The impact of computer usage on scholarly communication among social scientists

Abstract

An examination has been made of the effects of using information technology on the communication of research by social scientists in Brazil. Two disciplines were studied – economics and sociology – via both interviews and a questionnaire survey. A small sample of UK social scientists was also interviewed. The results indicate that major changes in communication habits are occurring. These are already well advanced for informal communication and are beginning to appear for formal communication. Differences have been found between economists and sociologists, with the former more active in their use of electronic facilities. Along with such discipline-related differences, the developments also appear to be influenced, in part, by pressures from the research community and from the institutional environment. One significant impact of information technology seems to be an increasing democratisation of the international research community.