The role of modem information in scientific research

Abstract

The problem of restraining or overcoming the information inflation which started with the publication of the first scientific journals can principally be solved either by reasonably limiting the flow of primary literature, or by using properly the secondary literature. Hence the first way does not seem to be feasible, there is no other solution than the adaptation to the circumstances by the development and arrangement of secondary literature. Automated information is a hopeful - and partly already practiced - means cf this adaption. The essence of automated information is the self-controlled storage and retrieval of literature. Though modern technology - the computer - offers enormous possibilities in this field, the most decisive factor is the human element; the achievements and the limits of automated documentation depend not so much on technical but on social and human factors. In textual retrieval the processing intellectual work is of primary importance; the result depends on the maturity of the organization. The significance of co-operation is a consequence of the caracteristics of the computer.
Some automated international information systems already exist such as those of the ESRO or the ILO.