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Policy and Informal Communications in Applied Science and Technology

search of ways to stimulate progress in science and technology, policymakers have supported an extensive body of research on the information needs and practices of users of professional information. This research has consistently demonstrated a strong reliance on informal channels of communication, especially in applied fields.’ This reliance is somewhat troublesome, for it is the formal channels which seem to be much more amenable to control and institutional support. This paper is a review of existing thought on informal communication in terms of its significance for progress in applied science and technology. It is directed at the policy problems intrinsic to encouraging productive informal communication.