| Abstract: | PRESENTS AN OUTLINE AND PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF A GROUP WHICH CONSTITUTES THE GREATER PART OF A SINGLE INVISIBLE COLLEGE. INVISIBLE COLLEGE REFERS TO THAT "INGROUP" IN EACH OF THE MORE ACTIVELY PURSUED AND HIGHLY COMPETITIVE SPECIALTIES IN THE SCIENCES. GROUP MEMBERS CLAIM TO BE REASONABLY IN TOUCH WITH EVERYONE WHO IS CONTRIBUTING MATERIALLY TO RESEARCH IN THEIR AREA NOT ONLY NATIONALLY, BUT INTERNATIONALLY AS WELL. "THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS STUDY ARE CONSIDERABLE FOR ANALYZING THE SOCIAL LIFE OF SCIENCE AND THE NATURE OF COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION AT THE RESEARCH FRONT . . . . PERHAPS THE RECENT ACCELERATION IN THE AMOUNT OF MULTIPLE AUTHORSHIP IN SEVERAL REGIONS OF SCIENCE IS DUE PARTLY TO THE BUILDING OF A NEW COMMUNICATION MECHANISM DERIVING FROM THE INCREASED MOBILITY OF SCIENTISTS, AND PARTLY TO AN EFFORT TO UTILIZE LARGER AND LARGER QUANTITIES OF LOWER-LEVEL RESEARCH MANPOWER. IF THIS IS SO, THEN THE CONVENTIONAL EXPLANATION OF COLLABORATION, AS THE UTILIZATION OF MANY DIFFERENT SKILLS AND PAIRS OF HANDS TO DO A SINGLE JOB OTHERWISE IMPOSSIBLE TO PERFORM, IS WOEFULLY INADEQUATE AND MISLEADING." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
