Informal communication among scientists in sleep research

At the frontiers of an active area of science, social structure based upon communication is demonstrated. Using sociometric techniques, an informal communication network was identified which included 73% of the scientists. Within the network was a core group of scientists who were the focus of a disproportionately large number of contacts and who were differentiated from others by greater productivity, higher citation record and wider readership. Information transferred to these scientists is so situated that it could be transmitted to 95% of the network scientists through one intermediary scientist or less.