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Publish Late, Publish Rarely! : Network Density and Group Performance in Scientific Communication

Angere, Staffan LU and Olsson, Erik J LU (2017) p.34-62
Abstract
Research programs regularly compete to achieve the same goal, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA or the construction of a TEA laser. The more the competing programs share information, the faster the goal is likely to be reached, to society’s benefit. But the “priority rule”-the scientific norm according to which the first program to reach the goal in question must receive all the credit for the achievement-provides a powerful disincentive for programs to share information. How, then, is the clash between social and individual interest resolved in scientific practice? This chapter investigates what Robert Merton called science’s “communist” norm, which mandates universal sharing of knowledge, and uses mathematical models of... (More)
Research programs regularly compete to achieve the same goal, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA or the construction of a TEA laser. The more the competing programs share information, the faster the goal is likely to be reached, to society’s benefit. But the “priority rule”-the scientific norm according to which the first program to reach the goal in question must receive all the credit for the achievement-provides a powerful disincentive for programs to share information. How, then, is the clash between social and individual interest resolved in scientific practice? This chapter investigates what Robert Merton called science’s “communist” norm, which mandates universal sharing of knowledge, and uses mathematical models of discovery to argue that a communist regime may be on the whole advantageous and fair to all parties, and so might be implemented by a social contract that all scientists would be willing to sign. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Scientific Collaboration and Collective Knowledge
editor
Boyer, Thomas ; Mayo-Wilson, Conor and Weisberg, Michael
pages
29 pages
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85049463576
ISBN
9780190680534
DOI
10.1093/oso/9780190680534.003.0001
project
Collective Competence in Deliberative Groups: On the Epistemological Foundation of Democracy
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0debb1dd-8e56-4b96-89e8-40dd01b47ce8 (old id 4628755)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 11:49:43
date last changed
2022-04-24 01:07:34
@inbook{0debb1dd-8e56-4b96-89e8-40dd01b47ce8,
  abstract     = {{Research programs regularly compete to achieve the same goal, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA or the construction of a TEA laser. The more the competing programs share information, the faster the goal is likely to be reached, to society’s benefit. But the “priority rule”-the scientific norm according to which the first program to reach the goal in question must receive all the credit for the achievement-provides a powerful disincentive for programs to share information. How, then, is the clash between social and individual interest resolved in scientific practice? This chapter investigates what Robert Merton called science’s “communist” norm, which mandates universal sharing of knowledge, and uses mathematical models of discovery to argue that a communist regime may be on the whole advantageous and fair to all parties, and so might be implemented by a social contract that all scientists would be willing to sign.}},
  author       = {{Angere, Staffan and Olsson, Erik J}},
  booktitle    = {{Scientific Collaboration and Collective Knowledge}},
  editor       = {{Boyer, Thomas and Mayo-Wilson, Conor and Weisberg, Michael}},
  isbn         = {{9780190680534}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{34--62}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  title        = {{Publish Late, Publish Rarely! : Network Density and Group Performance in Scientific Communication}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/41863890/Angere_and_Olsson_final_version_2016.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/oso/9780190680534.003.0001}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}