Abstract
This paper takes a broad view of the current status of the use and role of Social Networking by scientists and researchers. Facets of the study include the styles of scientific collaboration and how they differ from current social media capabilities, a look at the present scientific collaboration sites, what the trends are in the marketplace, and how this paradigm has the potential to change the landscape of the traditional refereed journals. These studies are based on a combination of research, technology reviews and statistical analysis of research collaboration using the U.S. Department of Energy-funded published research results.