Scientific Literature Its Influence on Discovery and Progress

Abstract

The progress of science is a cumulative one, each generation building on the achievement of its predecessors. Therefore, it is dependent on the permanent recording of new discoveries both to provide the basic information for future workers and to avoid needless repetition of experiments already performed. This article reviews the way in which the scientific literature has grown from the days of the ancient civilizations, via the foundation of the first great learned societies in the 17th century, to the scientific explosion of recent years. It considers ways in which the vast flood of new publication can be made manageable and how the problems of constantly mounting costs can be overcome.