearly made them up. However, the intended meanings are fairly clear:

"state of knowledge" = excessively verbose way of saying "knows." For example "Bob is in a state of knowledge about excessive needlessly awkward phrasing" = "Bob knows how to phrase things awkwardly."

"knowledge deficit" = "doesn't know / is lacking knowledge of." For example, "Bob has a knowledge deficit on the topic of ridiculous phrasing " = "I'm a pompous asshole, and Bob doesn't know how to phrase things ridiculously as well as I'd like."

These expressions are not made up. They exist and I hear them regularly (in French, sure, but still).
And no, I don't think someone can be "in a state of knowledge".

[Loud Whispers]

Being in a state of knowledge is just saying you have current relevant knowledge I guess.

[fqllve]

I've never heard it used like that, but I have heard it used like "and with the current state of our knowledge we're unable to determine why exactly the moon is made of delicious cheese."

Knowledge deficit would probably be another way to say information deficit, which I think is the informational equivalent of a food desert.

[Strife26]

I've heard knowledge deficit used before, to describe situations where someone can't cope because of an education that was lacking in just random things that we'd normally take for granted. So, an example where it's not a specific skill or area of study that's lacking, but just knowledge in general.