Attention and the art of scientific publishing

Arjo Klamer and Hendrik van Dalen

Journal of Economic Methodology, 2001, vol. 9, issue 3, 289-315

Abstract: As so many other activities nowadays, modern science revolves around the competition for attention. Unlike in so many other attention games, in science those who seek attention are more or less the same people who are giving it. An important characteristic is the skewness of the distribution of scientific attention. We discuss the effect these characteristics have on scientific institutions. An important thesis of ours is that scientists converge in clusters of likeminded scientists. Given the character of scientific organization and communication we expect that the digitalization of scientific communication will not affect the basic scientific institutions as the principles upon which the Internet functions coincide more or less with the way science functions. However, violation of these principles can in principle disrupt science and fundamentally change its character. Diversity, the key element of scientific conversation, may be destroyed.

Keywords: Attention; Publishing; Journals; Citations; Networks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2001
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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DOI: 10.1080/1350178022000015104

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