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Science 25 April 1980:
Vol. 208. no. 4442, pp. 369 - 371
DOI: 10.1126/science.7367863
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Articles

Science, Vol 208, Issue 4442, 369-371
Copyright © 1980 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

The proliferation of scientific literature: a natural process

JM Ziman

Primary scientific literature seems not to be growing at a greater rate than the scientific community it serves. The impression of excessive proliferation arises mainly from the differentiation of journals to accomodate rapid expansion in specialized fields of research. A large fraction of this literature is of marginal value, but should not be excluded from comprehensive archives for possible retrieval. For awareness of significant current developments, however, scientists depend on a small number of core journals whose quality is maintained by editorial selectivity and competition.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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