Guide to Library Research in Science

Lesson 2: Scientific Communication

Science is sustained by its literature, which is both the foundation for and a product of continuing progress in scientific research. The production, dissemination and assimilation of information proceeds through both formal and informal channels resulting in the production of various forms of literature, which in turn sustain further growth of knowledge. One of the first steps in a scientific research project is to search the literature to determine what is already known about a topic. Furthermore, a research project is not complete until it has been published and can be accessed by other scientists in support of their research. As Isaac Newton said in a letter to Robert Hooke in 1675/76, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” This lesson consists of documents and links that illustrate the production, dissemination and assimilation of scientific information, and the strategies by which that information can be accessed.

• Evolution of Scientific Information

The continuous and regenerative cycle of the evolution of scientific information is illustrated in this graphical representation of the research and publication cycle in science, beginning with the production of new knowledge during the research project, and continuing with the dissemination if the newly generated information through various primary sources such as letters, conference proceedings and journal articles. Eventually the new information is assimilated into the body of scientific knowledge through secondary and tertiary sources, such as abstracts, handbooks and encyclopedias. This assimilated knowledge serves as the foundation of the process of generating more information.

• Importance of the Scientific Journal

“Publication in a reputable journal implies that reported findings and observations are capable of surviving in every way the potential test of replication by one’s peers within the discipline. Furthermore, only results that have actually been published are accorded an enduring place in science, and only the scientist with a personal record of publication is regarded as having made meaningful contributions to his or her field.”* See Importance of the Scientific Journal for more information about the role of the scholarly journal and the peer review process in scientific communication.

• Descriptions of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Literature Sources in Science

These pages provide descriptions of the different literature types, the kinds of information they contain, and access information.

*H.F. Ebel, C. Bliefert, and W.E. Russey, The Art of Scientific Writing: From Student Reports to Professional Publications in Chemistry and Related Fields, 2nd ed. (Weinheim: Wiley-VCH, 2004), 9-10.