nsf.gov - News - Research Publications Online: Too Much of A Good Thing? - US National Science Foundation (NSF) 

Press Release 08-120 Research Publications Online: Too Much of A Good Thing? New research shows that as more scholarly and research journals are available online, researchers cite fewer, newer papers July ... 17, 2008 View a video interview with sociologist James Evans of the University of Chicago. The Internet gives scientists and researchers instant access to an astonishing number of academic journals. So what is the impact of having such a wealth of information at their fingertips? The answer, according to new research released today in the journal Science , is surprising--scholars are actually citing fewer papers in their own work, and the papers they do cite tend to be more recent publications. This trend may be limiting the creation of new ideas and theories. James Evans is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, who focuses on the nature of scholarly research. During a lecture on the influence of private industry money on research, a student instead asked h   [More...] [Less...]