The sociality of science
Publication Type:
Journal ArticlesSource:
Current Science, Volume 11 , Issue 11 , p.1731-1732. (2016)URL:
http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/111/11/1731.pdfAbstract:
Science is inherently and essentially social. While the image of a solitary scientist, an individual of genius, continues to be a powerful one in science, it is an image that is not true of modern scientific practice. This practice has become so inherently social that science is now primarily seen as a collaborative activity, both at the individual level as well as that of institutions and nations. Not only have co-authored papers become the norm today, but there is also an increasing number of co-authors in a paper, with some instances of more than one thousand authors.