B - Electronic Publication and the Narrowing of Science and Scholarship

Evans J A. Electronic Publication and the Narrowing of Science and Scholarship. Science 2008;321(5887):395-399
DOI: 10.1126/science.1150473

Electronically available journals may portend an ironic change for science. As more journal issues came online, the articles referenced tend to be more recent, fewer journals and articles are cited, and more of the citations were to fewer journals and articles. Searching online is more efficient and following hyperlinks quickly puts researchers in touch with prevailing opinion, but this may accelerate consensus and narrow the range of findings and ideas built upon.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5887/395

Comments