Revisiting the invisible college : a case study of the intellectual structure and social process of singularity theory research in mathematics

Abstract

This study revisits the invisible college concept in order to respond to Lievrouw's (1990) question about whether it is a structure of scholarship measurable from outside elements (i.e., published documents) or a social process rooted in informal communication behaviours, perceivable only to the researchers who carry out these behaviours. Focusing on the Singularity Theory community in Mathematics, the combined research techniques of Author Co-Citation Analysis, Social Network Analysis, and Ethnography of Communication are used show that an invisible college constitutes both elements identified by Lievrouw. An invisible college is defined and observed as a multidimensional phenomenon where three factors---the subject specialty, the scientist/scholars as social actors, and the information use environment (IUE)---play interrelated roles in its orientation and growth.

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