Introduction and overview

Abstract

The authors address such issues as the adoption of computer-mediated communication by scientists, the changing roles of professional associations, emerging publication patterns, and the impact of electronic publishing on the peer review system. The new paradigm is one that might emerge from several recent initiatives that offer new functionalities while recognizing enduring values.Lisa Covis (2000) contribution to this Perspectives, Debunking the Myth of the Nintendo Generation: How Doctoral Students Introduce New Electronic Communication Practices into University Research, explores the communication behaviors of students in research universities. While the students she studied often employed work practices that reinforced existing patterns in their disciplines, she is able to speculate on how electronic communication may ultimately transform doctoral education.John P. Walsh, Stephanie Kucker, Nancy Maloney, and Shaul Gabbay (2000), in Connecting Minds: CMC and Scientific Work, report preliminary findings from a survey of 333 scientists in four disciplines (experimental biology, mathematics, physics, and sociology.) They find that computer-mediated communication technologies (CMC) have become increasingly important in scientific work and that the Internet and electronic mail have enhanced scientific collaboration and productivity. The focus of his research is on the effectJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCEDecember 2000 1277of social networks on economic competitive advantage, In his work, social capital serves as the theoretical framework and network analysis serves as the methodology for assessing empirical data.