%0 Journal Article
%T Scientific consensus, the law, and same sex parenting outcomes.
%A adams J
%A Light R
%J Soc Sci Res
%V 53
%N 0
%D Sep 2015
%M 26188455
%F 2.617
%R 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2015.06.008
%X While the US Supreme Court was considering two related cases involving the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, one major question informing that decision was whether scientific research had achieved consensus regarding how children of same-sex couples fare. Determining the extent of consensus has become a key aspect of how social science evidence and testimony is accepted by the courts. Here, we show how a method of analyzing temporal patterns in citation networks can be used to assess the state of social scientific literature as a means to inform just such a question. Patterns of clustering within these citation networks reveal whether and when consensus arises within a scientific field. We find that the literature on outcomes for children of same-sex parents is marked by scientific consensus that they experience "no differences" compared to children from other parental configurations.